February’s safety skill: Communicate clearly with phonetic and numeric clarification
Each month, USA Health will focus on a safety behavior and tool to discuss and practice at huddles and in our departments.
As part of our Safety Starts with Me initiative, USA Health is introducing a safety behavior and tool of the month to be discussed and practiced at huddles and in departments across the health system.
February’s safety behavior and tool is “Communicate clearly using phonetic and numeric clarification.” What does this mean?
When information is transferred using this behavior, the receiver confirms sound-alike words and numbers in these ways:
- For sound-alike words and letters, say the letter followed by a word that begins with the letter. Spell only those parts that can be confusing. For example, “That’s neurology with an N, as in November.”
- For sound-alike numbers, say the number and then the digits. For example, “Fifteen. That’s one five.”
“Clarifying sound-alike words and numbers will help us change our culture as we strive to become a high reliability organization,’” said Becky Pomrenke, M.S.N., R.N., patient safety manager for USA Health. “If you witness someone using the tool of the month, please thank them for doing so.”
The January safety skill was “Communicate clearly by utilizing three-way repeat-backs and read-backs.”
