USA Health names patient safety manager
As part of an overall quality and safety initiative, USA Health has named a new patient safety manager for the health system.
Becky Pomrenke, who began her career as a staff nurse in the burn unit at USA Health University Hospital, has been named patient safety manager for USA Health.
Pomrenke will work to grow a “culture of safety” that empowers employees on the front lines to play a key role in improving safety for patients and employees. She brings years of experience in safety, clinical systems analysis, education and nursing to the position.
“Quality, safety and patient-centered care make up the foundation of our commitment to our patients,” said Michael Chang, M.D., chief medical officer for USA Health. “We are constantly working towards becoming a high reliability organization, and the safety program and putting someone with her experience, skill and ability is a foundational step in that direction.”
The appointment is the latest step by USA Health to improve quality and safety in order to become more patient-centered. Last year, a new software was installed that makes it easier for employees to document safety concerns, which can be a springboard for process improvements.
“Becky’s passion for safety prevention is based upon her own personal experiences in healthcare,” said Sharon Ezelle, quality and safety director for USA Health. “Her extensive knowledge of the science of safety will assist USA Health with advancing the current safety program towards the goal of establishing a transparent safety culture.”
Pomrenke worked as a patient safety officer in Mobile for the past two years and had spent four years in clinical applications and systems. She had also served as a faculty member of the University of South Alabama College of Nursing, where she oversaw nursing students studying adult health.
Her time as a staff and charge nurse in the burn unit spanned a decade. “I learned from the structure of the burn team. That’s probably why I’ve embraced the safety culture,” she said. “From the beginning of my career, I was taught to speak up for the patient.”
Pomrenke said that employees must feel that they can be transparent about mistakes in order to improve processes, and ultimately, safety. “We have to understand that good employees make mistakes,” she said. “It’s very rare that a human mistake is solely a human mistake. It’s usually the system, because the systems that we build can be flawed.”
The new safety reporting software, RL Quality Assurance Safety Reporting, can be found on all computer desktops at all USA Health sites and on the Intranet website. The application allows employees to report safety events, from falls and infections to adverse drug reactions and security concerns. It also gives employees the option to submit information anonymously.
Pomrenke said that a culture of safety enables employees to report problems with the goal of learning from them. “Our most poignant life lessons don’t come from our successes; they come from our failures,” she said.
Chang listed four pillars under the culture of safety when he introduced the initiative last year:
· Acknowledgement of the high-risk nature of an organizations activities and the determination to achieve consistently safe operations
· A just environment where individuals are able to report errors or near misses without fear of reprimand or punishment as long as the actions were not reckless
· Encouragement of collaboration across ranks and disciplines to seek solutions to patient safety problems
· And organizational commitment of resources to address safety concerns
