December safety tool: STAR
During December, USA Health employees are encouraged to practice a new safety tool, STAR, which stands for “stop, think, act and review.”
As part of the Safety Starts with Me initiative, USA Health employees are being encouraged to learn and practice the STAR safety tool during the month of December. STAR stands for “stop, think, act and review.”
“You are 10 times less likely to make an unintended mental slip or laps if you use STAR,” said Becky Pomrenke, R.N., M.S.N., patient safety manager for USA Health. “It’s often referred to as the “head before hands” technique.
To implement STAR, “stop, think, act and review.”
Stop: Pause for one second to focus your attention on the task at hand.
Think: Consider the action you’re about to take.
Act: Concentrate and carry out the task.
Review: Check to make sure that the task was done right and that you got the right result.
Watch the second half of this “Marty’s Minutes” video (starting at 01:22), which helps to illustrate the importance of STAR.
