“Flight Plan” Offers a Proven Way to Improve Patient Safety Through the Effective Use of Crew Resource Management Techniques
"Crew Resource Management: The Flight Plan for Lasting Change in Patient Safety" provides healthcare facilities with concrete, actionable ways to overcome the effect of these problems and provide better care to their patients.
Memphis, TN (PRWEB) January 3, 2006
LifeWings Partners LLC, a group of patient safety consultants (http://www. saferpatients. com/services/risk-management-training. htm) comprised of former astronauts, current pilots, and physicians, has released the first comprehensive, step-by-step guide for healthcare facilities to use proven aviation-based crew resource management (http://www. saferpatients. com/index. htm) programs to dramatically improve patient safety.
You cannot open a newspaper or magazine today without seeing an article about the dangers of entering a hospital for care. Nursing shortages, nurse-physician communication problems, tighter budgets, insurance pressures, and a wave of underinsured patients all combine to make a hospital visit potentially dangerous. As Dr. Donald M. Berwick recently stated in a Newsweek article, “When I climb Mount Ranier, I face less risk of death than I’ll face on the operating table.”
“Crew Resource Management: The Flight Plan for Lasting Change in Patient Safety” (http://www. hcmarketplace. com/Prod. cfm? id=3676) provides healthcare facilities with concrete, actionable ways to overcome the effect of these problems and provide better care to their patients. The book is co-authored by an expert team: two practicing physicians and former NASA astronauts, F. Andrew Gaffney, M. D., Rhea Seddon, M. D., and a former US Navy Top Gun Instructor, Captain Stephen W. Harden. Refreshingly, and unlike many other management training books, these authors are not just gurus espousing high-level concepts. This is a “how-to” manual, written with first-hand knowledge of the life-saving value of crew resource management that the authors gained in the cockpit, the space shuttle, and healthcare organizations. Their hands-on experience makes the book engaging and interesting to read. Real-life examples and case studies from various types of healthcare facilities make the information truly useful to the reader.
The real gifts in this book are the compelling documented results presented about the success healthcare facilities have had when implementing an aviation-based patient safety (http://www. saferpatients. com/index. htm) program. Hospitals following the book’s formula have experienced startling improvements including increased patient safety, reduced costs, improved communication within their staff and between departments, and, ultimately, reduced adverse outcomes (http://www. saferpatients. com/success/patient-safety-success-stories. htm).
“Crew Resource Management: The Flight Plan for Lasting Change in Patient Safety” provides specific and detailed action plans to implement the two vital elements of a successful healthcare CRM program: teams who are trained to use specific teamwork behaviors and safety tools (http://www. saferpatients. com/services/safety-tools. htm) that complement those behaviors and catch errors. The book provides sample training materials, checklists, and detailed instructions to provide a mistake-free implementation process.
The authors know from their experience working with over thirty-five healthcare institutions that cultural change and sustained improvement never come easy in healthcare. They dedicated parts of the book to strategies and actions needed to gain leadership buy-in and overcome barriers and objections. Couple the convincing data with the specific action steps laid out for the reader and the result is a “no-brainer” for any healthcare facility that has safety and quality improvement goals.
Following the “flightplan” in this book will enable hospital executives, risk managers, patient safety directors, and other healthcare managers to effectively implement a proven, easy-to-follow formula to meet their patient safety and quality goals. The current healthcare environment and documented success of this program make the book a compelling read for any healthcare manager.
The book is available at HCPRO’s HCMarketplace. com (http://www. hcmarketplace. com/Prod. cfm? id=3676).
About LifeWings Partners LLC
LifeWings Partners LLC was founded by a former U. S. Navy Top Gun instructor and commercial airline pilot. The firm specializes in applying aviation-based teamwork training (http://www. saferpatients. com/services/skills-workshop. htm) and safety tools to help healthcare facilities save patient lives and reduce costs. The firm has helped more than 40 facilities nationwide provide better care to their patients. Measurable results are found in many LifeWings initiatives including one hospital that improved its surgical error rate to better than10 times the national average. The firm also conducts Leadership Development (http://www. saferpatients. com/services/leadership-development-training. htm) workshops for healthcare executives and leaders.
More information about LifeWings, including specific project descriptions, can be found at their website, www. saferpatients. com.
Contact Information:
Steve Harden
President
LifeWings Partners LLC
9198 Crestwyn Hills Dr.
Memphis, TN 38125
800-290-9314
Www. saferpatients. com
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