Report from the 2013 Patient Safety Leadership Congress

Friday, October 25, 2013 02:33 PM

The 2013 Patient Safety Leadership Congress, jointly sponsored by the Colorado Hospital Association and the Colorado Medical Society, was held Oct. 22 in Denver. The event brought together physicians, hospital executives, patient safety advocates and other professionals to discuss what is happening in patient safety and quality improvement, why it’s happening and what’s likely to happen in the next few years.

Robert Wachter, MD, professor and associate chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco, gave a big-picture view of the patient safety and quality movement, starting in November 1999 with the publication of the Institute of Medicine’s “To Err is Human” report and moving through present day. Experts have switched their thinking from perfecting individuals to improving systems. To achieve quality and safety goals, he said all members of the health care team must learn to communicate effectively with one another.

Brian Sexton, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry at Duke University School of Medicine and director of the Patient Safety Center at Duke University Health System, spoke about physician resiliency and patient safety, making the case for healthy work-life balance to prevent burnout. With countless studies, he demonstrated the “science of self-care,” focusing on the importance of sleep in memory consolidation and emotional regulation, and giving practical exercises to refresh and replenish mental capacity.

Eric Coleman, MD, MPH, director of the Care Transitions Program at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, talked about the challenge of ensuring patient safety at the highly vulnerable period during transitions out of the hospital and gave seven strategies to ensure safety and quality during care transitions. He emphasized the importance of engaging patients and their families and fostering cross-setting collaboration with professionals across different care settings.

Read more in the November/December issue of Colorado Medicine.