Safety Culture

The University of Tennessee Medical Center takes a special interest in providing continuing education for staff on the subjects of safety, quality and service. Each year, safety training is provided on the National Patient Safety Goals to staff and employees to educate each employee on the new changes and updates with the goals. In addition to the structured education, we also hold a Patient Safety Fair to provide vignettes and work stations for hands-on education. These stations include proper hand hygiene, lifting techniques, best practices in infection control and many others. All new employees and new physician residents participate in safety training during their orientation.

Here at the medical center, we have many teams in place to assess quality and safety. Our Performance Improvement efforts currently have approximately 15 teams in place to evaluate the current processes and determine educational needs, process redesign and efficiency.

Projects focused on such things as STEMI and decubitus ulcers have proved to benefit our patients.

STEMI Project

“STEMI” is an acronym for ST elevation myocardial infarction, a type of heart attack that is caused by the sudden occlusion of a major coronary artery.

The STEMI referral center uses both multidisciplinary and collaborative approaches in providing emergency STEMI care. The program includes interventional cardiology facilities, a cardiac catheterization laboratory, and the round-the-clock skills of dedicated emergency department staff, physicians, and other personnel. The team works closely with local and regional emergency medical services to get patients to the cardiac catheterization lab in the shortest possible time. For patients located at a distance from the medical center in Knoxville, the STEMI referral center offers swift transport by UT LIFESTAR Aeromedical Services. Once these patients reach the medical center, protocols are in place to guide their rapid, direct admission to the cardiac catheterization lab. Read more in Frontiers.

Decubitus Ulcers Project

Decubitus ulcers can occur in patients who must remain in bed for an extended amount of time. Here at the medical center we take measures to keep our patients safe from these pressure ulcers. A clock called “The Lawson Clock” was created by a nurse team leader as a visual guide for all nursing staff to use when turning and repositioning patients. The clock, along with continued staff education/testing, family education, and staff daily huddles have been pivotal to our patients and their health.

Safety teams also are in place to monitor areas such as medical equipment use, hazardous materials, fire prevention, emergency management, community disasters and security. All of these teams are focused on the safety of our patients, their families and staff.

Teamwork is the utmost importance for a meaningful patient experience. We provide team training to educate all of our staff on the significance and impact of communication, coordination and collaboration of patient care. These trainings incorporate case studies, activities and real example in healthcare.