The Department of Defense (DoD) Patient Safety Program (PSP) eBulletin delivers patient safety updates, news, useful tips and resources to help you deliver the highest quality of care to your patients. This month, we bring you more information about the MHS Patient Safety Culture Survey and next steps, highlights about the upcoming Association of Military Surgeons of the United States (AMSUS) conference and an overview of the recent Patient Safety Professional (PS Prof) course improvements.

Announcements/Reminders

• In November, the Military Health System is observing Warrior Care Month
•  Join us for one of our Patient Safety Culture Survey "Office Hours" session in November. Subscribe and get email reminders about upcoming sessions.
• Did you hear? The Unintended Retained Foreign Objects (URFOs) Guidebook was recently released. Check it out!
• Do you have questions about the Continuing Education process? We can help! Email us.
• Do you have an update from your facility? Let us know via email or Facebook.

Feature: Next Steps with Your MHS Patient Safety Culture Survey Results

Earlier this year, Military Health System (MHS) staff at military treatment facilities (MTFs) worldwide completed the 2016 MHS Patient Safety Culture Survey (Culture Survey). The data from this survey is key in aiding the MHS journey towards high reliability. Staff from across the MHS, including inpatient facilities, outpatient facilities and dental clinics, were invited to participate… Feature: Next Steps with Your MHS Patient Safety Culture Survey Results.

Patient Safety in Action: Awarding Commitment to Improve the MHS

The Department of Defense (DoD) is on a journey to transform the Military Health System (MHS) into a high reliability organization (HRO) to ensure safe, reliable care for all patients and their families… Patient Safety in Action: Awarding Commitment to Improve the MHS.

HRO Corner: The New Modules of the Patient Safety Professional Course

Transforming the Military Health System (MHS) into a high reliability organization (HRO) requires an understanding of patient safety, quality, and process improvement principles and how they support the larger HRO mission. As part of this transformational journey, three modules of the Patient Safety Professional (PS Prof) course that were redesigned… HRO Corner: The New Modules of the Patient Safety Professional Course.

Continuing Education Update: Types of CEs offered for approved DoD Patient Safety Program Educational Activities

The DoD Patient Safety Program offers eight types of continuing education (CE) credit for TeamSTEPPS Train the Trainer, Train the Staff, and other pre-approved educational activities, based on attendee eligibility and provision of necessary requirements by the attendee. Mandatory attendee compliance requirements to earn CE credit… Continuing Education Update: Types of CEs offered for approved DoD Patient Safety Program Educational Activities.

REMINDER: Requirements for Pharmacy Continuing Education Credit for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians 

Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians requesting ACPE credit must provide their National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) number, date of birth, and notate whether they are a pharmacist or pharmacy tech at the time of registration. They must provide their own NABP number, they cannot use an organization’s… REMINDER: Requirements for Pharmacy Continuing Education Credit for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians.

DoD PSP Treasure Chest: November Edition

Welcome to the November edition of the DoD PSP Treasure Chest! Every month, we will be sharing resources to help you execute your day-to-day patient safety activities easily and effectively. Please visit us often and get access to tools and information developed with you, our committed MHS patient safety champions, in mind! DoD PSP Treasure Chest: November Edition Page.

MHS Patient Safety Data Snapshot

The MHS Patient Safety Data Snapshot is a monthly compilation of two types of patient safety data: 1) Sentinel Event (SE) notifications submitted to the Patient Safety Analysis Center (PSAC) 2) Anonymous, voluntarily reported patient safety events via the web-based incident reporting system known as PSR… MHS Patient Safety Data Snapshot Page.

MHS Patient Safety Spotlight

The MHS Patient Safety Spotlight is a resource designed to highlight best practices and interesting initiatives that come from the field and are worthy of being shared across the enterprise… MHS Patient Safety Spotlight Page.

Upcoming Events

 Click the image to view/print a list of all upcoming patient safety activities.

Patient Safety Learning Circles

In-person or Web-based forums focused on a specific topic

TeamSTEPPS Webinar – Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Please check our for Calendar of Events for updates on this webinar.

Professional Learning Series: Taking Action to Combat Antibiotic Resistance and Improve Antibiotic Use – National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF)**
Nov. 14, 2016 from 1:00 to 2:00 PM (ET)

This NPSF webinar will:

• Review justification for the pharmacist to be part of the team
• Explain the role of the pharmacist in antimicrobial stewardship
• Describe how antimicrobial stewardship leads to better patient outcomes
• Explain what patients should expect and questions to ask about antibiotics

Speakers include Dr. Deborah Pasko of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and Dr. Arjun Srinivasan from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Learn more and register here.

Managing 10,000 Medications: A Prescription for Safety – ECRI Institute
Nov. 17, 2016 from 1:00 to 2:00 PM (ET)

This webinar will review the steps in the medication management process and discuss how medications may cause harm when not administered, prescribed and monitored correctly. Participants will learn about available error-reduction strategies and their effectiveness in decreasing and preventing medication errors.

This session will be led by Pat Stahura, a registered nurse and patient safety analyst/consultant with the ECRI Institute. For more information on registering for this webinar, please email TQMC@ECRI.org.

Patient Safety Workshops

Instructor-led or self-paced online learning sessions focused on a specific product

On-Demand eLearning: Patient Safety Reporting System v1.1 e-Learning Course

This course introduces basic navigation and functionality features of the PSR system and the roles of system users, such as event reporters, event handlers and investigators. The course can be accessed through MHS Learn.

Visit the eLearning Courses page to register for this course.

On-Demand e-Learning: Patient Safety Reporting: Intermediate Course*

Targeted to Patient Safety Managers and other Military Treatment Facility (MTF) staff already familiar with basic functionalities of the Patient Safety Reporting System, this course is designed to help learners hone the decision-making skills needed to effectively manage patient safety event data in PSR, as part of the ongoing effort to eliminate preventable harm at MTFs.

Patient SafetyReporting: Intermediate Course Registration Page

On-Demand e-Learning: Root Cause Analysis*

This self-paced module outlines the Patient Safety Program's suggested practices for conducting a root cause analysis (RCA), from the initial reporting of a patient safety event through the formation of the RCA Team to the identification of contributing factors and root causes and the recommendation of corrective actions.

Root Cause Analysis CourseRegistration Page

*Denotes that activity is eligible for CE credit. All CE credits are managed by the Postgraduate Institute for Medicine (PIM).

**Did you know? As an NPSF Stand Up for Patient Safety member, DoD PSP receives complimentary access to webinars as a benefit of program membership. Check with your facility POC for more information.