Progressive Huddle: Culture of Safety in the ASC
Patient safety is paramount and should be priority number one in all facilities. Improving the culture of safety within health care is an essential component of preventing or reducing errors and improving overall health care quality. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) says that safety culture is generally measured by surveys of providers at all levels and has these surveys available for use and implementation, which we will discuss.
CRISSY BENZE, MSN, BSN, RN has worked for the last 12 years in a variety of inpatient and outpatient clinical settings, including critical care, trauma and ambulatory surgery. Her clinical experience gives her an acute appreciation for the challenges involved in interpreting and applying regulations and standards in the clinical setting. Her consulting responsibilities include development of facility documentation to meet regulatory and accreditation standards, licensing/certification/accreditation compliance, infection control and quality management. She also manages Progressive eSupport, including answering forum questions and developing and planning content.
Crissy is a Registered Nurse. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from California State University, Long Beach and her Master of Science in Nursing, with a Leadership concentration, from California State University, Fullerton. Her practicum hours, for her Master’s degree, were working with the Director of Evidence-Based Perioperative Practice at AORN. She is also a member of ASOA and ASORN and is a frequent presenter on ambulatory surgery topics at national meetings such as ASOA and Hawaiian Eye.
