Seaking up about patient safety during a case can be intimidating, but it's as easy as pushing a button for our staff. When a nurse or tech senses danger, she can push the safety concern button on our call system's touchscreen display that's mounted in every OR.

The button alerts the front desk staff, who asks the first available OR leader (OR manager, OR director, medical director or chief operating officer) to report to the OR as soon as possible to resolve issues that used to take days or even weeks to address. There are no parameters for when to press the button — we made it clear that any and all safety concerns are important — but staff have activated the alert system only 13 since we installed it last September. Our hospital's IT department needed only a day to add the alert to our call system.

Allison Crawford, BSN, RN, CRNI
Sentara Healthcare
Norfolk, Va.
[email protected]