Elbert Memorial Hospital (EMH) was recently awarded a Patient Safety and Quality award as well as the Circle of Excellence award for sustained commitment to patient safety and quality by the Georgia Hospital Association (GHA).
EMH was awarded third place for its patient safety and quality project at The Ritz Carlton, Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro Jan. 8,by the GHA. The GHA Patient Safety and Quality Award recognizes health care organizations for achievement in implementing best practices to reduce the risk of adverse outcomes and improve patient safety and quality.
In addition to this award, EMH was recognized and presented the Circle of Excellence Award demonstrating a sustained commitment to patient safety and quality as evidenced by winning this year, as well as winning three or more Patient Safety and Quality awards within the previous five years.
“We are pleased to honor Elbert Memorial Hospital for their innovative approach to improving patient safety,” GHA President and CEO Caylee Noggle said. “Their efforts have improved the health and wellness of the community, and we thank them for their important work in this area.”
The hospital annually submits a project for the GHA's Patient Safety and Quality Award. This year the project focused on achieving return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) after cardio-pulmonary arrest. Per the American Heart Association (AHA), in one year alone, 436,000 Americans die from a cardiac arrest.
The project was initiated to increase awareness, education and to develop a "just culture" around speaking up and asking questions during code simulations and post cardiac arrest debriefing. The adage, "if you don't measure it, you can't improve it" applies directly to monitoring CPR quality.
According to the AHA, longer durations of CPR during in-hospital cardiac arrest are associated with higher rates of ROSC and survival to discharge.
The creation and education of a staff driven taskforce, implementing a new clinical orientation process, which includes an extensive advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) code drill with hands-on practice and conducting monthly code drills provides for frontline employee involvement and ownership.
The goal of the quality and safety improvement project was to achieve ROSC after cardiac-respiratory arrest.
“Our goal is to provide exceptional healthcare to our community. These awards are a reflection of the action our staff is taking to provide exceptional healthcare, close to home," EMH Chief Executive Officer Tyler Taylor said. Our nursing and emergency management leadership team is to be commended for the education and training they are providing and the positive impact it has for this life saving effort.”