Swiss Cheese and Patient Safety

What Does Swiss Cheese Have to Do With Patient Safety?

I don’t comment on specific medical error cases. Too often details come out later that we are unaware of.  We rarely get all the details in the media.   But, it does seem like the fact here is that a child had the wrong procedure done in the hospital and the doctor apologized.  Mix-Up Leads to Surgical Procedure on Wrong Baby

When it comes to patient safety and medical errors, these are the exact stories we are talking about that even patients and families can learn from.

In the PULSE of NY Family Centered Patient Advocacy Training, participants will learn about the SwissCheese Model of patient safety.  With all the safety process in place, how can this error reach the patient?  Too often it does and we, the patient and our families MUST learn how and why this happens so it doesn’t continue.  At any time anyone, including the patient or family must feel empowered to say “stop” something doesn’t seem right. 

At any time patients, their family and / or their advocate must understand the Swiss Cheese Model so they are aware of how errors happen.  Whether it is getting the wrong medication, the wrong procedure or even when hospital staff start discharging the wrong patient, if we don’t talk about it, it will continue.  Yes, these incidence will make the news but sadly not for the right reason.  We MUST use these stories to educate and advocate for patient safety.

Over and over again the healthcare system proves that they need the patient and family involved but sadly too often we are excluded from the conversation.

If you can join us for the next conversation and training, please register now – we always fill up.  Family Centered Patient Advocacy Training