Prioritizing Communication for Patient Safety The key to providing safe care in any healthcare organization is good communication. It’s a simple idea, but not always an easy one to implement, especially when juggling the many competing demands of a busy clinic. To create time and space for a focused dialog on safety, Kellogg leadership instituted an annual ‘safety morning.’ Once a year, time is reserved on the calendar, during which no clinic appointments or procedures are scheduled. “Faculty and staff are empowered to use that window of
“
Jennifer Weizer, M.D., with Glaucoma team (left to right — Melissa Collins, Erin Bonilla, Becky Elliot, Danielle Little, Rhonda Davis, Tyler Rice, and Kari Bacha)
PRIORITIZING OPPORTUNITIES LIKE
participate. Safety committee mem-
SAFETY MORNINGS AND SAFETY HUDDLES
uninterrupted time to review safety
bers spent time in each clinic discussion, noting the topics covered
ILLUSTRATES KELLOGG’S COMMITMENT
protocols, discuss issues specific to
TO LISTENING, LEARNING AND
their clinics, and suggest possible
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT.
“
process improvements,” explains
and looking for common areas to share potential improvements. After faculty and staff voiced a desire to keep the dialog going
— Jennifer Weizer, M.D.
Jennifer Weizer, M.D., chair of Kellogg’s safety committee. Safety morning begins with a department-wide review of fundamental
throughout the year, clinics initiated quarterly safety “huddles” to talk in depth about pressing issues. “Prioritizing opportunities like safety
mornings and safety huddles illustrates
safety principles. That discussion is followed by
Kellogg’s commitment to listening, learning and
breakout sessions within each clinic to discuss everyday
continuous improvement,” Dr. Weizer says. “Those are the
issues and concerns that can impact safety. Due to COVID-19 precautions, 2021 safety morning
keys to maintaining our outstanding safety record.”
sessions took place both in-person and virtually so all could
Marshall Parks Lecture at AAO Monte A. Del Monte, M.D., Skillman Professor
mologist selected by a committee representing
of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Professor of
the AAO, the American Association of Pediatric
Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, present-
Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) and
ed the 22nd annual Marshall M. Parks Lecture at
the Costenbader Pediatric Ophthalmology
the 2021 meeting of the American Academy of
Society.
Ophthalmology (AAO), held in November. His
“As a former fellow of Dr. Parks, I was
lecture was titled “The Role of the Conjunctiva
excited to honor my mentor and second father
in Strabismus and Strabismus Surgery.”
figure for the pivotal role he played in the de-
Each year’s presenter is an internationallyrecognized pediatric ophthalmologist or strabis-
velopment of my career and of the entire field,” says Dr. Del Monte.
11