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Pocket guides can help staff prepare for survey

Pharmacy Regulation Resource, April 6, 2005

Many organizations have positive results with pocket-sized guides that contain essential information. Pocket guides, or handbooks, provide staff with a quick reference guide to basic (or continuously bothersome) patient safety or survey principles.

You may want to create or purchase a pocket guide on any of the following topics:

  • National Patient Safety Goals
  • Prohibited abbreviations
  • Medication safety
  • Medication reconciliation
  • Reporting adverse events

Begin the booklet with a message from your CEO, emphasizing the importance of delivering high-quality, safe patient care and services. Then present important topics, outlining key points for each issue.

Tip: Keep the content short, simple, and to the point. A bulleted format is best.

The pocket size means staff can keep it with them during preparation activities and even during the JCAHO survey. You may want to even include a real-life example from an event at your hospital to illustrate the point you are trying to make.

This tip was excerpted from Ready, Set, Patient Safety! Questions, Games, and Other Strategies to Prepare Your Staff, by Sandra L. Patterson, RN, BSN, MS. ©2005, HCPro. For more information, contact customer service at 800/650-6787 or www.hcmarketplace.com.

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