Patient safety is a matter of multifaceted complexity, and it deserves to be at the forefront of priorities in healthcare systems and hospitals, opines Dr. Wajeeh Sana, the newly appointed Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Oswego Health in New York. Having served the non-profit health system since 2013 in several roles—medical director, chairman of Oswego Hospital’s emergency department, and president of the Oswego Hospital’s medical staff—Dr. Sana brings a comprehensive view to patient safety.
At Oswego Health, patient safety is not an isolated focus—rather, it encompasses a broad spectrum of protocols, strategies, and preventive measures. From medication safety procedures to preventive initiatives against infection, falls, and suicide, the institution proactively seeks to foresee and negate hazards. In addition, timeouts are employed just before surgical procedures, ensuring that the correct surgery is performed on the right patient.
Oswego Health’s latest initiative aimed at patient safety is centred on fall prevention. This includes a series of comprehensive, new policies to better prevent falls and related injuries. Implemented in incremental stages, the initiative is currently focusing on educating staff about these policies and their practical application. An integral aspect of this program involves accurately identifying high-risk patients—specifically those with altered mental states, mobility issues, or on medication which increases their risk for falls.
Dr. Sana’s principles for physician engagement have been honed through his experience as the president of the Oswego Hospital medical staff. His approach revolves around four key components: transparent communication with physician leaders, valuing their inputs and time, allocating physician champions for projects, and organizational support, including appropriate recognition and rewarding of physicians’ efforts. The selection of physician champions should be done with a targeted approach, drawing from leaders and experts in their respective fields.
Despite his diverse responsibilities, the biggest challenge confronting Oswego Health, in Dr. Sana’s eyes, is the recruitment of physicians and other healthcare professionals—a concern echoing at a national level. Innovative strategies such as improving the quality of primary care and recruiting physicians with regional ties are employed to tackle this issue.
Notably, Oswego Health champions an integrative human resources pipeline to cultivate healthcare professionals, starting as early as ninth-grade students. They have implemented an ‘early college health sciences’ program in collaboration with local community colleges and run a generous tuition assistance program for employees keen on pursuing further education. By providing financial support for further studies such as medical imaging technician or BSN/MSN degrees, Oswego Health positions itself as an attractive employer, successfully leveraging tuition assistance as a recruitment and retention tool.
Source: https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/cmo/exec-new-cmo-places-premium-patient-safety