September 17, 2021, is World Patient Safety Day. Safety is something you expect and deserve as a patient - or the loved one of a patient - and it is something on which every member of Blessing’s care teams - from Quincy to Hannibal and Pittsfield to Keokuk - focus 24/7/365.
In honor of World Patient Safety Day, we wanted to share with you one of our most recent safety programs. It’s called CUS and it is a way for nurses and doctors to communicate. Doctors and nurses reach out to doctors any time of day or night when there is a concern with or change in a patient’s condition. The challenge is everyone has their own communication style, and that can contribute to misunderstandings and delays in care.
That’s where CUS comes in. It stands for, I am Concerned. I am Uncomfortable. This is a Safety issue. It is an evidenced based safety program of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Studies show 80 percent of “adverse events” (an unexpected medical program that happens during treatment) are caused by communication failures. CUS used a structure process and language that allows any care provider - from the newest to the most experienced - to communicate in exactly the same way to avoid misunderstanding.
CUS results in more efficient, effective communication and quicker care to patients and it’s one way Blessing caregivers keep a razor sharp focus on patient safety all day, every day.
To learn more about what others have to say about patient safety at Blessing Hospital, click here for information from LeapFrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization committed to health care quality and safety.