February 24, 2006

New web-based Safety Reporting System goes live in March

The new web-based Safety Reporting System that will replace the MGH's current paper-based incident reporting process will be introduced throughout the hospital in March. Training sessions will begin next week for all MGH employees and staff to learn how to report safety concerns, problems, errors or "near misses" using the new system, which will be available at every Partners workstation.

"All MGH employees and staff members are encouraged to file incident reports with our current system," says Joan Fitzmaurice, RN, PhD, director of the MGH Office of Quality and Safety. "But because it is a paper form that needs to be completed and sent to several locations using interoffice mail, some employees may consider it less user-friendly. The new web-based system is easy to use and more efficient, which we hope will encourage more staff members to report safety concerns. When every member of the MGH community participates in the hospital's safety reporting system, we can assure our patients that they are receiving the highest quality, safest care possible."

In addition to being user-friendly, the Safety Reporting System also will allow faster follow-up on reports, providing an opportunity to make improvements more quickly. For example, if a medical device malfunctions once out of every 100 uses in a variety of patient care areas, the problem might not be easily detected. But by analyzing the combined data from all patient care units, the malfunction will be "flagged," so that prompt action can be taken to address the problem.

The transition to the new system will be phased into the current system during the next six to nine months. The paper-based system will remain available until all MGH employees and staff members are trained. Staff from the MGH Office of Quality and Safety will be offering training sessions in large, multidisciplinary forums and in small groups at unit or department levels. In addition, staff members also can use an online tutorial or a printed self-training packet. Each of these options requires about 30 minutes to complete. Department representatives who are responsible to follow up on safety events in their areas will attend a two-and-a-half-hour, hands-on training session that addresses how to manage tasks and communications related to an online safety investigation.

The initial training will target areas with high-volume users of the current system. The goal is to have the majority of employees and staff on the main campus trained by June 30.

For more information about training options, contact Deb Mulloy at (617) 726-0167.