Volume 21, Issue No. 29 - July 16, 2012

P r i n t
A Weekly Publication of the People of Queen’s
July 16, 2012
Volume 21 – Number 29
In Brief: Daily Meeting Boosts Patient Safety
A CULTURE OF PATIENT SAFETY
Daily Safety Brief being conducted in the Harkness Building lobby.
It was getting a little stuffy in the
Harkness Building’s lobby, even at 8:45
am, what with some 75-odd people
crammed in and the front door shut. After Executive Vice President and Chief
Operating Officer Mark Yamakawa announced Queen’s safety record, each of
62 units and departments gave a 10-second report. Typically: “This is [name] reporting for [unit or department]. There
were no significant events in the last 24
hours. There are no significant events
anticipated in the next 24 hours. End
of report.” Reporting began with the
Emergency Department, ran through
each of the Pauahi units, the QETs,
Kamehameha, Queen’s Cancer Center,
Sleep Lab, Queen’s Transplant Center,
Laboratory, Biomed, CARE•Link/IT, and
everything in between—even Volunteer
Services, Security, and Facilities. A few
units had something to report. Most
notably, an issue that patient consents
must be done to spec. This was the Daily
THE QUEEN’S MEDICAL CENTER
Safety Brief in action.
Yes, daily. Even Mark
was skeptical at first
when the idea for a daily brief was proffered.
“But it caught on like
wildfire,” he said later.
“It brings to life what’s
happened in the last 24
hours and alerts everyone of any safety conMed-surge manager meet afterwards on bed control.
cerns or needs in the
next 24.” After the reporting was over,
“What meeting would be more imporCindy Kamikawa, RN, Vice President tant than patient safety?” Sally Jones,
of Nursing and Chief Nursing Officer, RN, Manager of Trauma Services, asked
gave a summary, and Mark concluded rhetorically. “It’s good to hear what
the brief with statements supporting issues and problems are happening
its overall purpose: patient safety. A in other areas—otherwise, you don’t
fact of life is that serious safety events often hear what is happening housedo happen in hospitals. The Patient wide.” The staff has been finding that
Safety Brief heightens awareness of a issues are dealt with much quicker. The
problem or potential problem, builds previous week, a unit reported a probawareness among staff, and reduces lem with a COW (computer on wheels).
the likelihood that an event will occur. The IT staff addressed the problem im(Continued on page 2.)
Heritage Day THIS Week!
HERITAGE DAY EVENTS
Friday, July 20, 2012
9:00 am
Dedication Ceremony
Mauna ‘Ala, Royal Mausoleum
11:00 am
Opening Ceremony
QCC Mabel Smyth Auditorium
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Hawaiian Craft Fair
Harkness Walkway
Yes, it’s really true, this year is
more than half over and summer 2012
is almost a memory already. But don’t
despair, this Friday is Heritage Day,
and that’s always something worth
celebrating. Heritage Day this year will
have a few new twists, starting with
Safety In Brief
(Continued from page 1.)
mediately by going off with the reporting department after the brief.
It was a “brief,” so in about 15 minutes from its start, people piled out the
door to report important information to
their department’s respective staffs, yet
there was a feeling of productivity to the
short meeting. Serious safety events such
as equipment failures, falls, Code Blues,
Rapid Response Team calls (which helps
prevent patient deterioration, ICU ad-
“ Despite some initial
skepticism, response has
been very positive.
”
missions, and Code Blues), significant patient family concerns, and other patient
safety issues are addressed at briefs. For
example, a safety alert was given recently on Humulin R U-500, a low volume,
highly concentrated—and therefore high
risk—insulin required for some patients.
To enhance communication, A Patient
Safety Huddlegram may be sent out to all
units reiterating high alert safety issues.
The information on the huddlegrams are
shared with the staff during their shift
huddles over a 24-hour period and em2
10:30 am until sold out
Hawaiian Food (Laulau, chicken long
rice, lomi salmon, sweet potato, poi)
Harkness Dining Room
11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Penny Chung, RN, and Kevin Donnelly help
staff ready for HD with lunch tickets and Ts.
the Opening Ceremony at 11:00 am.
Normally held beneath the kapok tree
on the QMC front lawn, the Opening
Ceremony will take place in the Mabel Smyth Auditorium of the Queen’s
Conference Center. The Punana Leo
preschoolers will start things off with
a song, so get there on time, you know
how cute those keiki can be!
Harkness Walkway will host the
Craft Fair as usual, and word has it
that fresh pa‘i ai will be available for
phasized throughout the week.
Not all immediately went off to their
various units. Some congregated outside
in impromptu sub-briefs. One group
was the med-surg managers, who took
advantage of the togetherness to briefly
meet on making bed control more efficient for the day. The general consensus
was that the Daily Safety Briefs are not
only eliminating the feeling of isolation
among some, but beginning to foster relationships and collaboration.
Nona Irvine, RN, Director of Quality and Patient Safety, also noted that
the daily briefs are a place to alert the
organization to outside surveyors like
The Joint Commission and the State
Department of Health, who happened
to be there because Queen’s Progressive Care Unit was due for its annual
licensing survey. The following week,
consultants from Safety Management
Services, Inc., were there to perform
Hawaiian Food Pre-Sale Pickup
Harkness Kiosk 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Strolling Musicians
Queen Emma Tower
12:00 – 2:00 pm
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Hi‘ikua (Na Hoku Hanohano-winning trio)
E.E. Black Garden
purchase. For the first time, Hawaiian
plate lunches were presold, and may be
picked up in the kiosk outside the Dining Room from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm.
Then just hele on to E.E. Black Garden
where cafe tables will be set up for all to
use. Hoku award winning group Hi‘ikua
will entertain in the garden from 12:00
to 1:00 pm. If you did not pre-purchase
a lunch ticket, take your chances in the
dining room, but quantities are limited
so go early to avoid disappointment.
Check the box below for further details on the full Heritage Day schedule
and don’t forget to proudly wear your
Kuleana T-shirt.
an hospital-wide mock survey on facility safety, life safety (e.g. fire), and
emergency management, making sure
management plans are up to standards
and that staff understand their roles
in fire drills and other disaster plans.
“Despite some initial skepticism, response has been very positive,” said
Nona. “Staff feel like they’re getting the
help they need right then and there. They
can see the bigger picture and not feel
isolated, that there is a common alignment around patient safety. Doing this
daily shows patient safety is a priority!”
Kiet Khang Ly Retires with Rich Life
Kiet Khang Ly surrounded by his family and Queen’s staff in Radiation Therapy.
Radiation Therapy staff gave Kiet his own pair of styling sunglasses for his retirement. Left
to right are James Conant, Les Uyeda, Kiet, Wayne Kojima, and Aven Okamura.
Kiet celebrates with Housekeeping staff.
It’s not often that an employee is
thrown four retirement parties. Yet,
such was the case with the Kiet Khang
Ly, who retired from Housekeeping after 23 years at Queen’s. It stared out
innocuously enough with a surprise
celebration in Radiation Therapy on
a Monday afternoon. Radiation Therapy staff who planned the party kept
it a secret from the unassuming Kiet,
because they knew he would be reluctant to be the center of attention. On
the Friday of that week, his “official”
retirement tea was
held at Housekeeping, but word got
out that both POB
1 and POB 2 staff
also held send-offs
in between. Clearly moved by the
warmth
shown
him, Kiet indicated
that he was honored by all of the
celebrations held
in his behalf—and grateful for the opportunities given him at Queen’s. In
his retirement, Kiet would like to improve his English, travel, and play the
slots in Vegas.
Originally from Vietnam, Kiet didn’t
come to Hawai‘i until he was 41 years
old. He was a bicycle parts maker in
Vietnam, but was unable to earn enough
money for his family, so he made the
move. Kiet didn’t know how to speak
English, and his life was fraught with
frustration and angst. He wanted to
move back to Vietnam, but persevered
until he got a job at the Queen’s laundry.
Although a full-time employee, Kiet still found it extremely difficult to
make ends meet, so much so that at
one point, he caught tilapia from the
Ala Wai Canal, and at another pigeons,
to feed his family. His perseverance
paid off. Today, his two children are
educated and accomplished adults.
When the laundry was closed, Kiet
got a job in Housekeeping, where he
spent the last 14 years of his time at
Queen’s. He was assigned to Na‘ea,
where Radiation Therapy is located.
Later, he was also assigned POB 1 and
2. Even with the additional workload,
Kiet’s fans say he always brought a positive attitude and a friendly disposition to work. He was generous toward
the people he served too. Dosimetrist
Les Uyeda shared that Kiet always
brought goodies to Radiation Therapy
during the holidays and never forgot
flowers for Secretary’s Day. Reflecting on the essence of Kiet’s life, Les
quoted Lao-Tsu: “He who knows he has
enough is rich.”
Registration Fees By Jul. 20 After Jul. 20
MD, QMC
MD, Non-QMC
RN/Other, QMC
EMT, Hawai‘i
$130
$150
$100
$80
$150
$170
$140
$100
3
Heritage Day T-shirts will be sold in
Harkness kiosk from 11:00 am to 1:00
pm, Monday through Thursday, or until sold out. The price is $15. Come early for best size selection.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Hawai‘i Sjogren’s Syndrome
Support Group meets on Thursday, July
19, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at the Queen’s
Conference Center. The guest speaker is
dermatologist Miki Garcia, MD. RSVP
to melacacannella@yahoo.com.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Queen’s Diabetes Education
Center will host an Open House on Friday, July 20, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm in
their new location in the POB 2 basement, room B5. All are invited to see
the new space.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sell
MacBook: White unibody model, like
new, only 2 yrs old; 1yr on AppleCare
ext warr; OS X v.10.6.8; processor: 2.26
GHz Intel Core 2 Duo; Memory: 2 GB
1067 MHz DDR3; Graphics Card: NVIDIA
GeForce 9400M; Hardrive: 250 GB. $400
obo. Call Mark @ 227-0264.
iPod Nano: 16GB, silver, 4th gen, Nike
Armband & USB dock connector/charger
incl, great cond, restored to orig factory
settings. $110. Call 295-2793.
Furniture: Wardrobe (Inspiration); dining
tble/4 chrs (Inspiration); love seat/sleeper;
hospital bed; computer desk/chair & flr
mat. All in brand new cond, less than 2 mo
old. Call 258-1387 for pics & prices.
Recliner: Costco, John Elway. $200.
Keyboard & stand: Yamaha Electronic.
$40 obo. 235-0456.
4
The winner of the Heart Walk T-shirt
design contest is Theresa Canady (from
APEC) and her daughter Tomi Danielson. It’s not too late to join a team, make
a donation, or volunteer for the postwalk health fair. The event will be held
on Saturday, August 11 in Kapi‘olani
Park. Email John Scherry at jscherry@
queens.org for more information. Register by Saturday, July 21 to be eligible for
the newly designed Queen’s shirt.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Join the Queen’s teams at the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life at
Magic Island on Saturday, July 21. The
opening ceremony begins at 6:00 pm.
Queen’s has campsites 52 and 53. There
will be a photo booth, face painting, balloon making, games, prizes, and more.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kathy Green, RN is the new Director of
Perioperative Services. Kathy has extensive experience in leadership roles, and
has worked as a periop director, chief
nursing officer, and vice president of
nursing. She has also worked in a Level
II trauma center. Kathy can be reached
at 691-5248 or email kagreen@queens.org.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Ruth E. Black Nursing Scholarship awardees for this year are: Khristine Bernalez, RN, QET 4 MICU; Mini
Co, RN, QET 4D; and Lyndell Shunk,
RN, Family Treatment Center.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
“Breathe Easier: A New Era in Asthma
Therapy,” a free Speaking of Health lecture, will be held on Wednesday, July
25, from 6:00 to 7:00 pm at the Queen’s
Conference Center. Join T. Scott Gallacher, MD, Director of the Medical ICU,
and K. Kevin Park, MD, Pulmonologist,
to learn more about asthma and various
therapies, including bronchial thermoplasty, a new breakthrough treatment
for severe asthmatics. Register with the
Queen’s Referral Line at 691-7117.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
“Update on Colposcopy & Cervical
Disease” will be held on Friday and
Saturday, August 10 and 11 at the
Halekulani. For more information and
registration, contact the QMC Office
of Continuing Medical Education at
691-7009 or at cme@queens.org.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Registration is now open for transplant classes in July and August. Register via the Queen’s Intranet under
Education. The classes are: Transplant
102 - Introduction to Transplant Care;
Transplant 201-A: Introduction to Liver and Kidney Transplantation Part 1;
and Transplant 201-B: Introduction
to Liver and Kidney Transplantation
Part 2. The direct link is http://eww1.
queens.org/transplant/index.html.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Keith Wallace, Fidelity Workplace Planning and Guidance Consultant, would
love to help with your individual planning needs. Call: 1-800-642-7131 or visit
www.fidelity.com/atwork/reservations.
P r i n t
’11 Honda Fit Base: Manual, 5K mi, warr
til 7/14, grey. $16K. 808-349-2686.
Puppies: (2) Beagle/Chihuahua/Pug.
Black. Cell 551-0813.
Rent
Aiea: 1BR, nr schools, comm college, bus,
golf course, churches. Walk to park, supermarket, restaurant & mall. $550 cable &
utils incl. 808-485-2878.
Placing an ad: Queen’s employees only. Include
name, phone and Employee ID number. Mail
to Creative Services—Print Connection, fax to
547-4002 or e-mail to jkimura@queens.org by
Wednesday. The Print Connection reserves the
right to edit or refuse any ad. The Print Connection
does not make any warranty about the fitness of
any product or service listed in Q-Mart.
The Queen’s Print Connection is published
by Creative Services. If you have news or
wish to opine, call us at 691-7532 or e-mail
jkimura@queens.org. The news deadline is the Monday prior to publication.
QHS/QMC President . . . . Art Ushijima
Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roy Cameron
Editor/Writer . . . . . . . . . . . .Jason Kimura
Assist. Ed./Writer . . . . . . Glee Stormont
www.queens.org
The Queen’s Medical Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.
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