Sharing solutions to common problems fosters better care, improves quality

Dialogue with Donna C. Isgett, RN, MSN
Vice President, Clinical Effectiveness
McLeod Health

---

Q. Why is collaboration between hospitals important to improving patient safety and the quality of care?

A. As much as we’d like to think all hospitals are unique, the problems we face are the same. Chances are a similar problem has happened in a hospital 50 miles away and has been successfully solved. In the past, hospitals did not work together on problems for whatever reason. Today, hospitals are sharing ideas and answers, which is allowing us to improve patient care and excel in safety and quality.

Q. How are hospitals sharing ideas?

A. There are a number of formal and informal venues on state and national levels for sharing best practices and process improvements. National publications and websites allow hospitals to communicate from one end of the country to the other. For example, U.S. News & World Report recently featured McLeod Health as one of many hospitals across the country pursuing perfection with evidence-based medicine, physician-led changes, and best practice methodologies. Colleagues in other hospitals learned of our accomplishments and many contacted us to see how they can apply what we’re doing in their hospital. This is gratifying because we know we are helping patients not just in our community, but also across the country.

Trade associations like the South Carolina Hospital Association play an important role in bringing hospitals from around the state together in a non-competitive environment for group discussions and one-onone dialogue. We learn from one another and share best practices that have worked in our individual hospitals.

Q. What are some of the benefits of hospitals working together on patient safety and quality issues?

A. The greatest benefit is that medical professionals don’t have to solve the problem twice. The answer to a problem has more than likely been discovered by a hospital somewhere in the country or in our own state. It’s simply a matter of communicating the answer to our colleagues. Another benefit is that it gives hospitals a sense of comfort knowing we are all on this journey together. It gives us the confidence to know problems, no matter how complicated or how seemingly simple, can be solved and we’re working together for answers that benefit all our patients.

Q. You say hospitals are on a journey to improve quality and patient safety. Can you explain?

A. Quality and patient safety improvements are not destinations, but rather a journey. Medicine is a field in a state of constant change. We will never perfect medicine because researchers are discovering new things each day. With new discoveries come new challenges to overcome. The main goal is to identify gaps and prioritize opportunities for improvement. In this way we will be able to continuously move toward bettering patient care and improving quality.