In recognition of National Patient Safety Awareness Week (March 13-19, 2016), the Department of Anesthesiology announced the winners of its first Anesthesia Patient Safety Award. Douglas Fullerton, CRNA and Jacques Scharoun, MD were honored for their heightened attention to safety and for taking proactive steps to safeguard patients.
Jacques Scharoun, MD
Douglas Fullerton, CRNA
The award will be presented monthly to members of the department who go the extra mile to keep patients safe.
Patricia Fogarty Mack, MD is the Director of Quality and Patient Safety for the Department of Anesthesiology. She says the awards help spotlight an overall commitment to providing quality care.
“Our continuous commitment to patient safety is the backbone of the practice of anesthesiology — every day, not just for special occasions,” said Dr. Mack. “We decided to utilize National Patient Safety Awareness Week, however, to establish a monthly award recognizing a particularly outstanding effort. In addition, we will continue on a regular basis to gather the entire department, faculty, residents and CRNAs to share our individual ideas and brainstorm about specific plans to improve patient safety.”
This month, the team focused on optimizing handoff communication to ensure that all pertinent information about a patient is conveyed between healthcare providers, said Dr. Mack.
Patient Safety Awareness Week is an annual education and awareness campaign led by the National Patient Safety Foundation.