Moving a hospital: simulation - a way to co-produce safety healthcare facilities

Int J Occup Saf Ergon. 2017 Dec;23(4):589-591. doi: 10.1080/10803548.2016.1270543. Epub 2017 Apr 10.

Abstract

Moving a hospital is a critical period for quality and safety of healthcare. Change is very stressful for professionals. Workers who have experienced relocation of their place of work report deterioration in health status. Building a new hospital or restructuring a unit could provide an opportunity for improving safety and value in healthcare and for ensuring better quality of worklife for the staff. We used in situ simulation to promote experiential learning by training healthcare workers in the workplace in which they are expected to use their skills. In situ simulation was a way to design, plan, assess and implement a new healthcare environment before opening its doors for patient care. We can envisage that simulation will soon be used formally to identify potential problems in healthcare delivery and in staff quality of worklife in new healthcare facilities. Simulation is a way to co-produce a safe and valuable healthcare facility.

Keywords: health facility move; health personnel; patient safety; patient simulation.

MeSH terms

  • Health Facility Moving / organization & administration*
  • Hospital Administration
  • Humans
  • Personnel, Hospital / psychology*
  • Safety Management / methods
  • Simulation Training
  • Workplace