The RICON project (Risk over
network) project aims to improve patient safety within the Critical
care network by allowing different units to share problems and best
practice to improve the quality of care offered to all critical
care patients in the network. The project focuses on 6 main
areas of risk:
Infection
and VAP
Communications
failures
Lack of
access to critical care
Harm
from mechanical ventilation
Medication
safety
Airway
safety
These
have been chosen partly as a result of analysis patient safety
incidents reported from different Critical care units. These
incidents have been classified and areas for risk management have
been identified by looking for incidents that are either common,
are associated with significant harm or are clearly preventative or
are combinations of these. We have also decided to look at
prevention of lung injury associated with mechanical ventilation as
this cannot be identified by reviewing patient safety
incidents.
Collaborative
working between units may be particularly helpful
because:
Share best practice- best practice developed in one unit can be
shared with other units.
Share
problems- Experience gained in other units may solve problems
developing in one unit
Bench
mark and compare how others are doing- Knowing that other units
have different outcomes will help focus resources on areas for
improvement
Produce resources that
can be shared with other units- Some resources like teaching
materials can be shared between units so reducing the amount of
work required in any one unit
Purchasing
power of several critical care units- Some things are cheaper if a
group of units can agree on using one type of equipment so they can
buy in bulk
Pilot
projects. Can be tried in one unit before rolling out over a group
of units
Each of
the 6 areas of risk has a multidisciplinary team working to improve
care in this area. The teams are made up of doctors, nurses
and other health professionals form all of the units across the
network.
If you
are interested in any of the areas of risk you are welcome to join
the group looking at the subject. To register on internet
please follow this link (tony.thomas@srft.nhs.uk)
Each
group has its own web page with further details of their
work. To follow links to web pages follow:
Infection
and VAP -email: liz.thomas@stockport.nhs.uk