At Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital, nothing is more important than delivering high-quality care and ensuring the safety of our patients, visitors, clinicians, and staff. By linking several essential elements — ongoing training, best practices in healthcare, and an atmosphere of mutual support — the Quality and Safety department at APD makes sure healthcare services occur at the highest possible level for patients.
To ensure patient safety and improve treatment outcomes, we engage in activities ranging from preparedness drills and certification programs to third-party accreditation programs and professional development activities. We achieve our fundamental commitment to safety through standards and treatment protocols that are rigorously followed across every dimension of our operation. We serve as a mentor and guide for process improvement in clinical and non-clinical departments throughout the organization.
Just Culture: Continuous learning and improvement
Healthcare is a human enterprise. Humans apply knowledge and use complex equipment in a high-stakes environment. At APD, we strive to learn from our successes and our mistakes. We evolve our policies using quantitative evidence, and we do all we can to maximize positive outcomes and minimize risk.
APD’s Just Culture provides a safe space for employees to report any concerns. We follow up on every report and make changes as necessary. We are also proactive: A quality and safety team that includes APD's senior leadership meets regularly with staff and providers to hear suggestions direct from the front lines.
Dartmouth Health: A system of quality and safety
As a member of the Dartmouth Health system, we share information on the policies and procedures that work best and identify which should be replaced. We compare notes with all the institutions in the system, ensuring that we adhere to best practices in quality of care and patient safety. APD is grateful to be able to share with and learn from our distinguished colleagues.