Mr. Rogers Would Have Been Proud

By Jock Hoffman, CRICO

For those of us left only to watch in horror on Marathon Monday, heeding Fred Roger’s advice to “look for the helpers” gave us countless selfless acts to observe. Many of those spectators and race participants who rushed to the aid of the bombing victims were “off duty” physicians and nurses. Even though many had never experienced similar circumstances, their instincts and bravery saved lives and reduced injury severity. To all of you who instantly engaged your dedication and training to literally begin Boston’s healing process, and to all who put in extra hours and extra shifts to care for the flood of victims, thank you.

Certainly no one who jumped in to help was thinking about their own risks, but it is worth noting that legal and insurance “Good Samaritan” protections are in place. Doctors and nurses in Massachusetts (and other states) who perform emergency aid in the immediate aftermath of an accident, natural disaster, or crime, are protected from malpractice liability (unless their actions are wanton or reckless). In addition, Massachusetts law allows hospitals to temporarily employ clinicians credentialed elsewhere in order to safely manage extraordinary events. And for a bit more reassurance, at least for CRICO-insured physicians, their medical professional liability coverage follows them wherever they practice within the scope of their license. In concert, these protections support those people who act heroically without hesitation—as we all saw on April 15th when we looked for the helpers.

Additional Reading

• Marathon Explosion: Good Samaritan Laws

Original Source, Strategies for Patient Safety

It wasn't luck: it was training

An efficient and effective ED team doesn’t happen by luck: it happens as a result of integrated team training. That is why we are dedicated to working with ED personnel across the CRICO system to enhance their teamwork and communication skills that are critical to keeping ED patients safe.

Using multiple scenarios that simulate an active ED setting, including an unstable patient at triage, a patient with deterioration in the ED, patients with abnormalities not addressed at discharge, and patient hand-offs, the curriculum is designed to improve providers’ ability to:

• recognize barriers to gathering and integrating complete information; 
• use a designated method (e.g., SBAR, IPASS) for receiving and transferring complete information; and 
• lower the barriers for speaking up, by consistent use of agreed upon communication prompts, (e.g., triggers to identify and respond to unstable patients, physician-nurse huddles, and discharge timeouts with reconciliation of abnormal vital signs).

To learn more about ED team training, visit CRICO.