Healthcare Safety Toolkit Library

Violence in healthcare has escalated over the years and constitutes approximately 74% of workplace violence events reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics. It is imperative that organizational leaders develop plans to prevent violence and train staff to identify and de-escalate violent behaviors as well as respond appropriately when an event occurs. This toolkit contains many resources to help facilitate the development of comprehensive violence prevention programs within your organization.

Maternal health encompasses the health of the pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period in women’s healthcare. Healthcare provider’s goals in maternal care are to reduce morbidity and mortality by providing safe, quality services to the mother and her baby. This objective can be accomplished by identifying risks, educating patients and following recommended guidelines of evidence-based practice. This toolkit supplies resources to benefit in the improvement of maternal health.

Planning and conducting an OR fire drill is essential for the safety of patients, staff and physicians. This Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN)-produced resource provides instructions to assist surgical staff members in planning and conducting OR fire drills.

The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) discusses 12 different fire drill scenarios that may be used for conducting fire drills in the surgical area.

Evaluations should follow all fire drills to document improvement and safety. The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) provides a useful fire drill evaluation tool for use by healthcare facilities.

The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) recommends completing this fire prevention assessment protocol prior to any surgical procedure. The protocol contains a risk assessment and interventions based on the assessment and surgical procedure.

The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) encourages surgical staff members to use this OR fire prevention algorithm poster. The information can be posted in highly visible areas of the surgical suite.

The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN's) comprehensive surgical checklist offers recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) and The Joint Commission (TJC), including best practices when performing surgical procedures.

Although it is healthcare's goal to maintain a safe environment at all times, violence remains a significant concern today. It is vital to implement processes to prevent workplace violence. Security practices can include an array of methods. The following documents provide best practices and alternative approaches that may be applied when handling violent encounters.

Reducing the risk of encountering an active shooter situation is important to any business, especially healthcare. These resources provide tools on how to plan what to do in the event of an active shooter/violent situation.

Acitve shooter events are increasing more and more across the U.S. and the experts have developed tools to help the lay person identify a potential active shooter as a risk reduction strategy.

Healthcare organizations should take the possiblity of an active shooter event occuring in their facility very seriously. These resources provide key tactics on managing violent and disruptive behavior as a risk reduction process.

Active shooter training is vital for all staff in a healthcare organization as they are the eyes and ears of the facility. These resources help ensure staff are trained and prepared to address violent/aggressive behavior/situations.