Did you know that nurses are often not aware that their organization has a reporting tool in place? Reporting tools that organizations have not only spent money on, but have also poured hours into evaluating software, meeting vendors and getting the buy-in for.
Sometimes it simply isn’t enough to make reporting mandatory. But don’t you fret; there are tons of ways for you to promote your patient safety system – old or new. After all, you need data to be able to make impactful changes throughout your organization.
So what do you do? Where do you start?
Get the word out!
Write a press release or leveraging social media is a great way start conversations around incident reporting around the hospital. Using these forms of communication allows you to control the messages you send out and shows staff the organization's commitment to patient safety and quality of care. What’s more, social media not only gets the word out, it also allows you to see what people are saying and get a dialogue started!
Run contests
If the system is new to the organization and your organization is thinking of ways to get people excited about product onboarding, you can hold a naming contest. This is a great way to promote the new system and create buzz. Another idea to encourage feedback and incident submissions is to hold a draw, where every report submitted equals one ballot – the more they enter the better their chances!
Write an article
You may not have the numbers yet, but others have definitely gathered enough data over the years to help you illustrate the importance of reporting. Giving front-line staff a sense of a purpose and letting them know that their entries won’t fall on idle hands or deaf ears is sometimes just the thing to get their motors going. But don’t stop there, once the ball gets rolling remember to regularly share reports and launch initiatives to create lasting change that they can feel a part of.
Make lots of noise!
Conduct a lunch ‘n’ learn or a kick off meeting. Everyone loves the chance to stretch their legs, so it’s a nice excuse to gather a crowd to tout the importance of the new software in place. This also provides staff with a chance to put a face behind the initiative in case they have any concerns or suggestions to make the program more effective.
The opportunity to promote reporting and the good that can come of it are endless.
Get more great ideas of how to bring your event reporting to the next level in our ebook, Strategies to Boost Event Reporting.
