title: [Walkrounds and briefings in the improvement of the patient safety].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Training, to increase the safety culture, the reporting of adverse events, and to implement improvements using WalkRounds and Briefings.
  
  
  METHODS
  Monte Naranco Hospital, hospital with 200 beds and mainly with geriatric patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patient safety surveys and evaluations of the leaders.
  
  
  METHODS
  face-to-face 1/2h interviews with the healthworkers (3-5 people), and in the changes of shifts from 2004-2009. Analysis tools: a) Patient safety surveys (University of Texas and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality - AHRQ); b) WalkRounds and Briefings forms; c) classification of contributory factors, and the severity of adverse events.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Surveys were conduted on 36.9% and 33.8% of the healthworkers, respectively). WalkRounds training: 84 healthworkers. Number of WalkRounds: with Pharmacy Service (493), and with Patient Complaints Service (147), and Briefings: 307. Reporting of adverse events: Medication errors (71.1%), equipment (7.2%), others (21.7%). Contributory factors Working environment (30.1%), work team (29.2%), others (40.7%). In the post-briefing survey 86.7% of the healthworkers thought that it was a useful tool. New needs: feedback of the personnel with control charts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  WalkRounds and Briefings allow a higher number of adverse events (more than 20%) to be detected, and are useful for the training of healthworkers. There is better feedback and there was less problems with equipment and outpatient units. Face-to-face communication with the healthworkers is a key element in patient safety and helps to know the needs to the front line wards.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Calidad y Gestión del Riesgo Clínico, Hospital Monte Naranco, Oviedo, España.
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Menéndez
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fernandez
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ortega
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Díaz
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vazquez
mesh_terms: D006761:Hospitals / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012449:Safety / Q000592:standards*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires