Patient Safety Match
The Patient Safety Match game helps staff understand that some patient safety questions have more than one correct answer. Representatives of two departments or disciplines form teams, and try to give answers to patient safety questions. Each question can have three to five answers, and each answer is worth a different number of points. The winning team is the one that gives the most correct answers and earns the most points.
You will need:Two teams of two to five players, a host, and a score keeper.
A chalkboard, easel with paper, or whiteboard (for keeping score)
Two buzzers or another type of noisemaker
Three to five patient safety questions, each with more than one answer. Invite staff members and leaders to help come up with questions and answers. Determine which answer is best, and assign it 50 points. The next-best answer is worth 40 points; the third-best answer is worth 30 points, and so on.
Each team is given a buzzer or another kind of noisemaker. The game begins with the host posing a question to both teams, such as “How do you prevent fire in the operating room?” The first person to hit his or her buzzer wins the right to answer that question. A correct answer wins that team the right to play the round or pass it to the other team. The host poses the same question to each team member until they get all the answers to that question. A chalkboardor dry-erase board keeps track of the teams’ answers. Each incorrect answercounts as a strike against the team; three strikes end the round. The host then poses asecond question to both teams, and the game continues.
Play ends when all questions have been asked and answered, or when time runs out.
Sample Patient Safety Match questions/top answers
Question: What can you do to decrease the risk of patient falls?
Answers:
1. Put beds in low position (50 points)
2. Ensure that wheels are locked (40 points)
3. Orient patient to surroundings (30 points)
4. Put personal belongings within reach (20 points)
5. Keep room clean of clutter and spills (10 points)
Question: Name something you do to comply with the Universal Protocol.
Answers:
1. Verify that we have the correct patient (50 points)
2. Verify that we’re doing the right procedure (40 points)
3. Verify that we have the correct site (30 points)
4. Verify that we have the correct position/side (20 points)
5. Verify availability of implants and special equipment, if necessary (10 points)
This game and many more can be found inHCPro, Inc.’s Patient Safety: Tools and Games to Train Staff, Global Edition.To learn more or to purchase a copy, please .