Incorporating input gathered from a diverse group of caregivers in 2014, BWH introduced a S.A.F.E. Response program and an e-learning seminar in collaboration with the Crisis Prevention Institute. S.A.F.E.—which stands for Spot a threat, Assess the risk, Formulate a safe clinical response and Evaluate the outcome—is an evidence-based inpatient clinical response for preventing, managing, de-escalating and responding to events.

The e-learning seminar, which is available on HealthStream, includes real patient scenarios to help staff identify verbal and visual cues that may indicate that de-escalation assistance is needed. It also includes critical information on the S.A.F.E. Response. For example, any staff member who spots a warning sign of a potential threat may call for a S.A.F.E. Response, which quickly brings the patient’s team of clinicians along with others as requested to a patient’s bedside to intervene and update the plan of care.

The goal of these programs is to diffuse a situation by providing expert care to patients or family members who need it before it escalates to a situation requiring security assistance.

For all inpatient and Emergency Department staff, the BWH S.A.F.E. Approach to Care is a required assignment in HealthStream. All employees can access the course by logging into HealthStream and searching the course catalog for “S.A.F.E. Approach to Care.”

Security and safety at BWH are everyone’s responsibilities. If you have a concern, please tell your supervisor, call for a S.A.F.E. Response or call Security. You can also email BWHSafety@partners.org with non-urgent questions and suggestions.