It was a big deal at John Dempsey Hospital when a housekeeper stopped a doctor from entering a room where a procedure was taking place. "We presented the housekeeper with a 'good catch' award, and balloons, and went up to her and put it in our newsletter," said Ann Marie Capo, the hospital's chief quality and patient safety officer. Because having a person enter a room during a procedure increases the risk of contamination, the hospital had adopted an imperative: If you're not already in the room during surgery, stay out. The effort to reduce infections was part of a broader campaign at hospitals across Connecticut to improve patient safety and eliminate medical errors.
