Huddles are (per HRO) "the most important thing we do for safety" and are "the cornerstone of embedding HRO principles in our staff." Unfortunately, I think that our Huddles are closer to a "check-it-off-my-list" item rather than a vital, interactive experience that keeps us focused on safety. Please review the following and let's make a concerted effort to enhance our Huddles so that they are viewed as 'something that cannot be missed' rather that 'something that I have to get through...'

• Everyone who is at work on a given day must attend a Huddle in their area...that's 7 days per week.
• Huddles have a "leader," but the experience should be interactive with a goal of having attendees actually generate most of the discussion
• Huddle leaders have been instructed to call on attendees for input...all attendees should attend the Huddle expecting to contribute in some way
• All meetings at HH are supposed to start with a safety story. Huddles are not "meetings" per se, but it is always acceptable to share a safety story. A comment was made at our leadership meeting today that "if you have seen nothing and have nothing to say that would help other staff avoid problems, what have you been doing?"  
• Huddle leaders have been told to not be afraid of silence....if they call on you, they will wait for a response

I know that the pandemic has set back many of our HRO practices, but we have to all work together to get this back on track. Huddles (and Rounding to Influence) are two ways to improve our two-way communication and discuss pertinent safety issues. Please come/call in to the Huddle promptly, ready to both LISTEN ATTENTIVELY and PARTICIPATE, sharing your experiences that can avoid errors and improve patient safety.