Santa Casa promotes training week on effective communication for patient safety
With the participation of around 500 professionals, SantCom 2025 used active and playful methodologies to reinforce safe practices in the hospital environment
About 500 health professionals from Santa Casa participated in "SantCom 2025", the first week focused on effective communication as a tool for safe patient care. The program included playful activities, dynamics, and lectures that stimulated reflection on the importance of clear and precise information exchange in the hospital environment — from records in medical charts to dialogue between professionals and interaction with patients and families.
According to administrator Martha Lima, from the Quality Advisory of Santa Casa and a member of the organizing committee, the proposal was innovative and engaging. "We worked on 'Santa Flix', bringing a movie as a starting point to discuss communication between health professionals and patients. We also had a podcast with scenes for analysis, and an interactive game with questions about Mandatory Organizational Practices. The week concluded with a Mock Trial, because dramatization touches emotionally, and when something impacts us, we truly learn," she explained.
In the mock trial, Dr. Norma Assunção, the assistant director of Santa Casa, played the role of judge. She highlighted the importance of active methodologies for the continuous training of the team. "The enactment provokes reflection on our own attitudes. When the activity refers us to real practice, we can identify what we are doing correctly — or not. This favors professional development and enhances the assistance we provide," she stated.
The enactment also impacted the audience, as reported by nurse Simone Fernandes, the technical manager of the pediatric surgical center. "We have several regulations that govern records in medical charts. These records need to be clear, concise, ethical, and responsible. The dramatization showed exactly the importance of this, with an approach that engaged us as spectators and professionals," she evaluated.
Effective communication, the central theme of the week, is part of the so-called Mandatory Organizational Practices (ROPs) — a set of essential actions to ensure patient safety. In addition to clear and effective communication, the ROPs include:
Correct patient identification: at all stages of care, to ensure that the service is provided to the right person.
Safe use of medications: with attention to prescription, dispensing, and administration.
Safe surgery: ensuring that the procedure is performed on the right patient, at the correct site, and according to the plan.
Hand hygiene: a simple and low-cost measure, but essential in preventing infections.
Prevention of falls and pressure injuries: to reduce risks during hospitalization.
Norma Assunção emphasizes that good communication is the foundation of all these practices. "Whether in the medical chart, during shift handover, or in the transfer of care, everything we do to improve communication directly impacts the quality of care. And the one who benefits from this is the patient, who is our main focus," she concluded.
