Cell Phone Distraction

Setup:

You observe a coworker scrolling on their phone while drawing up a high-risk medication.

Noticer (Peer):

"I'm concerned about the distraction right now... let's pause and double check this med together."

Reset (Sandra):

"You're right, I should put my phone away. Thank you for catching that."

Patient ID & Verification

Setup:

A tech is rushing to draw blood and grabs the wrong patient labels from the printer.

Noticer (Charge):

"I'm concerned you might have the wrong labels... let's verify the name and DOB together at the bedside."

Reset (Robert):

"Good catch. Let me scan the wristband and verify again."

Hand Hygiene & PPE

Setup:

A nurse coming off a 12-hour shift walks into a contact precautions room without a gown.

Noticer (Tech):

"I'm concerned about your exposure... let's step back and grab a gown together."

Reset (Teresa):

"I totally forgot, I'm so exhausted. Thank you for stopping me."

Fall Prevention

Setup:

A provider leaves the bed rail down after examining a high fall-risk patient.

Noticer (RN):

"I'm concerned about a potential fall... let's put that bed rail back up together before we leave the room."

Reset (Dan):

"Absolutely, safety first. Thanks for reminding me."

Practice speaking up before it's a real emergency.

Build your own patient-safety huddle cards.

How It Works

Pair up during a 3-minute huddle. One person pulls a card and reads the situation out loud, playing the role of the character.

The partner flips the card and reads the Noticer line: "I'm concerned about X... let's do Y together."

The first person acknowledges the concern using the Reset line. Swap roles and repeat.

A DIY printable PDF card deck, that you can print on any office printer and cut by hand to use immediately.