Medication Adherence: Technology’s Role in Improving Outcomes
A lack of prescription adherence has cost the U.S. more than $524 billion a year due to morbidity and mortality, according to the PAN Foundation. Organizations must look for ways to remove barriers to adherence to ensure patients can access the prescriptions they need, including through the utilization of technology platforms.
Can Ready-to-Administer Syringes Improve Patient Care, Reduce Medical Errors, and Support a Greener Environment?
As a replacement for the error-prone bedside act of drawing up medication from a glass vial, RTA syringe technology provides a prefilled polymer syringe that has a color-coded plunger, is prelabeled, and boasts an impressive shelf life. The time savings in providing busy clinicians with equipment requiring no preparation is self-evident.
Using Technology to Improve Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
The cutting edge of digital health and home testing is bumping up against norms in society and medicine as the healthcare industry tackles a substance abuse epidemic. An organization that epitomizes this challenge is Bicycle Health, a Boston-based provider treating more than 8,000 patients in 29 states for opioid use disorder.
Medication Safety Recognition Program Designed to Improve Employee Engagement
Concord (New Hampshire) Hospital began its medication safety recognition program, which was introduced in 2016 and then revised in 2017, in the pharmacy department with the goals of improving the quality of medication errors reported, increasing the number of individuals who consistently reported medication errors, and increasing employee engagement.
Lessons Learned From the RaDonda Vaught Case
Change does not happen overnight; it takes time, strategy, and concerted effort. Take the U.S. commercial aviation industry, for instance. Over the past 20 years, the sector has decreased its overall fatality rates by 95%. This was achieved with the support of the Federal Aviation Administration, which worked with the industry to form a number of programs that monitor for and ensure compliance, like the Commercial Aviation Safety Team.
Treating Patients as Individuals: The Impact of Precision Dosing at the Bedside
To realize the full promise of precision medicine, clinicians must leverage patient data not only to identify the right therapy, but also to determine the precise dose that maximizes the patient’s benefit-to-risk ratio. In the era of value-based care, every facet of precision medicine, from diagnostic technologies to targeted therapies and precision dosing, will play a pivotal role in improving care quality.
Reducing Risk in the Pharmacy: A Key Step to Improving Patient Safety
A larger patient volume, coupled with staffing shortages, could bring on a crisis in advanced disease care across the board. Add to this persistent supply chain issues, manufacturing labor shortages, and shipping disruptions, and you have a perfect storm that could mean greater risks to patient care.
PSQH Quick Poll 2022: Taking the Pulse of Nursing’s Impact on Patient Safety
As part of National Nurses Week, PSQH reached out to our readers with a few questions about how nursing impacts patient safety and healthcare quality. The Quick Poll had a total of 212 respondents.
The Impact of Cost on Medication Adherence
Some 50% of Americans don’t take their medications as directed by their doctor, for any of a host of reasons. This non-adherence leads to preventable hospitalizations and preventable deaths, and costs 16% or $500 billion of the entire U.S. healthcare spend every year.
A Better Alternative for Combating Opioid Misuse Without Restricting Drug Access for Pain Patients
The new CDC draft removes the 2016 recommended ceilings on prescription doses for chronic pain patients and instead encourages doctors to exercise their best judgment. Even though the previous dosing ceilings were recommendations, they led to unintended consequences: States codified them, and physicians concerned with criminal or civil penalties misapplied the rigid standards by tapering patients too quickly or even refusing to provide treatment.