MRI Safety 10 Years Later

By Tobias Gilk, M.Arch. HSDQ, and Robert J. Latino

In the summer of 2001, the radiology world was shocked to learn of an accident at Westchester Medical Center in New York state in which 6-year-old Michael Colombini was killed while being prepared for an MRI exam. Sedated and positioned in the scanner, the child's oxygen saturation levels began dropping quickly.

The Stories Behind the Data

Narratives in event reporting database reveal opportunities for fall prevention.

By Margaret Jones, MBA; Kathryn Mitchell, MBA; Barbara Olson, MS, RN; Jason Hickok, MBA, RN; Jane Englebright, PhD, RN

Patient falls continue to be one of the leading causes of adverse events and patient harm in hospitals (Dykes et al., 2010). Injuries from falls can increase the length of hospital stay and increase hospital costs (Dykes et al., 2010; Krauss et al., 2007). As a result, fall reduction and prevention has become the focus for many national and international organizations (Szumlas et al., 2004).

Getting a Feel for Better Infection Control

For every 100 patients admitted to U.S. hospitals in 2002, 4.5 patients developed a nosocomial infection, also known as a hospital-acquired infection (HAI) (Graves & McGowan, 2008), and many experts believe the percentage has risen in recent years. Under new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) guidelines, healthcare providers may risk partial or full denial of reimbursement for procedures where staff medical errors such as infections arise from a lack of training.

Telluride Interdisciplinary Patient Safety Roundtable:
Medical Students’ Daily Narrative Reflections

By David Mayer, MD; Timothy McDonald, MD, JD; Susan Doyle, PhD; Tracy Granzyk Wetzel, MS

As each new report of medical harm is published, the need to redesign medical education to prepare young physicians capable of approaching patient care in ways that decrease the opportunity for harm reaches a new level of urgency.

Patient Safety in Africa: A Culture Shift?

By Stephen Powell, MS; Daniel Baily, MS; Njide Ndili, MIS; and Christopher Ente, MS

Patient safety has received increased attention in African countries in the last decade, yet little is known about African patient safety challenges and quality improvement opportunities.