ABQAURP News
July / August 2010
Patient Safety — Low Tech Solutions That Work… Thanks Dr. Gawande!
Much of the discussion around patient safety, medical quality, and error reduction centers around the deployment of increased technology: electronic health records, data interconnectivity, privacy challenges related to the electronic interchange of information, telemedicine with virtual visits, remote patient monitoring devices that interconnect with centralized records, and robotic surgery to name just a few. This technology has high potential and generally high cost. Limited data exists proving these interventions accomplish their goals.
In this time of constrained resources, does it make sense to return to simpler measures? Should we consider low-cost approaches that primarily require the thoughtful involvement of educated and involved stakeholders and the willingness of health care providers to change practice patterns to achieve better results?
Enter Dr. Atul Gawande and his recent book, The Checklist Manifesto: How To Get Things Right. In this delightfully written work, Dr. Gawande explores how industries other than health care accomplish complex tasks and discovers the wide use of checklists. He goes further, evaluating the characteristics of effective checklists and the processes of successful checklist development and use. Finally, he provides examples of how he translated what he had learned into working with a team to develop a checklist that enhances patient safety in surgical settings. He presents compelling data about the unexpected success of the endeavor.
Effective checklist design is unique to specific settings; Dr. Gawande’s book presents a roadmap to the effective implementation of this effective, low-cost, life-saving strategy in health care settings. Please give it a try and let us know what works.
Please send inquiries and comments to rwillog@abqaurp.org, please use Quality Column in the subject line.
We look forward to your participation in this new column.
Health Care Quality & Patient Safety Conference
Quality Nursing Symposium: Your Evolving Role in Health Care
Friday, October 22, 2010
Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resorts
Lake Buena Vista, FL
7:45am – 5:45pm
With the coming changes in the health care system, more focus is being placed on the nursing profession. Is nursing’s role simply being redefined or completely reformed? As the health care landscape evolves, now is the time to focus on your skills and become a leader in this dynamic environment.
In this era of accountability, attendees will need the practical knowledge and the tools to reduce medical errors, ensure patient safety, eliminate waste, eliminate unnecessary services, and avoid potentially harmful delays in care. The result is a safer, more efficient, and cost-effective system that better satisfies the needs of patients, providers, purchasers, and payers.
Topics to include:
- Risk Management
- Legal Issues Providers Will Face
- Medical Error Prevention
- Care Coordination
- National Databank of Nursing Quality Indicators
- Health Care Quality and Management Certification
- Workers’ Compensation from a Nursing Perspective
- Health Reform Initiatives
For more information or to register: Call Patti Rivers at 800-998-6030, ext. 117 • Go online at www.abqaurp.org
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ABQAURP
welcomes applications for joint sponsorship of educational activities
for continuing education credit. ABQAURP accredits a variety of
activities, including:
| • Live Activity | • Internet Activity Live |
| • Enduring Material | • Internet Activity Enduring Material |
| • Journal-based CME | • Performance Improvement |
ABQAURP
is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical
Education (ACCME) to sponsor continuing medical education for
physicians and is also accredited by the Florida Board of Nursing to
sponsor nursing contact hours. As an accredited provider, ABQAURP is
here to work with each joint sponsor organization to ensure the
accreditation process runs as smoothly as possible. Benefits of working
with ABQAURP include: one-on-one assistance, on-site assistance,
contact for speakers and commercial supporters, evaluation compilation,
one-time mailing list to drive attendance, website placement, and
advertising in Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare magazine.
ABQAURP
believes that ongoing continuing education in new research, identified
problem areas in clinical practice, and areas of interest in the
quality assurance, utilization review, risk management, and managed
care fields is a worthy endeavor to pursue. Participants improve the
efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of health care delivered to the
patients to improve the overall clinical outcome. Plus, each activity
encourages participants to put into practice knowledge learned and
assess the impact. Innovative courses provide important updates and
practical tools for all health care professionals. These activities
ensure that participating health care professionals receive up-to-date
information on the ever-changing health care environment.
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ABQAURP |
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