Health & IT Quality: Watson, come here. I need you!
Health & IT Quality
Watson, come here. I need you!
Although a call for Watson brings to mind Alexander Graham Bell’s first words on the telephone or Sherlock Holmes’s greeting to his physician companion, The New York Times heralded another Watson on its February 17, 2011, front page.
ISMP: Measuring Up to Medication Safety
ISMP
Measuring Up to Medication Safety
Medications are among the most common interventions used to improve health. So it should come as no surprise that adverse drug events—injuries caused by the use of medications—are a substantial source of preventable harm to hospitalized patients. Measuring the level of safety is fundamental to improvement.
Corporate Compliance: Federal Initiatives to Drive Quality of Care: What Patient Safety Officers Need to Know
Corporate Compliance
Federal Initiatives to Drive Quality of Care: What Patient Safety Officers Need to Know
Under the recently enacted Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), every healthcare provider participating in Medicare or Medicaid must now have a corporate compliance program in place. Medicare is seeking transparency, quality, and accountability from healthcare providers.
Editor’s Notebook: On Being Wrong (and Human)
Editor’s Notebook
On Being Wrong (and Human)
I’ve developed a soft spot for error—not for the stubbornness and denial that too often accompany error, nor of course for the harm that can result from it. I’ve been charmed recently by people who are comfortable admitting error and who accept that being wrong is part of being human.
Alarm Management Showcase
Alarm Management Showcase:
Being Everywhere at Once
Caregivers can’t be everywhere, but with integrated alarm notification systems, they can respond quickly when needed.
Until you know there is a problem, it’s much harder to respond to it. For patients, alarm notification systems can undoubtedly be lifesaving. But with the right core technology, they can also be early warning systems that help to prevent patients from deteriorating to a critical point.
Patient Mobilization
Patient Mobilization
Best practices improve health outcomes and ensure safety for patients and staff alike.
As research supports the critical need for mobilizing hospitalized patients, the adage “If you don’t use it, you will lose it” sums up the weakness and loss of functional status seen with prolonged bed rest. In the hospital setting, patients often depend on their caregivers for mobilization.
Safer PCA Therapy
Safer PCA Therapy
Patient Safety Benefits of Continuous Respiratory Rate and End Tidal Monitoring
The following interviews were adapted from a November 12, 2010, webcast, “Safer PCA Therapy,” that explored the application of continuous monitoring for patients receiving opioids, most typically using patient-controlled analgesia (PCA).
Rapid Implementation of an Anesthesiology Information Management System
Rapid Implementation of an Anesthesiology Information Management System
Careful planning allows a public hospital in California to reap patient safety
and financial benefits from technology on the fast track.
At most hospitals, it takes a significant time to bring in new information technology systems. Indeed, the wheels move slowly as these organizations attempt to get new technology approved, purchased—and finally implemented.
Team Training in Obstetrics: Improving Care by Learning to Work Together
Team Training in Obstetrics: Improving Care by Learning to Work Together
Communication gaps and breakdowns are a significant cause of medical errors within the healthcare system. According to data collected by the Joint Commission (2005), communication gaps are the primary root cause of two thirds of sentinel events.
Reducing Alarm Hazards: Selection and Implementation of Alarm Notification Systems
Reducing Alarm Hazards: Selection and Implementation of Alarm Notification Systems
Few threats to patient safety have existed for as long or been as thoroughly studied as alarm fatigue (Healthcare Technology Foundation). In December 2010, ECRI Institute listed “Alarm Hazards” as the second highest technology hazard of 2011.