Standards for Medical Device Interoperability and Integration

Standards for Medical Device Interoperability and Integration

At the point-of-care, medical devices provide clinicians with real-time status of the patient’s condition, including the patient’s vital signs. This data is vital for treatment and can be a critical aspect of patient safety since it provides near real-time surveillance of patient status to locations beyond the patient’s bedside.

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The Case for Regulating EMRs

The Case for Regulating EMRs

Papers reporting serious adverse events (Nebeker, 2005; Yong, 2005) relating to the use of commercial healthcare IT (HIT) applications received significant publicity in 2005. Many of the reports at that time focused on the configuration of decision support systems used in computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems.

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Clinical Analytics

Clinical Analytics

EMR Implementation Is an Opportunity, Not a Guarantee

As hospital IT leaders consider how to address meaningful use of electronic medical records (EMR) within their own organizations, they should see the next generation of EMRs as an opportunity to take arms against avoidable medical errors, improve the level of personalized medicine, and reduce hospital readmissions to boost quality scores.

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Diagnostic Radiology

Diagnostic Radiology

Critical Communication: Improving Patient Safety

The written diagnostic imaging report is the key method of communication between radiologists and referring clinicians. However, the radiology report is valuable not only for its contents, but also for the timeliness of delivery given the important subject matter of radiologic results, including, in some cases, critical findings.

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ISMP: Oops, Sorry, Wrong Patient!

ISMP

Oops, Sorry, Wrong Patient!

Applying the JCAHO “two-identifier” rule beyond the patient’s room

When we think of “wrong patient” errors, the most common scenario that comes to mind is a nurse walking into a patient’s room and administering medications intended for one patient to another patient — often a roommate. However, “wrong patient” errors occur in a variety of ways.

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Health & IT Quality: Failure Is Not an Option

Health & IT Quality

Failure Is Not an Option

Healthcare could learn much from Gene Kranz. A recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom along with other mission scientists and crew, Kranz led his Tiger Team of experts at NASA in its successful effort to bring three astronauts on a perilous 500,000 mile journey around the moon and back home to Earth.

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Editor’s Notebook

Editor’s Notebook

The Lowest and Best Common Denominator

Interoperability is a buzzword with legs. At the moment, it’s everywhere, including on the cover of this issue of PSQH.

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