Pulse: RMF Strategies Develops First-of-Its-Kind Surgical Malpractice Benchmarking Report
Pulse
RMF Strategies Develops First-of-Its-Kind Surgical Malpractice Benchmarking Report
Report provides healthcare organizations with actionable data and insights for enhanced patient safety.
RMF Strategies, leading an innovative national effort to use malpractice data to help healthcare organizations reduce medical errors and enhance patient safety, announced it has developed a first-of-its-kind surgical benchmarking report, “Annual Benchmarking Report: Malpractice Risks in Surgery.”
Pulse: NPSF Honors National Leaders with Awards at Patient Safety Congress
Pulse
NPSF Honors National Leaders with Awards at Patient Safety Congress
The National Patient Safety Foundation honored individuals and organizations with awards during the organization’s annual Patient Safety Congress in Orlando, May 18–19.
Medication Safety: Using Automated Heparin Protocols and CPOE to Reduce Errors
Medication Safety
Using Automated Heparin Protocols and CPOE to Reduce Errors
When the Joint Commission adopted a National Patient Safety Goal requiring hospitals to reduce the likelihood of patient harm from the use of anticoagulants, St. Clair Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, swiftly mobilized and seized the opportunity to improve patient care. In fall 2007, the 329-bed hospital collected and analyzed data on anticoagulant medication occurrences over the preceding 2 years.
Electronic Health Records
Electronic Health Records
EHR Implementation:
A Vendor’s Diary
This is the first in an occasional series chronicling the implementation of an electronic health record in a small community hospital system in rural New Hampshire. Serious discussion about the implementation began in 2009, during a time of seismic change in healthcare and healthcare IT.
Human Factors 101
Human Factors 101
Affordances and Constraints Improve Reliability
In the first article in this series, we introduced concepts of human factors engineering (HFE) and their application to healthcare. We discussed how healthcare traditionally relies on the “weak aspects of cognition” (short term memory, attention to details, vigilance, multitasking etc.) and how that contributes to many of the errors experienced in healthcare.
Safety Culture: Building a Culture of Safety
Safety Culture
Building a Culture of Safety
In the 10-plus years since the inaugural publication of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) study on medical error, To Err Is Human, there has been surprisingly little progress in reducing the rate of medical error, despite the adoption of technologies specifically intended to combat medical errors. A growing number of people attribute this lack of progress to fundamental flaws in the American healthcare culture that prevent success.
Health IT & Quality
Health IT & Quality
Regulate HIT Tools as Medical Devices? Yes and No
The Food and Drug Administration recently announced it is reconsidering its previous decision to exclude health information technology (HIT) tools from regulation as medical devices. When last evaluated in the late 1990s, this decision made common sense. At that time HIT consisted of rudimentary clinical documentation systems, electronic reference materials, and administrative applications.
Editor’s Notebook: The unTechnology Conference
Editor’s Notebook
The unTechnology Conference
Many sports fans are familiar with the quip, “Last night I went to a fight, and a hockey game broke out.” Well, in early May, I went to a technology conference, and a patient safety meeting broke out. I didn’t expect the conference to be run-of-the-mill; the unSummit, by its name, signals that it offers an alternative conference experience and claims to offer high-quality, practical advice.
Medication Reconciliation: A Survey of Community Pharmacies and Emergency Departments
Medication Reconciliation: A Survey of Community Pharmacies and Emergency Departments
In any given week, 4 out of every 5 U.S. adults will use prescription medicines, over-the-counter drugs, or dietary supplements. Poor communication of a patient’s medication-use history between community practitioners and emergency department personnel contributes to many adverse drug events and can be a potential source of harm to patients.
Post-Discharge Call Programs – Improving Satisfaction and Safety
Post-Discharge Call Programs
Improving Satisfaction and Safety
For patients coming home from the hospital after surgery, an emergency department (ED) visit or any other inpatient stay, the change in location has both positive and negative possibilities. On one hand, because the patient is returning to familiar surroundings and routines, recovery may be easier. On the other hand, it may be harder.