Improving Communication With Technology
Eliminating the technology that has complicated patient care is not an option, so health systems are searching for strategic technology deployments to address some of the challenges that have emerged. The results aim to bring physicians, nursing staff, and patients back into the realm of more meaningful interaction.
The Moments in Between: Monitoring Patients in Transit
A study on transporting intensive care patients found that out of 262 transports, 26% had an adverse event—many of which were serious, including oxygen desaturation or hemodynamic instability. How can clinicians work to avoid these situations? And how can organizations leverage the electronic medical record (EMR) to analyze how and when they happen?
Radiomics Offers a New Weapon in the Battle Against Cancer
Radiomics is poised to be the next great advance. This relatively new technology enables healthcare and life science organizations to take traditional images, such as MRIs and PET scans, and use artificial intelligence to extract hundreds of data points about the biology of a tumor or lesion.
Polypharmacy in Older Adults: Knowing When to Deprescribe
Many studies have shown the benefits of certain medications for improving long-term outcomes in patients with chronic conditions. However, even when evidence-based recommendations are closely followed, there is a potential for adverse consequences because of the concurrent use of multiple medications.
Fixing Clinical Burnout Could Reduce Drug Diversion in Healthcare Settings
Burnout already affected more than half of all physicians prior to the coronavirus pandemic, and it has only intensified among doctors and other healthcare workers in recent months. According to a recent survey, 65% of physicians indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased their feelings of burnout, as they feel overwhelmed and helpless in the face of the virus. And increasing burnout is widely reported in nursing, pharmacy, and nearly all other clinical areas.
The Surgicalist Approach: Breathing New Life Into an Ailing Trauma or Acute Care Surgical Program
Many of today’s difficulties stem from the rapidly changing face of healthcare. In part, they result from the remixing and rebalancing of surgical subspecialties. The once omnipresent general surgeon with a broad skill set and diverse patient experience is all but extinct. Additionally, true trauma surgeons are hard to find. Compounding the problem, modern surgeons are seeking a better work-life balance and shunning the added income of on-call hospital shifts in favor of a more predictable and manageable schedule.
Adaptable Expertise
As hospitals anticipate a return to pre-pandemic operations, healthcare leaders seek to complete these projects as quickly and efficiently as possible, recognizing that a move into a new facility or renovated space provides an opportunity to assess patient care models, staffing levels, and workflow—and provides, in some instances, better infection control and cleaner environments.
Reducing the Incidence of Uncontrolled Hypertension Through Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring
Oklahoma ranks as one of the worst states with regard to hypertension-related mortality. The primary care setting is the perfect venue to examine strategies and employ best practices to reduce rates of hypertension and subsequent disability and death.
Five Tips for Smooth Adoption of Safer Enteral Connectors
ENFit has been on the market for several years worldwide, and conversions to the ISO standard have been completed in the European Union, Australia, and New Zealand and are underway in Japan and Brazil. In the U.S., nearly half of the top 25 hospitals are now using ENFit, including leaders in patient-centric care such as Mayo Clinic, Sharp Memorial, Banner Healthcare, and Kaiser Permanente. However, the U.S. is lagging behind most other developed countries in adopting the safer connectors.
Certification Program Helps Safeguard Patient Data
One of the biggest challenges remains disparate information systems and the electronic health records (EHR) that all speak different languages, resisting easy translation from one platform to another. The industry is continuing to address the issue of proprietary vendor software, and therefore the lack of interoperability. Privacy and security regulations such as HIPAA also prohibit the unauthorized exchange of data and mandate protection from accidental or intentional release of PHI.