Point-of-Care Labeling: Better Barcoding
Hospitals seeking to conquer the stubbornly persistent problem of patient safety can start by expanding the adoption of barcoding technology into all areas of the hospital, from the patient room to the lab to the pharmacy.
Providers in the Loop: Preventing Falls across the Continuum of Care
Falls are a huge health problem plaguing the senior patient population, and they are often preventable. While falls most often occur at home, providers can help patients while they are still in the hospital take steps to avoid the falls that cause so many readmissions.
Breaking Down Silos with the Perioperative Surgical Home
In 1967, there was an important development in healthcare: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) created the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model. Nearly half a century ago, pioneering physicians saw the need to facilitate continuity throughout the patient care journey.
Reducing Interruption Fatigue with Advanced Alarm-Safety Middleware
In a report by the National Academy of Sciences, caution is drawn to system-related issues surrounding the nurse-work environment, stating that interruptions of nurse-work processes may compromise patient safety (Page, 2004).
Clinician Support: Five Years of Lessons Learned
The “second victim” phenomenon is a serious consequence of any healthcare role. As many as half of all healthcare providers will experience the impact of the second victim phenomenon at least once during their careers (Seys et al., 2013).
Healthcare Analytics: Putting Data to Good Use
Clinical intelligence and the role of analytics in supporting a data-driven, constantly improving system are key aspects of healthcare.
Better Patient Education for Improved Engagement and Compliance
Solid patient education strategies are foundational to improved compliance and success with national patient engagement initiatives. Numerous regulatory requirements—Meaningful Use, Value-Based Purchasing, and the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program—converge to advance the accountable care movement. To succeed in the risk-bearing reimbursement landscape, providers must ensure that patients understand and comply with their care plans.
ISMP: Strengthen Your Resolve: No Unlabeled Containers Anywhere, Ever!
Just when you think you’ve made significant headway with a persistent unsafe practice, an error creeps up, and disappointment sets in. The error serves to remind you just how vulnerable patients are to human error and to expose…
Mobile Technlogy: Update Clinical Communication Strategy, Not Just the BYOD Policy
Step into most healthcare facilities and you will notice that while community physicians are openly using their smartphones, employed clinicians are carrying voice-only phones, multiple pagers, or wearable voice-activated two-way communication devices provided by their employers.
Editor’s Notebook: More Like Birds than Rocks
At the beginning of Rx: The Quiet Revolution, Doug Eby, MD, vice president of medical services at Southcentral Foundation in Alaska, tells a parable about a physician, a rock, a bird, and a target painted on a wall.