WHO Announces Effort to Reduce Medication Errors
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced a new global initiative earlier this month, one that aims to halve the rate of medication errors by 2022.
Bringing Universal Suicide Screening to Your Hospital
In 2014, the Parkland Health and Hospital System (PHHS) in Dallas became the first in the nation to establish a universal suicide screening program (SSP) in all its departments. The program screens every admitted patient for suicidal ideation, regardless of the patient’s chief complaint or estimated risk.
Physician Group Creates Ethical Guidelines for EHR Use
The use of electronic health records (EHR) should be guided by ethical principles that put patient care at the forefront, according to a position paper published by the American College of Physicians (ACP).
ECRI: The Rules on Copying and Pasting Medical Information
n 2016, the ECRI Institute’s Partnership for Health IT Patient Safety released its Health IT Safe Practices: Toolkit for the Safe Use of Copy and Paste. The toolkit outlines the risks and benefits of reusing medical information in electronic health records (EHR), along with four safe-practice recommendations on copy and paste policies.
Nurses Drive Change in Patient Safety Improvements
Nurses have the greatest opportunity to keep patients safe. It’s here, through patient engagement, that nurses are leading change.
AMA: Surprise Surveys Improve Mortality Rates
A new AMA study found that patients are less likely to die if they are treated on the same day as a surprise Joint Commission survey.
FDA Ban On Powdered Medical Gloves In Effect
The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) ban on powdered medical gloves went into effect on January 18. It’s now forbidden to use, advertise, and market powdered surgeon’s gloves, patient examination gloves, and absorbable powder for surgeon’s gloves at medical clinics and hospitals.
Patient Safety Stories: How One Hospital Leveraged Interdisciplinary Collaboration to Tackle a Flawed Medication Management System
While all organizations face their own set of challenges when it comes to ensuring operational excellence and patient safety, one particular issue rose to the top at this facility requiring immediate attention: Like many small, rural facilities, the hospital didn’t have a 24/7 pharmacy, and relied on automated dispensing cabinets (ADC) to provide most medications on the acute care floor. Unfortunately, these machines were often inadequately stocked, resulting in a host of issues for nursing staff.
GOP Bill’s Unheralded Changes In Rules Could Undermine Health of Neediest
An under-the-radar provision in the Republican proposal to replace the Affordable Care Act would require the millions of Medicaid enrollees who signed up under the Obamacare expansion to renew their coverage every six months — twice as often as under current law.
How Palomar Health Reduced Nuisance IV Alarms
People can grow used to anything, even alarms. Such is the danger of alarm fatigue; when excessive and nuisance alerts cause healthcare staff to become desensitized.