ICU use for Cardiac Patients Linked to Higher Mortality Rates
Overreliance on the ICU for cardiac patients leads to worse outcomes, study finds. “We still have an open question of what to use the ICU for,” says one researcher.
APIC 2015 Film Festival Winner Points the Way Through a Dirty Day
Stop and think about all the surfaces a pair of hands experiences in a day’s time. Even better, watch Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center’s “Stop the Spread of Infection: It’s in Our Hands.” The video, which chronicles in GoPro® style the travels of hands through a typical day, won first prize at the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology’s (APIC) sixth annual Film Festival
Strategies for Delivering LGBT-Inclusive Care
By Jennifer Comerford, MJ, OTR/L, CHC, HEM; and Cynthia Wallace, CPHRM Discrimination against individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) has been common in many contexts, including healthcare. Consider the following de-identified events reported to the ECRI Institute PSO, a federally certified patient safety organization (PSO), from January 2013 through mid-2015: Physicians … Continued
ISMP: Turn Short-Term Fixes Into Long-Term Remedies
Healthcare practitioners are repeatedly challenged by unexpected problems they encounter due to both large and small work-system failures that hinder patient care. The list of failures is varied and quite long, often making it difficult or impossible to execute tasks as designed (Edmondson, 2004).
An EHR Tailored for Pediatricians Closes Some Gaps
Modifying electronic health record software can help catch early signs of childhood obesity, problems with oral health, vision, and hearing, and the risk of developing autism, expert says.
Boston Hospital Warns Staff of Privacy Violations with Pokémon Go
Pokémon Go, the most popular mobile game app ever in the U.S., has captured the attention of players of all ages. But it could also be capturing sensitive images and information in hospitals, which could lead to a violation of HIPAA privacy rules.
Reducing Falls by Engaging Patients
When clinicians walk into a patient’s room at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, they only need a quick glance at a laminated, color-coded sheet of paper next to the bed to understand the fall risks of that patient.
Top Patient Safety Concerns Touch on IT, Patient Identification Issues
This year’s list of top patient safety concerns proves that health systems continue to battle health IT implementation issues, while also struggling with patient safety stalwarts like disinfection, medication errors, and even patient identification.
Working With Law Enforcement to Better Protect Your Healthcare Workers and Patients
One might argue that the most effective managers are those who don’t manage alone. Effective managers listen to their employees and customers and incorporate their feedback into training and future management decisions. They work with dependable partners to improve processes and conditions.
Opioid Prescribing May be Impervious to State Laws
Drug monitoring laws are on the rise, but their effectiveness in curbing the prescribed use of hydromorphone, oxycodone, and other narcotics for pain is unclear.