Structured Patient Handoffs: The Movement Toward Adverse Event Reduction in the Perioperative Unit
The use of a standardized handoff checklist tool improves time efficiency, reduces medication discrepancies, and there is a reduction of deficits or missed communications in the handoff process.
Structured Patient Handoffs: The Movement Toward Adverse Event Reduction in the Perioperative Unit
Clinician handoffs spiked in 2011 after the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education implemented rules to limit the number of hours residents worked.
Precision Medicine: Integration May Be Closer Than You Think
The emergence and growing affordability of genetic testing along with patient demand means healthcare organizations need a strategy for their role in precision medicine.
Data on Social Needs May Redefine Precision Healthcare
Data derived from the non-medical drivers of a patient’s health can improve quality of care and enrich the utility of so-called intelligent machines.
Hospitals Ramp Up Hyperbaric Therapy for Diabetics, Despite Concerns
The American Diabetes Association does not recommend the treatment. Some experts say hyperbaric therapy’s increased use for diabetic wounds owes more to hospitals’ pursuit of Medicare revenue than to the treatment’s proven value.
The New War on Sepsis
The sepsis program in the St. Joseph Hoang network seems to be working. The death rate for all of its hospitals from 2015-2016 has dropped from 15 percent to 12 percent for severe sepsis/shock, and from 12 percent to 9 percent for all sepsis cases.
Time Out Day for Patient Safety
June 14 is National Time Out Day , a Joint Commission and Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) campaign to promote patient safety before, during, and after surgery. The organizations are also reminding healthcare facilities to commit to conducting a safe, effective time outs for each and every surgery.
Quantity Over Quality? Minorities Shown to Get an Excess of Ineffective Care
Minority patients face a double whammy: Not only are they more likely to miss out on effective medical treatments than white patients, but, according to a new study, they’re also more likely to receive an abundance of ineffective services.
Using Data Analytics to Change Behavior
The data-analytics application works in conjunction with the smart pump system to create a continuous quality loop to strengthen patient safety, opportunities for improvement, and data-driven insights.
Improving Collaboration Around Medication Management Programs
There are numerous reasons patients stop taking medication against their physician’s advice. They might feel better (or, thanks to side effects, feel worse). They might not be able to reach the pharmacy. The cost might be too steep. Then, of course, there is the potential for medications to be prescribed from a number of points of care, which is leading to more challenges regarding medication reconciliation. Whatever the cause, poor medication adherence has significant costs for both the individual and the health system.