TJC Clarifies Suicide Risk NPSG Requirements
Element of performance (EP) 3 requires that the suicide risk assessment include risk factors, which TJC describes as “a combination of individual, biological, psychological, familial, community, cultural, and/or societal characteristics or factors that may contribute to the risk of suicide.”
Better Care of Vision-Impaired Hospital Patients Would Save $500M Annually
Vision impairment including blindness affects nearly 4 million U.S. adults, and the figure is expected to increase significantly with rising rates of macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and other eye conditions.
Nurses Recognized for Patient and Workforce Safety Achievements
The DAISY Awards for Extraordinary Nurses are given to nurses who display extraordinary and compassionate care throughout the year. More than 3,600 healthcare facilities throughout the U.S. as well as 21 other countries participate annually in the program.
Lessons Learned From a Death Outside a Hospital’s Doorstep
DeMarco’s refusal to accept the hospital’s silence, a desire for accountability, and ultimately a simple request for the hospital’s administration to sit down with him and apologize for the mistakes made were enough to make the hospital change its ways.
Industry Focus—Culture of Safety: Just Culture…It’s Much More Than an Algorithm
In a high-reliability culture, a paradigm exists that simply states that it is not realistic to expect zero human error. Human error is ubiquitous; it is inevitable. As much as we dictate policy and guidelines, as much as we practice and train, humans will commit errors; it is a constant.
Industry Focus—Infection Control: Examine Your Dialysis Space to Ensure Room to Separate Infectious Patients
Among other infection control practices for hemodialysis, surveyors will be observing water and dialysate testing, medication storage, preparation and administration, and “patient placement in full view of staff during dialysis treatment,” according to a Joint Commission official.
Safety Enhancements Every Hospital Must Consider in Wake of Another Tragic Neuromuscular Blocker Event
This type of error could happen anywhere given current system vulnerabilities frequently found in hospitals, particularly when using automated dispensing cabinets. In fact, ISMP has observed many of the same system vulnerabilities in other hospitals, and they are frequently at the root of a variety of medication errors reported to the ISMP National Medication Errors Reporting Program.
AI: Augmented Intelligence or Electric Sheep?
Although individuals on the panel expressed slightly differing views overall, they agreed that AI in healthcare is an overhyped concept inappropriately attributed to programs that do not fit any reasonable definition of AI tools.
Could Medical Device Security Depend Upon Clinicians?
For nearly a decade, healthcare professionals and medical device manufacturers have been aware that medical devices, including insulin pumps and pacemakers, can be hacked. While some strides have been made in securing these types of devices, the growing interconnectivity of smart medical devices continues to outpace security.
Ebola, Zika, and the Flu: CMS and CDC Want Action on Emerging Infections
The CDC issued a bulletin urging hospitals and other healthcare facilities to remain prepared for infectious disease outbreaks.