‘Customer Ownership’ at the Forefront in Alaska
Healthcare organizations strive to improve the quality of care for patients; however, finding methods to do this without increasing costs can be a challenge. Southcentral Foundation (SCF), a nonprofit healthcare organization in Alaska, has found engaging and partnering with patients on their healthcare journey can lead to better care and outcomes without incurring higher costs and actually decreases overall costs.
Digital Documentation: More or Less?
Remember the blue book? Starting as early as junior high school, teachers would hand out that pale blue 8” x 8” booklet, giving each student 50 minutes to handwrite everything they knew about a particular subject. Urban legend suggested teachers issued grades based on the number of pages filled rather than the contents of the illegible scribble. Because handwriting did not allow for cutting and pasting, there was no verbatim insertion of multiple Wikipedia pages to “enhance” a test-taker’s spontaneous brilliance. The essay length was determined by the knowledge of the student and the quickness of the pen.
Paralyzed by Mistakes: Reassess the Safety of Neuromuscular Blockers in Your Facility
Problem: Neuromuscular blocking agents are high-alert medications because of their well-documented history of causing catastrophic injuries or death when used in error. These drugs are used during tracheal intubation, during surgery of intubated patients, and to facilitate mechanical ventilation of critically ill patients.
Using a Screening Program to Improve Suicide Prevention
Suicides were the third most common sentinel event of 2015, with 95 reported cases in 2015’s Sentinel Event Statistics. The total number of patient suicides reported to The Joint Commission is now up to 1,184 since the start of the decade.
Editor’s Notebook: Introduction
I am honored to be the new editor of Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare. In this, my first letter to the readers, I would like to reassure you that our mission remains to provide “news, science, and research” to people in all areas of the patient safety movement—and, in fact, for everyone interested in improving … Continued
Nudge Helps Practices with Antibiotics
A new study finds programs that appeal to the competitive spirit of physicians are effective in getting them to reduce their incidence of prescribing unnecessary antibiotics.
CDC awards $26 million for Prevention Epicenters
The CDC announced it will award $26 million to five academic medical centers to reduce infections and improve patient safety. The medical centers were provided funding through the Prevention Epicenters Program which has been extended through 2020. Already six other academic medical centers are working on similar research thanks to funding that was previously awarded … Continued
STEMI Initiative Cuts Response Time by 72%
A quality program at UNC Hospitals empowers non-physician clinicians to activate response teams for cardiology inpatients using triage protocols used by first responders.
UN Declares Drug Resistance a Global Threat
The fight against antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) infections has become a hot topic in 2016, and the United Nations (UN) has now joined the fray. This year, The Joint Commission and CMS making antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) mandatory for all healthcare facilities. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, 74 drug makers, 11 diagnostic test manufacturers, and … Continued
How MRSA Rates Sunk 42% at SC Health System
After a South Carolina health system introduced an electronic system for monitoring handwashing compliance among clinical staff, it saw MRSA rates plummet.