Scanner Beep Only Means the Barcode Has Been Scanned
ISMP
Scanner Beep Only Means the Barcode Has Been Scanned
You might find it hard to believe that wrong patient and wrong drug/dose/time errors can still happen when using a bedside barcode scanning system. One source of error stems from the fact that, regardless of whether the correct product has been scanned or an associated warning has been issued, audible barcode scanners produce the same beeping sound.
Working Together for Patients with Limited Proficiency in English
Medical Interpretation
Working Together for Patients with Limited Proficiency in English
Effective communication between the patient and the medical provider plays a vital role in the delivery of high-quality medical care. But what if that patient is a non-English speaker? Not only do healthcare facilities have a duty to provide language assistance services to limited-English proficient (LEP) patients to ensure quality medical care, but currently there are requirements for equal language access that recipients of federal funding must adhere to.
Medication Reconciliation in Daily Rounds in the NICU
Medication Reconciliation in Daily Rounds in the NICU
There is a major thrust for patient safety nationwide. With an estimated 1.5 million preventable adverse drug events (ADEs) occurring annually in the United States, there is still a need for better error prevention systems (Institute of Medicine, 2007).
State-wide Leadership Creates a Culture of Patient Safety in Rhode Island
State-wide Leadership Creates a Culture of Patient Safety in Rhode Island
To provide a safer environment for patients in Rhode Island, 13 hospitals in the state have initiated a program to improve the way data on adverse medical events is reported, analyzed, shared, and utilized.
Daily Check-In for Safety: From Best Practice to Common Practice
Daily Check-In for Safety: From Best Practice to Common Practice
In the nuclear power industry, knowing the status of plant operations and early identification of potential problems is safety critical. At nuclear generating stations across the country, like the Black Fox plant (a pseudonym), each day begins with a plan-of-the-day meeting of plant leaders.
APIC and AHE Partner on “Clean Spaces, Healthy Patients” Initiative
Sept. 27, 2011—The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) and the Association for the Healthcare Environment (AHE) are partnering to strengthen the relationship between infection prevention and environmental services. A joint educational campaign, entitled “Clean Spaces, Healthy Patients: Leaders in Infection Prevention and Environmental Services working together for better patient outcomes,” will incorporate educational resources, training materials, and other solutions to help IP and EVS professionals combat the spread of healthcare-associated infections.
AdverseEvents Launches Innovative Drug Side Effect Reporting System
Sept. 26, 2011—AdverseEvents, Inc., Co-founder and President, Brian Overstreet, will today the launch of the AdverseEvents website—a first-of-its-kind online resource that delivers accurate, real-time information on adverse drug events. Healthcare professionals and patients will now have the ability to quantify and fully understand the scope of safety issues based on accurate rates of side effects by using AEI’s easy-to-use, fully searchable database.
Automated Pre-op Instructions in a Culture of Continuous Improvement
Automated Pre-op Instructions in a Culture of Continuous Improvement
The benefits of providing patients with pre-operative instructions tailored specifically to their unique procedures, health status, and medications are well established. Patient safety perhaps tops this list. Healthcare providers have long recognized that offering clear, easily understandable instructions that cover requirements including fasting, discontinuing anticoagulants or blood pressure regulators, avoiding tobacco and alcohol, and more can enhance patient safety by reducing the chances of potentially life-threatening perioperative complications (Tea, 2010).
The Silent Treatment: Why Safety Tools and Checklists Aren’t Enough
The Silent Treatment: Why Safety Tools and Checklists Aren’t Enough
Poor communication is deadly, especially in critical care settings (Wachter, 2010; The Joint Commission, 2010). When communication breaks down in intensive care units (ICU) and operating rooms, the result is catastrophic harm (Alvarez, 2006; Gandhi, 2005) and even death (Consumers Union, 2009; Institute of Medicine, 2000).
Patient Safety Summit in Emergency Care
Patient Safety Summit in Emergency Care
Emergency care and patient safety thought-leaders from across North America convened in Las Vegas in May 2011 to spend two days together to address the patient safety challenges and opportunities throughout the continuum of emergency care. The event was hosted by the Emergency Medicine Patient Safety Foundation (EMPSF), a national not-for-profit organization based in California whose mission is to improve patient safety in the practice of emergency medicine through education, research, collaboration, and training.