Editor’s Notebook: The unTechnology Conference
Editor’s Notebook
The unTechnology Conference
Many sports fans are familiar with the quip, “Last night I went to a fight, and a hockey game broke out.” Well, in early May, I went to a technology conference, and a patient safety meeting broke out. I didn’t expect the conference to be run-of-the-mill; the unSummit, by its name, signals that it offers an alternative conference experience and claims to offer high-quality, practical advice.
Safety Huddles for a Culture of Safety
Safety Huddles for a Culture of Safety
When the Institute of Medicine (IOM) published To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System in 2000, the executives and quality and patient safety staff at Gundersen Lutheran immediately started discussions around issues emphasized in the report.
Common Cause Analysis
Common Cause Analysis
To improve medication safety, many healthcare systems implement a technology (such as barcode at point of care) or a best practice (such as double-check of high-risk medications). This approach turns performance improvement into experimentation with other people’s solutions for other people’s system problems — the assumption being all providers share the same system problems.
Post-Discharge Call Programs – Improving Satisfaction and Safety
Post-Discharge Call Programs
Improving Satisfaction and Safety
For patients coming home from the hospital after surgery, an emergency department (ED) visit or any other inpatient stay, the change in location has both positive and negative possibilities. On one hand, because the patient is returning to familiar surroundings and routines, recovery may be easier. On the other hand, it may be harder.
Medication Reconciliation: A Survey of Community Pharmacies and Emergency Departments
Medication Reconciliation: A Survey of Community Pharmacies and Emergency Departments
In any given week, 4 out of every 5 U.S. adults will use prescription medicines, over-the-counter drugs, or dietary supplements. Poor communication of a patient’s medication-use history between community practitioners and emergency department personnel contributes to many adverse drug events and can be a potential source of harm to patients.
Florida Hospitals and Surgeons Launch Ambitious Initiative to Improve Health Care Quality
Florida hospitals and surgeons launched a significant new initiative to
improve patient safety and the quality of surgical care while reducing
costs throughout the state. The Florida Surgical Care Initiative
(FSCI), a joint initiative of the Florida Hospital Association (FHA)
and the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and its Florida chapter, is
a unique statewide collaboration that will focus on reducing surgical
complications and improving the quality of care in participating
hospitals.
VA Health System Leaders Recognized by the Partnership for Clear Health Communication at the National Patient Safety Foundation
Safety Foundation announced recipients of the prestigious Pfizer Health
Literacy in Advancing Patient Safety Award. Honored for their work in
developing and implementing a health literacy tool targeted to the
needs of the veteran patient population were Dr. Jolie Haun, from VA
Health Services and the Research Center of Excellence, and Patricia
Donaldson, RN, from Veteran’s Health System, Malcolm Randall VAMC.
EXTENSION, Inc. Announces EXTENSION 2.0
EXTENSION, INC. announced that EXTENSION version 2.0 is now available
for integration. Version 2.0 – replacing EXTENSION version 1.4 – offers
features and functionality that further enhance clinical and
operational workflows and overall communications among clinicians,
healthcare staff, and patients.
EDIMS Partners with Medit Corporation to Speed Access to Quality Emergency Care
information management systems, today announced it has formed a
strategic relationship with Medit Corporation that will help EDIMS’
hospital clients speed triage and treatment of their ED patients.
IntelliDose and eClinicalWorks Partner for End-to-End Oncology Practice Management
IntelliDose®, IntrinsiQ’s chemotherapy management solution, with the
eClinicalWorks unified Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and Practice
Management (PM) solution to give oncology practices a complete,
best-of-breed health information system.