Rapid Response Teams: Clinical Triggers and Rapid Response Escalation Criteria
Previous studies have demonstrated that hospitalized patients often experience significant adverse events during their hospital stays because of the hospital staff’s failure to recognize or respond to early signs of clinical deterioration (Devita, et al., 2006).
The Role of Enterprise Staffing and Scheduling in Quality Assurance
Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston, Texas, includes 10 acute care hospitals with more than 3,000 licensed beds. The medical staff totals more than 5,300 physicians, and the system’s workforce consists of 18,000 employees.
Online Support for IV Drug Administration: Evidence-Based Nursing at WakeMed Health & Hospitals
WakeMed Health & Hospitals has its sights set on being a leader in patient safety and quality care. And, like any leader, WakeMed is continuously looking for innovative systems and workflow solutions that give clinicians the information they need to provide high quality, evidence-based care.
Medical Ethics – Best Practices and Wiggle Room: Not Everything That Counts Can Be Counted
Spurred by reports from the Institute of Medicine (IOM, 2000) and other sources, virtually every healthcare institution has programs in place to measure and improve the safety and quality of the care patients receive.
Integrating Patient Safety into Curriculum: The Purdue University Doctor of Nursing Practice
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) reports Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century (2001) and To Err Is Human (2000) were tipping points in patient safety.
Editor’s Notebook: Murder or Medication Error?
On December 13, 2006, 4-year-old Rebecca Riley died from an overdose of clonidine administered by her parents, who have been charged with first-degree murder.
The Universal Bed Care Delivery Model: Facility Design and Operations Combine to Impact the Patient Experience
The United States population is older than ever before, which places added and intensifying stress on our healthcare system. In fact, according to the Administration on Aging, the over-65 population currently accounts for one out of eight Americans, and by 2030, this population will more than double.
AHRQ – Patient Safety Organizations: A New Opportunity for Patient Safety Improvement
Passage of the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (the Act) provides a unique opportunity to improve the safety, quality, and outcomes of patient care.
Transforming Practice with Mobile Clinical Tools: How UCLA Medical Center Specialists Developed and Launched an Innovative Clinical Computing Solution
Like their colleagues everywhere, neurosurgeons at Los Angeles’ prestigious UCLA Medical Center struggled until recently with classic problems of availability and usability of clinical data. For one thing, these specialists require a great deal of up-to-date clinical information from multiple data sources.
Technology and Quality – Eyes Wide Open: Buying Clinical IT
Few decisions are more frightening to an organization’s senior management team than buying a clinical information technology system. Unlike administrative applications that help manage a facility, clinical information technology touches very directly the lives of patients and the workflow of physicians, nurses, and other clinicians.