Pilot Study: The Role of the Hospitalized Patient in Medication Administration Safety

Talking about the hospitalized patient’s role in medication safety may suggest shifting responsibility away from the provider, but that is not my intent. This dialogue is intended to foster the development of approaches to care that lead to partnering with patients in care delivery and in sharing responsibility. A decade ago, a survey by the Canadian Institute for Health Information found that Canadians give high priority to enhanced information regarding health. Martin’s survey (2002) of patient views on the patient-provider relationship found that more than 50% of patients believe they have primary responsibility for decisions regarding their health; an additional 35.6% expect to share decision-making with their healthcare providers.

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Patient Safety Organizations: Building a Safer Healthcare System

The surge of voluntary regional and national initiatives to improve patient safety demonstrates the momentum building to unite the healthcare community. Recently, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s 100,000 and 5 Million Lives Campaigns enrolled thousands of hospitals in a concerted effort targeting patient safety. Regionally, states such as Maryland have established networks to encourage peer-to-peer collaboration and learning. Now, the federal government has set the groundwork for a national network of organizations working to reduce harm to patients.

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Leadership Practices to Advance Patient Safety

Historically, the medical community has accepted that a certain amount of unintended injury and error will occur because of the complex nature of medicine and variation in patients. The executive team of a large multi-state health system knew it had to change that mindset among leaders and healthcare providers in its 32 hospitals.

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St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital Announces Latest Phase of Efficiency, Excellence and Engagement Campaign

At a time when some hospitals are struggling financially, St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital in Texas is maintaining its profitability by focusing on efficient patient care with quality at its core. In its latest effort to ensure excellent care, St. Luke’s is streamlining its transfer process for patients who need to be moved from the Emergency Department (ED) to another area of the hospital for critical care.

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