Editor’s Notebook: The TransForum* Experience
The simple trick of using colored paper — even mediocre blue reminiscent of faded school hand-outs — worked to get my attention.
Empowering Care through Communications Technology
Nearly 600 attendees participated in Partners Telemedicine’s 3rd Annual Connected Health Symposium.
Care Management: Patient Safety and Quality Healthcare Measure, Compare, and Improve
At an early morning department meeting in the fall of 2005, the physicians and nurses of the Critical Care Committee at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital in Texas gathered over coffee and bagels to review the latest data from the hospital practice.
5 Million Lives: IHI Launches National Campaign to Reduce Medical Harm
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) has announced, with the support of prominent leaders in American healthcare, a national campaign to dramatically reduce incidents of medical harm in U.S. hospitals.
Technology and Quality: Anti-doping of Clinical IT
After a magnificent ride up l’Alpe d’Huez, Floyd Landis came within 89 seconds of the leader Oscar Pereiro after the 15th Stage of the 2006 Tour de France. During Stage 16, another steep ride, Landis “bonked” and fell an insurmountable 8 minutes behind Pereiro.
Trends in RFID: Asset Tracking and Beyond
Radio frequency identification — RFID — is a well-tested technology in many industries. Major companies, such as Wal-Mart and the Department of Defense (DoD) have mandated the application of RFID to track shipments.
Using Clinical Decision Support to Improve Medication Reconciliation
What is the most common denominator in medication errors? Poor communication about prescribed medicines at key transition points of the medication use and reconciliation process: admission, transfers between care settings, and discharge.
Maximizing Intensive Care Bed Utilization While Maintaining Pediatric Patient Safety and Quality of Care
For clinical leaders involved in decisions about patient flow and intensive care bed utilization, these are challenging times. Capacity management and the allocation of intensive care unit beds are frequently debated
Teamwork and Safety Culture in Small Rural Hospitals in Mississippi
This study examines attitudes towards safety and teamwork in eight rural hospitals in Mississippi. While studies have focused on attitudes of hospital workers towards patient safety and teamwork in urban areas and/or specialized units of care (USDA, 2003; Ricketts et al., 1999; IOM, 2005), few studies measure such attitudes in rural areas.
Medication Safety: Multiple Breakdowns, Multiple Protections
A 52-year-old heart transplant patient was admitted to the hospital with fever and fatigue. Upon further evaluation, he was found to have severe pancytopenia. The patient had been taking several immunosuppressant medications including cyclosporine, azathioprine, and prednisione.