IHI Rolls Out New National Action Plan for Patient Safety
The plan is designed to provide health systems with advice and directions based on evidence-based practices, case studies, interventions, and new innovations. The report, Safer Together: A National Action Plan to Advance Patient Safety, was put together with the input of 27 federal agencies, safety organizations and experts, and patient and family advocates.
Survey: Emergency Preparedness Training Needed for Nurses
In a survey of nearly 200 registered nurses and licensed practical nurses, respondents scored highest when asked about triage and basic first aid competence—43% provided a positive response, meaning they were familiar or very familiar with the topic.
PSQH: The Podcast Episode 11 – EHRs and Clinician Burnout
On episode 11 of PSQH: The Podcast, host Jay Kumar talks to Dr. Jay Anders, Chief Medical Officer of Medicomp Systems, about electronic health records and clinician burnout.
Hospitals, Nursing Homes Fail to Separate COVID Patients, Putting Others at Risk
The concerns raised in Oakland also have swept across the U.S., according to interviews, a review of government workplace safety complaints and health facility inspection reports. A KHN investigation found that dozens of nursing homes and hospitals ignored official guidelines to separate COVID patients from those without the coronavirus, in some places fueling its spread and leaving staff unprepared and infected or, in some cases, dead.
Promote Flu Vaccination to Help Avoid ‘Twindemic’
There is widespread concern among healthcare professionals that the United States could be facing two infectious disease emergencies this flu season. For example, the California Immunization Coalition and the California Chronic Care Coalition are urging Americans to get flu vaccination to avoid a deadly “twindemic” this fall and winter.
DNV-GL Now Second Deeming Authority for Psych Hospitals
The approval provides another option for the nation’s more than 600 psychiatric hospitals, said Patrick Horine, president of DNV-GL, the only for-profit AO of the four authorized to accredit acute care hospitals overall. Unlike the others, DNV-GL surveys hospitals at least once every three years, as required by CMS, but then also visits hospitals in each off year to ensure they are maintaining patient safety.
Avoid Punitive Approach to Your Safety Event Reporting
The co-authors of the recent research article, which was published in Annals of Emergency Medicine, conclude that safety event reporting regimes that focus on punishing individuals are self-defeating.
Dozens of U.S. Hospitals Poised to Defy FDA’s Directive on COVID Plasma
As many as 45 hospitals from coast to coast have expressed interest in collaborating on a randomized, controlled clinical trial sponsored by Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said principal investigator Dr. Todd Rice.
Health Officials Worry Nation’s Not Ready for COVID-19 Vaccine
While one or more options could be available toward the end of this year or early next, the path to delivering vaccines to 330 million people remains unclear for the local health officials expected to carry out the work.
HIMSS Outlines Political Health IT Priorities and Progress on Regulatory and Congressional Issues
While the terms of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services interoperability rulings were published informally on March 9, the official compliance date went into effect on May 1. Due to the pandemic, a period of enforcement discretion has extended several key compliance dates.