Patient Safety Movement Summit Postponed Due to Coronavirus Concerns
The summit typically features keynote addresses from public figures and patient safety experts, and plenary sessions with healthcare luminaries, and patient advocates, as well as announcements from organizations who have made their own commitments to reach the PSMF’s goal of zero preventable deaths by 2020. This year’s event was to include more information on the PSMF’s plans post-2020.
Prepare Now for COVID-19 to Stick Around
In a blog post on the website of King & Spalding law firm in Austin, healthcare lawyer Catherine Greaves noted that staffing challenges as well as employee education should be among the top concerns during preparations for COVID-19.
Study Finds Many Hospitals Have Insufficient Volumes for High-risk Surgeries
The report, Safety In Numbers: Hospital Performance on Leapfrog’s Surgical Volume Standard Based on Results of the 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Survey, also found that a higher percentage of hospitals met Leapfrog’s minimum volume standards in 2019 than 2018.
We Need Your Input On Patient Safety and Quality
Please take a few minutes to complete the survey by clicking on the link below. The survey results will be compiled in a downloadable report, with highlights published in the next print issue of PSQH coming in May.
Study: Low-Temperature Sterilization of Medical Tools is Problematic
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill tested the effectiveness of three low-temperature technologies, often used for plastic tools, against steam sterilization by simulating the impact of proteins and salts left on tools before sterilization.
Survey Highlights Pervasive Drug Diversion Problem in U.S. Hospitals
The survey found that 86% surveyed have met or know someone who has diverted drugs, with another 43% indicating their facility could be at risk of fines, bad publicity, lawsuits, or overdoses because of past or potential drug diversion cases.
Verma Raps Accrediting Organizations’ ‘Glaring Conflict of Interest’
Delivering the opening remarks at the 2020 CMS Quality Conference in Washington, D.C., Verma said her agency is “looking at ways to enhance our oversight of accrediting organizations.”
HHS Unveils Strategy to Reduce EHR Burden for Clinicians
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Strategy on Reducing Regulatory and Administrative Burden Relating to the Use of Health IT and EHRs, mandated by the 21st Century Cures Act, aims to reduce the effort and time required by clinicians to meet reporting requirements, record health information, and improve the functionality and intuitiveness of EHRs.
‘Strong Cautionary Tales From Practicing Nurses’ Revealed in Nationwide Survey
Recent results from The AMN 2019 Survey of Registered Nurses highlight the pressures and challenges RNs face daily. These challenges include the effects of working second jobs, the experiences of bullying and workplace violence, and concerns about how their jobs affect their health. Because of these and other stressors, 44% of the RN respondents say they often feel like quitting.
Primary Care Dementia Screening Does Not Increase Depression or Anxiety
The recent research, which was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, examined data collected from 4,005 primary care patients over age 65. Half of the patients were screened for ADRDs and the other half served as a “no screen” control group.