Study: Discharge notes are often written grades above patient reading levels
A study published in The American Journal of Surgery found that low literacy rates can drive up the number of hospital readmissions. Of the 497 patients studied, researchers found that only 24% had the reading skills necessary to understand their discharge instructions, with 65% reading a lower grade level than what their notes were written … Continued
Massachusetts medical board proposes rules on simultaneous surgeries
Surgeons in the state of Massachusetts will have to document each time they enter and leave the operating room according to a new regulation approved by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine, according to a recent report in The Boston Globe. Patients rarely know if they are sharing their surgeon with another patient, and … Continued
Nursing has once again been named the most trustworthy profession in America
Trust your nurses, everyone else does Nursing has once again been named the most trustworthy profession in America. In its annual Honesty and Ethics rankings, Gallup Polls found that 85% of Americans rated nurses’ honesty and trustworthiness “very high,” or “high.” The runner-up, pharmacists, only received a “highly trusted” score of 68%. As a manager, … Continued
The Hidden Patient Experience
Alexandra Wilson Pecci, for HealthLeaders Media How well-meaning and clinically important actions can make or break the patient experience, and how leaders at Cleveland Clinic and Mount Sinai Health System are refocusing efforts. During her hospital’s monthly executive leadership rounds, Cleveland Clinic’s executive chief nursing officer, K. Kelly Hancock, MSN, RN, NE-BC, met a patient … Continued
Physical Therapy Joins the Movement
By Susan Carr
This year’s annual conference of the American Physical Therapy Association’s Massachusetts chapter (APTAMA) focused on a microcosm of issues in healthcare improvement: value, collaboration, measurement, and spread. After hearing Alan M. Jette, PT, PhD, FAPTA, deliver the keynote address, “System Thinking to Thrive in a Changing Health Care Environment,” I participated on a panel that included Jette in a discussion of the issues he raised.
Leaders in physical therapy are working hard to inspire practicing physical therapists (PT) to pursue improvement efforts within their profession, in healthcare more broadly, and with consumers directly. Leaders such as Jette and Mary Duffy Zupkus, PT, MPA, president of the APTAMA (and—full disclosure—my PT), believe that physical therapy offers unique opportunities to advance healthcare delivery and must reposition itself as a profession in order to survive the new demands of the healthcare marketplace. The enthusiasm and savvy of those who attended the conference, presented on the panel, and asked insightful questions were reminders that important stakeholders continue to join the improvement movement.
Is Your Facility Bugged?
There are bugs and then there are bugs. Hospitals have long fought against the invisible bugs, bacteria and viruses, but they often overlook the larger kinds such as flies and bedbugs. Environmental services must keep both in mind as they strive to make a facility safe. To maintain the best environment for patient and staff … Continued
Integrating Quality Into Medical School Curriculum: One Student’s Perspective
By Anne Press
The traditional medical school curriculum has a heavy scientific focus, especially in the first two years. In an already jam-packed curriculum, it can be difficult to replace any of the materials with improvement science. To combat this, Hofstra-North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine launched—with the school’s inaugural class in 2011—a four-year curriculum in patient safety, quality, and effectiveness. The following is an example of the impact this curriculum had on me, a student in that first class.
As I sat through a lecture on biochemical pathways and the pathology that can cause diseases like cystic fibrosis (CF), I was enthralled by the mechanisms of the human body. However, the human element of the disease was missing from the lecture. I was unable to take what I was learning and apply it to actual patients, in real-life settings, and understand how it affected their care.
Process Improvements in the ED increase sepsis bundle compliance, reduce mortality
By improving compliance with the sepsis three-hour bundle, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center reduced patient mortality by 50% in just 90 days Effectively treating any infection requires a certain measure of early identification and rapid response. Infections, by their nature, worsen over time, so hospitals with successful care processes that rapidly identify and treat infections often see … Continued
The Emory Experience: Quality Improvement Skills Labs in Interdisciplinary Education
By Ariadne K. DeSimone In spring 2014, one day after taking my Step 2 Clinical Knowledge of the United States Medical Licensure Examination (USMLE), I finally had time to turn my attention to thoughts about my future and to the email messages that had accumulated over the past month. One announcement stood out: The Emory … Continued
Spectra 900 UVC Overhead Light Disinfection System for Labs, Operating Rooms, and Telemedicine
Spectra254, a provider of UVC light disinfection solutions, has released the Spectra 900 Series Overhead Cleaning System, a fixed decontamination system similar to a ceiling light fixture that kills MRSA, Clostridium difficile (C. difficile), and other pathogens. Using three custom-built germicidal bulbs with protective FEP sleeves, the Spectra 900 Series Overhead Cleaning System is appropriate … Continued