Welcome Facility Care Readers!
We are excited to share that Facility Care was recently acquired by HCPro, a division of BLR. We invite you to check out Patient Safety and Quality Healthcare for industry leading coverage of patient safety, quality, and hospital safety news, best practices, and peer submitted case studies. If you have any questions, you can reach … Continued
Immersion Program for Emerging Leaders in Patient Safety
The Academy for Emerging Leaders in Patient Safety (AELPS) (aka Telluride Patient Safety Summer Camp) now offers a three-day immersion program in patient safety and quality education for risk managers, healthcare administrators, and health education faculty. This comprehensive workshop will be held July 27–30 in Napa Valley, California. For 11 years, the AELPS faculty has … Continued
Challenge Issued to Promote Precision Medicine for the Underserved
To support President Obama’s Precision Medicine Initiative, the National Health IT Collaborative for the Underserved (NHIT Collaborative) offers a challenge to advance health equity through the development of digital health tools. Proposals are invited for tools that: Address the precision medicine needs of people in underserved and medically underserved communities Facilitate participation of people from … Continued
‘Citizen Jury’ Recommends Ways to Improve Diagnosis
The Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine (SIDM), the Jefferson Center, and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University are working with healthcare consumers to develop a list of the ways patients can reduce diagnostic error. The project is using a process developed by the Jefferson Center’s founder, Ned Crosby, PhD, … Continued
Winners of the Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Award Announced
The National Quality Forum (NQF) and The Joint Commission announced the 2015 winners of the John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Award, last Friday. The award, named after the former head of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, recognizes those who have made great achievements in the arena of patient safety and quality. … Continued
I-PASS and SBAR Handoff Tools Have Proven Benefits
Communication failures continue to plague patient care. Experts weigh in on why nearly one-third of malpractice claims involve a communication failure, leading to significant patient harm For nearly two decades, communication failures have been frequently attributed to harmful events in healthcare. Judging by a new report looking at malpractice claims, those problems aren’t getting any … Continued
Department of Homeland Security Issues Ransomware Warning to Hospitals
In response to a series of ransomware attacks that crippled healthcare systems across the country, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT), and the Canadian Cyber Incident Response Centre (CCIRC) released a warning on specific types of ransomware used in recent attacks. The warning is directed at all organizations … Continued
Mercy Selects Datix Patient Safety and Risk Managment Solution
Mercy, the seventh largest Catholic health care system, has selected patient safety and risk management software from Datix to give a comprehensive view of incidents, complaints and claims across the organization. After a thorough evaluation, Datix was selected as a result of its ability to aggregate patient safety data in real time. Datix’s powerful dashboards … Continued
AORN Guideline Updates Focus on Counting, Communication to Prevent RSIs
Using a new evidence review model, AORN highlights key safety concerns, while one expert calls for more emphasis on human error.
Using a new evidence review model, updated guidelines released by one of the nation’s leading surgical associations underscore the importance of clear communication and strong counting procedures to prevent the occurrence of retained surgical items (RSI).
The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) released updates to its Guideline for Prevention of Retained Surgical Items effective January 15, 2016. The updated guidelines take the place of previous recommendations released in 2012.
Hospitals continue to struggle with RSIs. In January, The Joint Commission released a “Quick Safety” report building on its 2013 Sentinel Event Alert on unintended retained foreign objects (URFO). The Joint Commission reported that URFOs accounted for 115 of the sentinel events reported in 2015 and 112 in 2014, up from 102 in 2013.
Safety Issues Dominate Joint Commission List of Most-Cited Standards of 2015
The Joint Commission’s latest list of most-cited standards was dominated by safety issues. Following a multi-year trend, eight of the top 10 cited standards came from the Environment of Care, Life Safety or Infection Control chapters, with most of them merely swapping places within the top 10. The standards are those most frequently found not … Continued