First Databank Acquires Medication Reconciliation Solution Leader Design Clinicals
First Databank (FDB), the leading provider of clinical drug knowledge that helps improve medication-related decisions and patient outcomes, has announced that an affiliate of FDB has acquired Design Clinicals, Inc., a healthcare information technology company dedicated to providing clinician-friendly solutions for improving medication reconciliation and the delivery of patient care. Design Clinicals, based in Seattle, Washington, began operations in 2005, is led by founder and CEO Dewey Howell, MD, PhD, a practicing family physician turned healthcare information technology software developer.
Prevention of Needlestick Injuries Can Save U.S Healthcare System More than $1 Billion a Year
Needlestick and sharps injuries affect more than half a million healthcare personnel every year, creating over $1 billion in preventable healthcare costs every year and an immeasurable emotional toll on millions of healthcare personnel, according to a Safe in Common review of U.S. healthcare industry statistics.
NPSF Awards Research Grant for Project Investigating Environmental Factors Involved in Patient Falls
The National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) has awarded a $100,000 grant for an innovative patient safety research project that will examine the mechanisms underlying patient falls in the hospital and formulate recommendations for improved facility design.
National Coordinator Mostashari Announces Resignation
Farzad Mostashari, MD, ScM, announced on August 8 that he will step down from his position as national coordinator for health information technology in the fall. Mostashari first joined the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) as deputy for programs and policy in 2009 and succeeded David Blumenthal, MD, as national coordinator in April 2011. Although the previous national coordinators have also served approximately two years in the position, Mostashari’s announcement caught the health IT community by surprise and prompted many accolades for his national leadership for health IT and its role in patient safety and quality improvement.
Massachusetts General Hospital’s Addition to Patient Safety Platform Guides Performance of Safe Surgery Checklist
LiveData, Inc., leader in real-time integration and display technology, has announced that Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has expanded its deployment of LiveData OR-Dashboard™, adding the revolutionary Active Time Out® (ATO) patient safety technology to automate their Safe Surgery Checklists.
CRG Medical Releases KBCore Purple Button Application on MioCARE Android Tablet for Healthcare
CRG Medical, Inc., developers of web-based healthcare applications, has released its KBCore™ Common Formats “Purple Button” Patient Safety interoperability application on the MioCARE A105 Android Tablet for Healthcare.
Humanizing Patient Care and Improving Satisfaction with Sacred Moments
As more research points to patient and family engagement as the cornerstone of better care and outcomes, hospitals are returning to good old fashioned medicine to create healing environments for caregivers, patients, and families.
Observation in the ER Can Reduce CT Scans in Kids
The longer a child with minor blunt head trauma is observed in the emergency department, the less likely the child is to require computed tomography (CT) scan, according to the results of a study published recently in Annals of Emergency Medicine.
3-D Simulation Technology Helps Surgical Residents Train More Effectively
A novel interactive 3-dimensional (3-D) simulation platform offers surgical residents a unique opportunity to hone their diagnostic and patient management skills, and then have those skills accurately evaluated according to a new study appearing in the August issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. The findings may help establish a new tool for assessing and training surgical residents.
Social Media, Tried and True
Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn have become part of everyday life for many of us. In the buzz around these and other social media sites that offer real-time news and discussion, we shouldn’t lose sight of a useful tool that’s been around for nearly 30 years. Electronic mailing lists—often referred to by the proprietary-to-generic name, Listserv™—enable communities of people with shared interests to discuss topics with a minimum of fuss, bother, and technical skills.