Disclosure and Apology: What’s Missing?

By Susan Carr

Ten years following Linda Kenney’s medically induced trauma, the organization she founded to “support healing and restore hope” for patients, families, and clinicians following adverse events co-sponsored an invitational forum about ways to offer emotional support to clinicians. Collaborating with the Massachusetts Medical Society, CRICO/RMF, and ProMutual Group, Kenney’s organization, Medically Induced Trauma Support Services, hosted the event at the MMS offices in Waltham, Mass., on March 13, 2009, during Patient Safety Awareness Week.

Human Factors 101

Improve Reliability in Healthcare with Human Factors Engineering

Brian H. Fillipo, MD, MMM, FACP
Sherri Barnhill, RN, MA

Healthcare technology and training have advanced remarkably in the past 100 years, from the discovery of penicillin to the first heart transplant, but there is a downside to this progress. To quote Sir Cyril Chantler, former Dean of the Guy’s, King’s and St. Thomas’ Medical and Dental Schools in London, “Medicine used to be simple, ineffective, and relatively safe. Now it is complex, effective and potentially dangerous.”

Pulse

Diverse Opinion Leaders Say Nurses Should Have More Influence on Health Systems and Services
Opinion leaders trust nurses, but cite barriers to nursing leadership.

From reducing medical errors, to increasing the quality of care, to promoting wellness, to improving efficiency and reducing costs, a new survey finds that an overwhelming majority of opinion leaders say nurses should have more influence. But these opinion leaders—including insurance, corporate, health services, government and industry thought leaders as well as university faculty—see significant barriers that prevent nurses from fully participating as leaders in health and healthcare.

EMR Implementation

Clinical Informatics and the CMIO

By R. Dirk Stanley, MD

If you have a pulse, you’ve probably heard about the HITECH Act, which promises financial compensation (and IT bragging rights) for hospitals and physicians using an EMR in a “meaningful way.”