Five Ways Effective Use of Alerts Helps Improve Patient Safety
According to The Joint Commission, 69% of accidental deaths and injuries in hospitals are caused by communication breakdowns. We have more data than ever, but it resides in disparate systems. Caregivers don’t have time to sift through all the information to determine what’s actionable. This article looks at five clinical scenarios where sending proactive alerts and alarms directly to clinicians on their mobile devices.
3 Factors That Improve Patient Outcomes
Informal caregivers, postacute care connections, and direct care worker compensation can all influence patient outcomes positively.
Q & A: How To Respond To The WHO’s Top 12 Superbugs List
This list is a new tool to ensure R&D responds to urgent public health needs,” said Marie-Paule Kieny, WHO’s assistant director-general for health systems and innovation. Antibiotic resistance is growing, and we are fast running out of treatment options. If we leave it to market forces alone, the new antibiotics we most urgently need are not going to be developed in time.
WHO Announces Effort to Reduce Medication Errors
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced a new global initiative earlier this month, one that aims to halve the rate of medication errors by 2022.
Bringing Universal Suicide Screening to Your Hospital
In 2014, the Parkland Health and Hospital System (PHHS) in Dallas became the first in the nation to establish a universal suicide screening program (SSP) in all its departments. The program screens every admitted patient for suicidal ideation, regardless of the patient’s chief complaint or estimated risk.
Physician Group Creates Ethical Guidelines for EHR Use
The use of electronic health records (EHR) should be guided by ethical principles that put patient care at the forefront, according to a position paper published by the American College of Physicians (ACP).
ECRI: The Rules on Copying and Pasting Medical Information
n 2016, the ECRI Institute’s Partnership for Health IT Patient Safety released its Health IT Safe Practices: Toolkit for the Safe Use of Copy and Paste. The toolkit outlines the risks and benefits of reusing medical information in electronic health records (EHR), along with four safe-practice recommendations on copy and paste policies.
Nurses Drive Change in Patient Safety Improvements
Nurses have the greatest opportunity to keep patients safe. It’s here, through patient engagement, that nurses are leading change.
AMA: Surprise Surveys Improve Mortality Rates
A new AMA study found that patients are less likely to die if they are treated on the same day as a surprise Joint Commission survey.
FDA Ban On Powdered Medical Gloves In Effect
The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) ban on powdered medical gloves went into effect on January 18. It’s now forbidden to use, advertise, and market powdered surgeon’s gloves, patient examination gloves, and absorbable powder for surgeon’s gloves at medical clinics and hospitals.