Patient Safety on the Move in Hospital Pharmacies

Notes from the American Society of Health System Pharmacists’ (ASHP) 2011 meeting.

By Mitch Work, MPA, FHIMSS

Billed as the largest conference for hospital pharmacists in the world, the 46th Annual ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition was held Dec. 4-8 in New Orleans.

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EScreenz™ Improves Communication and Enhances Patient Safety

Rochester, New York—EScreenz is a new internal communication solution that transforms screensaver technology into an effective communication medium. Originally developed for hospitals, EScreenz broadcasts multiple slide show messages on desktops, laptops – even big screens – throughout a facility across various locations. Intranet, Internet and SharePoint sites are enhanced because users can click on the screensaver to directly access any web page or document online.

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Clinical Decision Support Tools’ Impact on Healthcare Still Expanding

New Orleans—With new EMR infrastructure under their heels and tightening budgets under their belts, providers are looking to new clinical decision support (CDS) tools to give better—not more—healthcare. But do CDS tools deliver? For the new KLAS report, Clinical Decision Support 2011: Understanding the Impact, KLAS interviewed 344 providers to rate their CDS tools’ performance and better understand the influence of these new CDS tools on patient care.

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Fall Prevention Showcase

Fall Prevention Showcase

What Goes Down—Shouldn’t

Between 2 and 15% of hospital patients in the United States experience falls. Nearly a third result in injuries and sometimes even death. Preventing falls in the acute environment is a constant battle against gravity and human behavior.

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Patient Safety in Africa: A Culture Shift?

Patient Safety in Africa: A Culture Shift?

Patient safety has received increased attention in African countries in the last decade, yet little is known about African patient safety challenges and quality improvement opportunities.

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Telluride Interdisciplinary Patient Safety Roundtable

Telluride Interdisciplinary Patient Safety Roundtable:
Medical Students’ Daily Narrative Reflections

As each new report of medical harm is published, the need to redesign medical education to prepare young physicians capable of approaching patient care in ways that decrease the opportunity for harm reaches a new level of urgency.

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Gray Market, Black Heart

ISMP

Gray Market, Black Heart

Pharmaceutical gray market finds a disturbing niche during the drug shortage crisis.

Widespread accounts of frustration, outrage, and serious compromises to patient care came across loud and clear from purchasing agents and pharmacists at 549 hospitals who participated in ISMP’s July-August survey (2011) on gray market activities associated with drug shortages.

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The Link Between Transparency and Patient Safety

Event Reporting

The Link Between Transparency and Patient Safety

Since early 2010, 13 private, acute care hospitals in Rhode Island have been collaborating in a major initiative to improve patient safety through better reporting of data on adverse and near-miss medical events. The hospitals now use the same medical event reporting technology and have standardized their reporting criteria.

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