National Patient Safety Foundation Leads Nationwide Effort to Promote Patient Safety
The National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) will kick off Patient
Safety Awareness Week on March 7, 2010, in a concerted effort to raise
awareness of patient safety initiatives, improve the quality of health
care, and strengthen alliances between patients, families and their
healthcare providers.
Patient Safety Advocates Launch Campaign to Reduce Resident Physician Fatigue, Boost Patient Safety
A coalition of public interest and patient
safety groups launched a campaign to increase public awareness and
gather stories about patients who have received inferior medical care
from fatigued physicians.
Connectivity to Improve Patient Safety
Connectivity to Improve Patient Safety
For the past 5 years the Medical Device “Plug-and-Play” Interoperability Program has been leading the evaluation and adoption of open standards and technology for medical device interoperability to support clinical innovation and improve patient safety.
Editor’s Notebook: Seeing the World Through Patient Safety Eyes
Editor’s Notebook
Seeing the World Through Patient Safety Eyes
I wish that everyone could learn and practice the skills we ask healthcare professionals to acquire in the name of safety and quality improvement. We’d all be better off, and many things in the world would work better if we respected each other and communicated well.
Patient Communications: Enhancing Patient Safety by Automating Discharge Instructions
Patient Communications
Enhancing Patient Safety by Automating Discharge Instructions
By Pattie Boast and Cathy Potts, MT (ASCP)It has been well documented that providing patients with the tools to become active, informed participants in their own care improves decision quality and prevents overuse of medical options (O’Connor et al., 2004).
Five Essential Components of an Effective Stroke System
Five Essential Components of an Effective Stroke System
Approximately 795,000 Americans will have a stroke this year. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of serious, long-term adult disability. The direct and indirect costs associated with stroke are projected to exceed $65 billion in 2009, according to the National Stroke Association.
Is Patient Safety Part of Something Larger?
I keep seeing examples of what I think of as a
patient safety approach to problems: an emphasis on clear
communication, teamwork, systems thinking, disclosing and learning from
errors, and personal accountability balanced with an understanding of
the inevitability of human error. These principles have relevance and
benefits beyond patient safety — beyond medicine…
Using Social Media to Improve Patient Safety
Facebook. Twitter. Wikipedia. The names alone
may cause eyes to roll and prompt a quick run for the exits. Despite
widespread skepticism, these and other interactive sources of
information and communication, referred to as social media, continue to
proliferate.
Heparin: Improving Treatment and Reducing Risk of Harm
The short-acting, reversible anticoagulant heparin is widely used in hospitalized patients to prevent the development or extension of potentially life-threatening blood clots. However, numerous issues make the use of this high-risk agent particularly challenging and error-prone.