The Patient-Family Journey from Outpatient to Inpatient: Improving Quality and Safety With the Outpatient EMR and PCP Collaboration
The underuse of the medical summary derived from the outpatient electronic medical record (EMR) and the minimal communication between referring primary care physicians (PCP) and hospital providers have led to serious quality and safety implications for patients.
Interoperability Preparedness: What Hospitals Can Do to Be Ready for Smart Pump-EMR Interoperability
Smart pump–EMR interoperability is the new standard of care for intravenous (IV) infusion therapy. The IV route of administration for medications often results in the most serious outcomes of medication errors.
Medication Reconciliation: Improve Compliance Across Healthcare Settings
Medication reconciliation continues to be a problem for hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Medication errors can occur during the transition of patient care because of miscommunication of drug information.
How to Engage With a Population to Break Down Barriers to Health Improvements
Healthcare organizations seek new engagement solutions for populations challenged to make improvements in their care.
CRICO Celebrates 40 Years in Patient Safety
By Susan Carr CRICO, the medical professional liability (MPL) insurance company for the Harvard medical institutions and affiliates, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. In addition to providing members with liability coverage and claims management, CRICO has made reducing the risk of harm and improving patient safety a priority for the benefit of patients … Continued
5 Types of PPE and How Your Staff is Misusing Them
By John Palmer Train your workers how to use the tools that protect them. One of the first things that a student learns in medical school, one of the first thing a worker learned on the job, and perhaps the most important thing you, as a safety professional can be a pest about with your … Continued
Understanding of Human Over-Reliance on Technology
The implementation of information technology in medication-use systems is widely accepted as a way to reduce adverse drug events by decreasing human error (Mahoney, Berrard-Collins, Coleman, Amaral, & Cotter, 2007). Technology examples include computerized order entry systems, clinical decision support systems, robotic dispensing, profiled automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs), smart infusion pumps, and barcode scanning of medications during compounding, dispensing, ADC restocking, and administration.
Build a Care Team
With healthcare complexity increasing daily, traditional models of delivering care fail to offer a framework capable of delivering high-quality care at a reasonable cost. The rapid expansion and evolution of medical knowledge makes it impossible for any single healthcare professional to assimilate and retain the up-to-date information necessary to properly treat patients.