Medical Ethics – Best Practices and Wiggle Room: Not Everything That Counts Can Be Counted
Spurred by reports from the Institute of Medicine (IOM, 2000) and other sources, virtually every healthcare institution has programs in place to measure and improve the safety and quality of the care patients receive.
Integrating Patient Safety into Curriculum: The Purdue University Doctor of Nursing Practice
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) reports Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century (2001) and To Err Is Human (2000) were tipping points in patient safety.
Editor’s Notebook: Murder or Medication Error?
On December 13, 2006, 4-year-old Rebecca Riley died from an overdose of clonidine administered by her parents, who have been charged with first-degree murder.
The Universal Bed Care Delivery Model: Facility Design and Operations Combine to Impact the Patient Experience
The United States population is older than ever before, which places added and intensifying stress on our healthcare system. In fact, according to the Administration on Aging, the over-65 population currently accounts for one out of eight Americans, and by 2030, this population will more than double.
AHRQ – Patient Safety Organizations: A New Opportunity for Patient Safety Improvement
Passage of the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (the Act) provides a unique opportunity to improve the safety, quality, and outcomes of patient care.
Transforming Practice with Mobile Clinical Tools: How UCLA Medical Center Specialists Developed and Launched an Innovative Clinical Computing Solution
Like their colleagues everywhere, neurosurgeons at Los Angeles’ prestigious UCLA Medical Center struggled until recently with classic problems of availability and usability of clinical data. For one thing, these specialists require a great deal of up-to-date clinical information from multiple data sources.
Technology and Quality – Eyes Wide Open: Buying Clinical IT
Few decisions are more frightening to an organization’s senior management team than buying a clinical information technology system. Unlike administrative applications that help manage a facility, clinical information technology touches very directly the lives of patients and the workflow of physicians, nurses, and other clinicians.
Special Delivery: Safety and Cost-Savings in the Pharmacy
Pharmacy directors juggle multiple pressures and responsibilities each day, from workplace efficiency to formulary pricing to the workload of our staff. But ultimately, each of these elements helps protect the health and safety of our patients.
Smart Pumps: Advanced Capabilities and Continuous Quality Improvement
The introduction of “smart” (computerized) intravenous (IV) infusion pumps in 2001 signaled a major advance in medication safety. For the first time, pumps with safety software could automatically alert clinicians to avoid IV infusion programming errors that otherwise could have tragic results.
Quality Improvement: Quality Care Starts with Accurate Data
How good are we? Recent news stories have illuminated the fact that less than one-third of patients suffering heart attacks get their blocked arteries opened within the recommended 90-minute timeframe.