Getting Connected for Patient Safety. How Medical Device “Plug-and-Play” Interoperability Can Make a Difference
Medical devices are essential for the practice of modern medicine. However, unlike the inter-connected “plug-and-play” world of modern computers and consumer electronics, most medical devices used for the care of high-acuity patients are designed to operate independently and do not employ open networking standards for data communication or for device control.
Clinical Vigilance: ICU Bouncebacks Present Opportunity for Improvement
With the advent of the 80-hour workweek for residents at academic health centers, there has been a predictable increase in the number of patient handoffs during a hospital stay.
Getting to the Heart of CHF Management. One Montana Provider Finds the Key
Heart disease is one of the nation’s most serious chronic diseases, affecting more than 19 million Americans and costing some $213 billion annually in treatment and lost economic productivity costs.
AHRQ: Community-Based Physicians Test Safety and Workflow Benefits of E-Prescribing
When the Federal Government proposes new standards to permit electronic prescribing in ambulatory care settings next April, the experiences of nearly 50 small, community-based physician practices in northeastern Ohio are likely to help shape their recommendations.
Zero Tolerance: Curbing Catheter-Related Blood Stream Infections
The focus of a recent webcast reflected the heightened concern among clinicians and the general public regarding all types of healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs).
Technology and Quality – Revolutionary HIT: Cure for Insanity
Whether as individuals, businesses, or government, we collectively spend great sums on care delivery yet obtain relatively low value in return.
Communication, Collaboration and Critical Thinking = Quality Outcomes
You are a nurse on a busy medical-surgical unit, it’s Friday night, and you have just come on duty. You check your patients and become concerned about Mr. Z, who is scheduled for orthopedic surgery tomorrow.
Ensuring Medication Reconciliation
Prescription drugs are a vital component of healthcare in preventing and treating illnesses
Imaging Safety: MRI Safety Today, Six Years Later
In July 2001, a 6-year-old boy died in a tragic MRI accident at the Westchester Medical Center in New York state.
Collaborative Model Leads to Improved Patient Flow. How a large health care system used a collaborative model to share knowledge and spread information
The wave of hospital consolidations in the 1990s introduced many healthcare leaders to the complex issues that challenge the management of larger systems (Luke et al.,1995).