Overcoming Patient Sitter Shortages Through Alternate Staffing Models

This is a common story for many patients who are either admitted to the hospital or have their hospital stay extended due to a preventable event. A proven solution is to use either in-person sitters or telesitter technology to provide 24-hour observation of patients at risk for harm events such as falls, wandering, elopements, or pulling out IV tubes.  

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Healthcare Leaders Share Thoughts on How Hospitals Can Invest in Workplace Safety

Incidents of workplace violence cost hospitals approximately $2.7 billion in 2016, according to a study from the American Hospital Association. Additionally, 13% of employee sick time is the result of workplace violence, according to the American Nurses Association. Workplace violence-related absenteeism can cost hospitals $53.7 million a year, according to the AHA report.

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Alarm Raised Over Patient Boarding in Emergency Departments

Boarding in emergency departments occurs when there is a shortage of inpatient beds for hospital admissions or there are no beds at external facilities such as psychiatric hospitals. The Joint Commission recommends that emergency department boarding not exceed four hours; however, it has become common to have emergency department boarding for days or weeks, according to ACEP.

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Share Your Innovative Quality Improvement Ideas

Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare is seeking to spotlight the best healthcare quality improvement case studies. By imparting their in-the-trenches experiences and lessons learned, the chosen case studies will shed light on an issue, practice, or principle that affects stakeholders across the modern medical staff landscape.

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Mass General Brigham Issues Patient Code of Conduct

Under a newly imposed Patient Code of Conduct, patients and visitors who disrupt care, make verbal or physical threats — including racist, sexist, discriminatory or disrespectful comments about clinicians, other hospital staff, other patients and visitors — could face a verbal reprimand, and even expulsion from the Boston hospital and possible suspension of future care access.

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