Blockchain-Based Electronic Signatures Streamline Workflows
Practices that want to be resilient in emergencies and better serve their patients should move to all-digital systems. Those that don’t will quickly be left behind. Happily, going digital can also make complying with HIPAA and other privacy regulations more affordable. One major piece of the digital puzzle is electronic signatures on a variety of forms, including intake and consent forms. In this article, we’ll explore this state-of-the-art technology and look at where electronic signatures can remove friction and redundancy for providers.
Accelerating Healthcare’s Digital Transformation
Communication errors are disturbingly common in healthcare, affecting patient outcomes and care quality. The Journal of Patient Safety reports that almost half of malpractice claims involve communication failures. Fixing these errors is a question of systems, not people. Improving the communications system is critical to improving clinical workflows, and better workflows benefit everyone. Advanced clinical communication & collaboration platforms that put real-time, contextual information into the hands of care team members improve cost, quality, and experience for patients and providers alike.
Staffing Shortages Aren’t Just a Business Problem, They’re a Patient Safety Threat
Since 2020, the healthcare industry has lost nearly half a million workers, exacerbating staffing shortages that existed prior to the start of the pandemic. One of the hardest-hit areas is the pharmacy. As of September 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projected there would be 43,000 pharmacist and pharmacy technician job openings each year throughout the next decade.
PSQH: The Podcast Episode 49 – How Female Physicians Can Prevent Burnout
On episode 49 of PSQH: The Podcast, Dr. Tammie Chang, author of the new book Boundaries for Women Physicians: Love Your Life and Career in Medicine, talks about how female physicians can prevent burnout, stress, and exhaustion. Part of PSQH’s Patient Safety Awareness Week activities, this episode is presented in partnership with GOJO – the makers of Purell, Nuance, PDC, and the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission.
Improve patient safety in the emergency department through AI
By Dr. Daniel J. Sullivan A 2020 study by Newman-Toker, et al. identified that 15 diseases account for about half of all serious misdiagnosis-related harms. The research focused on the “Big Three” categories of vascular events, infections, and cancers and found that 10% of patients with a “Big Three” disease are misdiagnosed. A likely explanation … Continued
Workforce Shortages Identified as Top Patient Safety Concern of 2022
ECRI is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the safety, quality, and cost-effectiveness of care across all healthcare settings. The organization’s annual Top 10 patient safety list is developed by multidisciplinary staff at ECRI and the organization’s affiliate, the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP). Patient safety concerns are also validated by scientific literature as well as ECRI and ISMP data such as accident investigations and reported medication safety problems.
Resistance Isn’t the Enemy; It’s a Valuable Resource!
By Lori Moore Hand hygiene is an evidence-based best practice that spans across all hierarchies and disciplines,1 and every healthcare facility is faced with the challenging task of continually rolling out improvement efforts. Multimodal strategies are recommended to bring about changes in hand hygiene performance, among which is the task of determining healthcare workers’ barriers … Continued
10 Recommendations to Improve Pandemic Preparedness
The United States was inadequately prepared to respond to the coronavirus pandemic such as insufficient supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE). The country leads the world in COVID-19 deaths, with 991,260 lives lost as of today, according to worldometer.
AAMI Announces Newly Updated Standard on Endoscope Cleaning
The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) just announced the release of an updated version of ANSI/AAMI ST91:2021 Flexible and semi-rigid endoscope processing in health care facilities. The last version of the standard formulated by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and AAMI was released in 2015.
OSHA Ups Inspections at Healthcare Facilities Treating COVID Patients
The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced an enforcement memorandum for a short-term increase in highly focused inspections directed at hospitals and skilled nursing care facilities that treat or handle COVID-19 patients.