How an Anesthesiologist Discovered a Simple Patient Safety Tool
By Christopher Walters, M.D. During my 20 years as an anesthesiologist, I’ve appreciated the field of anesthesiology for being a leader in improving patient safety through technological innovation and training. Ten years ago, my own personal interest in patient safety innovation was heightened when I had the unfortunate experience of a patient medication administration … Continued
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.
Maryland Physician Compensation Survey Finds Gaping Gender Pay Gap
Earlier research has shown a pervasive gender pay gap in U.S. physician compensation. A study published in December showed that through a simulated 40-year career, male physicians earn an average adjusted gross income that is about $2 million higher than female physicians.
Online Reviews Reveal Patterns of Discrimination in Hospital Setting
Earlier research has shown that discrimination based on minority patients’ race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability generates worse health outcomes. The co-authors of the recently published research article found that Yelp online reviews provide insight into discrimination in the hospital setting that cannot be gleaned from traditional healthcare performance measures such as Hospital Compare.