What does it mean for a patient to have a rare disease? It means an average of five years before getting a correct diagnosis. It means consultations with over seven clinicians to reach an accurate diagnosis. It means a great deal of money, struggle, and physical and mental suffering. And at the...
Medication non-adherence, particularly among senior patients, is a costly problem facing the American healthcare system. This issue results in an estimated $100 billion–$290 billion in annual costs, according to studies reviewed in the Annals of Internal Medicine (AIM). Other...
As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its third year, retaining healthcare staff has grown increasingly difficult. Between the high workload and burnout, many healthcare employees have either left or are thinking about leaving the field.
Healthcare organizations need to look at their safety...
Brad Truax, MD, principal consultant of the Truax Group, says he doesn’t think anybody has really done a good job at reducing distractions in the OR. As an example, he cites a 2021 study done by ...
The importance of medication reconciliation is obvious. When taken together, certain medicine combinations can cause harmful effects. Therefore, keeping an updated record of all the medicines a patient is taking, and the dosage of each, is essential for their well-being.
CRM has two main parts. The first deals with teamwork and communication and covers the interpersonal and social aspects of the working environment. The second deals with human factors and situational awareness and entails understanding physical and cognitive...
After years of decline, 2020 and 2021 saw record rises in U.S. drug overdose deaths. In the 12-month period that ended in April 2021, more than 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses, an increase of nearly 30% from the prior year, according to provisional figures ...
Do you ever think about how you think, or come to conclusions, or make decisions? It’s a Philosophy 101 question, but in the healthcare context it means examining how we make assumptions, skip steps, ignore details, and use flawed reasoning when diagnosing or treating a patient. And all those...
As the COVID-19 pandemic rolls into its third year, many healthcare workers have had enough. Long hours, crushing workloads, and cultural tensions about vaccines and the virus have accelerated the number...
Real-time visibility into patient care beyond the acute care setting is more important than ever. Hospitals are more reliant on ambulatory care providers as part of the patient’s care journey, and the quality of patient outcomes depends on collaboration between hospitals, postacute providers,...
