At the end of March, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced its third global safety initiative, the Global Patient Safety Challenge on Medication Safety, which calls on facilities to cut the rate of medication-related errors in half by 2022. The organization hopes to do this by:...
Editor’s note: By the time the general public hears about an impaired clinician, whether it’s a nurse, technician, or physician, it’s usually after something bad has already happened. The infamous case of a New Hampshire technician who stole painkiller syringes and exposed thousands of...
To say readmissions are a big deal in medicine is a massive understatement. The Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) was enacted in 2010 specifically to take on this problem and has imposed nearly $1 billion in penalties. An estimated $17 billion in Medicare spending is spent annually...
Editor’s note: Janet Spiegel, MS, is a management consultant who has worked with several payer and provider organizations. She is currently a Lean senior strategic performance advisor at Martin’s Point Health Care in Portland, Maine.
Editor’s note: The following is article first appeared in the April 2016 edition of PSQH, and was written by members of the National Patient Safety Foundation. Patricia McGaffigan, RN, MS is chief operating officer and senior vice president of programs, Caitlin Y. Lorincz, MS, MA is senior...
The failure of workers to comply with PPE guidance is a perennial issue in healthcare. While PPE protects workers from infection and harm, it also plays a key role in patient safety: It keeps employees from accidentally exposing patients to harmful chemicals and bacteria from around the facility...
Editor’s note: A 2016 study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that for every hour physicians spend with patients, they spend two hours interfacing with their electronic health records (EHR). A different study found that 14% of physicians have experienced a potential...
March 12–18 marks the start of the 2017 National Patient Safety Awareness Week (PSAW). The week is organized by the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) to increase awareness on patient safety issues. The event is aimed at educating and engaging healthcare professionals and the general...
