Editor’s note: NPSG.06.01.01 was approved by The Joint Commission in June 2013 as a new 2014 National Patient Safety Goal. The final standard includes two phases: Phase I, beginning January 2014, requires hospital leaders to establish alarm system safety as a hospital priority by...
When it comes to medication reconciliation (also known as “med rec”), accuracy is everything. Having an effective process in place ensures each patient’s medication is accurately recorded and avoids inconsistencies or potential errors throughout each transition of care.
In 2011, some of the hospitals within Adventist Health System (AHS), headquartered in Altamonte Springs, Fla., embarked on mortality reviews for patients in their EDs—and didn’t like what they saw.
Improving patient handoffs has long been on the radar of hospitals and health systems. As healthcare has become more specialized, handoffs occur more frequently and carry even greater importance. Ineffective handoffs can have serious implications on patient care and safety....
Look at any hospital ranking system and you’ll see the same headlines: “Best hospitals in the U.S.,” or “Top-ranked hospitals in the country.” Although these are attention grabbing for consumers, what metrics really define the word “best”?
First the good news: Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pumps equipped with patient monitoring devices have helped avoid adverse events and saved hospitals money. The bad news? Hospitals are generally inconsistent in using those monitoring devices and adhering to PCA safety practices or...
In case hospitals weren’t devoting enough attention to preventing central line–associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI), The Joint Commission has released a new toolkit to equip hospital leaders, managers, and frontline caregivers with easy-to-use tools for safely inserting, maintaining, and...
More than 2,500 general hospitals in the United States received Hospital Safety Scores, and although 32% received an “A,” patient safety experts say those numbers aren’t high enough.
The fall update to the Hospital Safety Scores, which were released by The Leapfrog Group on October 23...
According to a report released by The Joint Commission, 446 sentinel events occurred during the first half of 2013. The report, released by the accreditation agency in October, provides a glimpse at some of the leading issues plaguing hospitals and some insight into what is...
A recent advisory released by the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Advisory (PPSA) in September 2013 focuses on one aspect of EHRs that has been particularly challenging in terms of improving patient safety.
