Patient Safety Monitor Journal, September 2017

Editor's Note: Click the PDF button above for a full edition of the September 2017 edition of Patient Safety Monitor Journal

Diagnosing human trafficking when a patient is a victim

There’s an estimated 1 million human trafficking victims living in America—a population roughly the size of Delaware. But the statistic most relevant to healthcare providers is this one: 87% of trafficking victims visit a provider at least once during their captivity and aren’t recognized as victims.

Mixing medicine

This June, the former president of a Boston compounding pharmacy was sentenced to nine years in prison for racketeering and mail fraud after his company’s products caused a fungal meningitis outbreak, infecting 778 patients nationwide and killing 76. And while the Boston case was exceptionally horrific in scope, every compounding facility runs the same risks when trying to compound safe, sterile drugs.

Bringing innovation to your facility

Many evidence-based practices, promising studies, and groundbreaking programs are never adopted outside their test facilities. Many fail to work or fall short of expectations when implemented elsewhere. And it’s often difficult to get buy-in from healthcare staff and leadership on a new way of doing things.
PSMJ spoke with Craig Deao, MHA, senior leader at Studer Group, about how to tell whether a new innovation can work at your facility and how to successfully implement it.

Staff should be alert for mislabeled drugs

Remind nurses and other clinicians to remain alert for medication errors, including mislabeled products, and empower them to say something if they suspect a problem.

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