This issue contains articles about medical interpreter certification, patient safety awareness week, the development of an electronic medication list, a column from a new member to the patient safety field, the National Quality Forum's new electronic data standards, and a Q & A about...
As we move further into 2010, I’m excited about the opportunities for growth and improvement we have in store for our patient safety programs. The projects, improvement initiatives, and measures of success are neatly described on paper and await skillful execution. However, the sense of...
Q: How should our organization meet compliance with educating patients and their families on multidrug-¬resistant organisms (MDRO), central line–associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI), and surgical site infections (SSI)? Should we discuss these topics with all patients and...
Since 2002, the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) has sponsored Patient Safety Awareness Week (PSAW) as a means of making caregivers, other types of hospital staff, and community members more aware of patient safety issues. This year, the event is being observed from March 7 to March 13...
One of the most vital parts of providing adequate healthcare is the exchange of information between patient and caregiver. Without clear communication, it can be difficult, and even dangerous, to treat a patient. For patients who have limited English proficiency (LEP), as well as providers, the...
In October 2008, staff members at Riverside Methodist Hospital (RMH) in Columbus, OH, approached Sheryl Tripp, MSN, RN-BC, nurse manager for the gynecology/gynecology-oncology (gyn/gyn-onc) surgical unit, in hopes of changing the way nurses were issuing patient reports.
Hospitals need to realize that the healthcare industry is forever linked with the macroeconomics of the ¬United States, IHI president and CEO Donald M. Berwick, MD, told attendees at the group’s annual conference.
This issue of Briefings on Patient Safety has articles about the Institute for Healthcare Improvement 21st National Forum on Quality Improvement, preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia, improving handoff communication by using a Transferring Care at the Bed Side method, and Process...