ED Management – February 1, 2018
February 1, 2018
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ED-based Intervention Connects Frequent Users With Program to Address Underlying Needs
Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta established a Chronic Care Clinic (CCC) to take over the care of high-needs patients who frequent the ED. Navigators intervene with these patients when they present to the ED and connect them to the CCC, which offers an array of services to meet several social and medical needs. The goal of the program is to eventually transition these patients to primary care so their underlying needs can be addressed.
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Hospital Leverages Pharmacists, Trained Technicians to Reduce Medication History Errors
To reduce the high number of medication errors observed in the medication lists of medically complex patients who are admitted to the hospital from the ED, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles developed an intervention whereby pharmacists or trained pharmacy technicians review and prepare medication histories rather than rely on usual care for this task.
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Use Simple Strategies to Manage Frequent Interruptions, Minimize Potential for Errors
Research shows that emergency physicians may be interrupted 10-15 times per hour, leading to the potential for errors and patient harm. However, experts note that an array of relatively simple strategies can help clinicians better manage these interruptions to both minimize related mistakes and potentially ease the frustration that results from continuous interruptions.