Hospital Peer Review – January 1, 2020
January 1, 2020
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Plain Language Alerts Can Save Lives, Becoming More Prevalent
More hospitals and health systems are adopting plain language for their emergency announcements, forgoing some traditional code words for situations such as fires and infant abductions. The goal is to reduce the potential for confusion caused by facilities using different codes, and the desire to more effectively communicate with patients and visitors.
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Study: Hospitals Using 154 Code Combinations
A paper cited research from Pennsylvania healthcare facilities between 2004 and 2013 showing that they used 80 different emergency codes to designate 37 separate functional categories. That meant there were 154 possible combinations to interpret correctly.
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Updated Best Practices for Pressure Injuries Focus on Assessment
After analyzing a large body of international research, coalition developed evidence-based clinical recommendations that could challenge leaders to re-examine their policies on pressure injuries from several angles.
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Research Reveals Subepidermal Moisture Useful in Predicting Ulcers
Elevated subepidermal moisture values occurred with concurrent skin damage at the sacrum, and higher subepidermal moisture values were associated with visual damage one week later.
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Aetna Combines Data With Clinical Insight for Quality Improvement
A pair of data-driven quality improvement initiatives are helping Aetna improve care in two different areas. One involves improving oral hygiene to reduce infections; another helps reduce opioid-related deaths by contacting patients after an overdose.
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IHI Provides Practical Steps for Reducing Morbidity and Mortality From Opioids
Simply reducing the number of opioid prescriptions is not enough, the report authors wrote. Hospitals must be much more proactive in identifying patients with opioid use disorder and initiating treatment wherever those patients are encountered within the treatment process.