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Many people, including a lot of risk managers, thought The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore was taking a huge risk when it allowed ABC television crews extensive access to produce the groundbreaking series "Hopkins 24/7" in 2000. But the experience was overwhelmingly positive, says Gary M. Stephenson, MS, senior associate director for media relations and public affairs with Johns Hopkins Medicine.
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Violence can be reduced in hospitals only by addressing the issue head on, says Tony Kubica, a founding partner of Kubica Laforest Consulting in Warwick, RI, and formerly a hospital executive in charge of security.
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Quality and safety can be improved by providing special training to nurses and then making them the bedside champion for best practices, says Liz Carlton, RN, MSN, CCRN, director of quality, safety, and regulatory compliance at the University of Kansas Hospital (KUMED) in Kansas City, KS.
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An elderly woman was allegedly abused by employees at a nursing home. The woman's family repeatedly complained to management, who failed to investigate the issue. After more than a year of unaddressed complaints, the family installed a hidden camera in the room. Footage from the camera reveals multiple instances of staff abuse. A jury verdict was awarded in favor of the plaintiff in the amount of $7.75 million.
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Health care facilities are being confronted with steadily increasing rates of crime, including assault, rape and murder, according to a new report from The Joint Commission (TJC) in Oakbrook Terrace, IL. Providers must devote more attention to protecting patients, visitors, and staff from violence, the report says.
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A scoring system designed to provide an early warning of patients who may need prompt care has helped a hospital decrease its code blue calls outside the intensive care unit (ICU) by 50% and increase rapid response team (RRT) calls by 110%.
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A pregnant woman exhibiting bleeding caused by placenta previa was hospitalized. Twelve days later, while walking to the bathroom, the woman experienced a massive hemorrhage, resulting in the premature birth of her twins. The hospital staff allegedly failed to adequately monitor the mother and confine her to bed, a necessity for women suffering from placenta previa. The resulting injuries to one of the infants have required multiple surgeries and rehabilitative sessions throughout her life, and she suffers from a continual debilitating condition.
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A risk manager would never want to sit down with a family and try to explain that their loved one was harmed because the patient was treated in the middle of the night or on a Saturday, when standards are lower and risks are higher. But that could be the truth in some facilities, where patients are at higher risk during off-peak hours.
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Healthcare Risk Management was awarded first place in the category of "Best Instructional Reporting" by the Specialized Information Publishing Association.
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One potential cause of danger in off-peak hours is that those staff may not receive the same level of education on important issues from the employer...
