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Injectable medications pose one of the highest risks for medication errors, and the risk often is related to identifying the proper drug and dosage in the syringe before administering it.
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Terry Davis, MD, interim medical director at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, OH, says the hospital had to clarify some initial misunderstandings about when to call its rapid response team (RRT). At first, the clinicians were confused as to when the RRT should be called, as opposed to calling for a pediatric intensive care consult.
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The Ohio Children's Hospital Association (OCHA) and its six member hospitals studied where pediatric codes occur and found that many occur outside the neonatal and intensive care units. To improve safety, the group focused on reducing preventable codes occurring outside those areas.
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A protocol built around the use of rapid response teams (RRTs) has reduced incidences of preventable codes among pediatric patients by 20% at a group of hospitals in Ohio, one of the best demonstrations yet of the success of that approach in improving patient safety. One hospital even saw a drop of 40%.
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In response to several high-profile incidents of homeless patients being discharged in a less-than-dignified manner, the city of Los Angeles has enacted a new law that requires obtaining written consent to transport a patient anywhere other than his or her legal residence. Violating the law could result in a misdemeanor conviction.
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A Pennsylvania jury has awarded $20 million to the family of an 18-year-old Newtown Square, PA, woman who died after a liposuction procedure.
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The Joint Commission's 2009 National Patient Safety Goals introduce some significant changes for hospitals related to multiple drug-resistant organisms (MDROs) and more stringent standards for how operative sites should be marked to avoid wrong-site errors.
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The risk factors for an elderly patient living at home will be quite different from the risk factors for a patient in a hospital setting.
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Angry, violent individuals need specialized attention, and improperly handling a crisis can mean years of litigation, warns Robert Siciliano, CEO of NurseSecurity.com and a personal security expert in Boston. Fail to act properly and you could face liability from either the injured staff member or the assailant who was injured by your intervention. Or both.
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Violence in the emergency department (ED) is such a common occurrence that staff can become complacent about the risks they face daily. Nowhere else in your organization would employees accept the idea that they may be assaulted at any time, but that attitude can be common in the ED.
