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When the federal Office of Human Research Protections raised questions about a quality improvement (QI) initiative to reduce catheter infections in Michigan hospitals in 2007, it reignited a debate over the line between QI and human subjects research necessitating IRB review.
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Based on a survey of research participants, the office of research compliance and quality improvement at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA, has come up with these four key areas to demonstrate informed consent.
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Research institutions increasingly are turning to central IRBs for multisite clinical trials, and this trend probably will accelerate due to recent news that federal regulators are encouraging the change, experts say.
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[Editor's note: This is the second part of a two-part series in avoiding liability in contracting. In last month's issue we told you about how you can end up contracting with the wrong company and what your liability can be. In this issue, we give you specific steps to take to investigate vendors, and we offer a list of items to watch for in the contract. We also discuss accreditation requirements.]
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I go through 400-500 patient satisfaction surveys per month. Like you, I am relatively busy just getting through life, but these are 400 to 500 patients and their family taking time out of their lives to tell me how we are doing as a business. Regardless of what you might think, health care in 2010 is a business!
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Hamilton Ambulatory Surgery Center in Dalton, GA, has received the Summit Award from Press Ganey Associates for the fourth year in a row.
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Surgical blades, a surgical camera, and laparoscopes disappear over two years from a hospital. The culprit? A nurse who admitted to stealing more than $300,000 worth of medical equipment and supplies from the hospital and reselling them over the Internet.
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[Editor's note: This is the third in a three-part series on reducing violence in the ED. In the first article, our experts discussed the importance of a "zero tolerance" policy. In last month's article, we outlined key steps recommended by government agencies for reducing violence and discussed the importance of having clear procedures when it comes to dealing with patients and their families. This month we examine the Sentinel Event Alert recently published by The Joint Commission, which discusses why the ED is particularly susceptible to episodes of violence, outlines leading causal factors, and provides additional guidance for violence prevention.]