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With the 2009 National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs) just announced, it's an ideal time to perform a self-assessment for all of the existing goals, including the requirements for improving recognition and response to changes in a patient's condition and improving safety of anticoagulation medications, which are being phased in right now, says Paula Swain, MSN, CPHQ, FNAHQ, director of clinical and regulatory review at Presbyterian Healthcare in Charlotte, NC.
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Staff at Newport (RI) Hospital were ready when surveyors from The Joint Commission walked in the door, with binders containing current data and all the required documents for the anticipated hot topics: restraints, pain assessment and reassessment, medication reconciliation, and approved locations for moderate sedation.
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Newport (RI) Hospital is currently considering ISO certification in addition to its accreditation from The Joint Commission, says Jeanne M. Ehmann, RN, MS, CPHQ, director of performance evaluation and improvement.
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Disruptive behavior is a growing focus among organizations. However, if not handled properly, disciplinary actions can result in allegations of malice and violation of rights involving the peer review process, as a Minnesota hospital recently discovered.
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Who would ever believe that one could enter a hospital and confuse it for a spa? The two seem utterly at odds, yet according to Maria Hale, vice president of patient advocacy and service excellence at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, NY a 233-bed designated Planetree patient-centered hospital they have more in common than at first glance.
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The Planetree model is almost 30 years old but its essence is timeless, says Janet Powell Morin, RN, chief culture officer and former vice president, patient care services at Mid-Columbia Medical Center (MCMC) in The Dalles, OR.
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Dealing with too much data is "like drinking from a fire hose," says David A. Snyder, MD, vice president of patient care quality and safety at MCG Health in Augusta, GA.
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If medical staff members were asked what they think of quality professionals at their organization, what do you think they'd have to say? Too often, there is a perception that quality improvement is just another administrative impediment to patient care and interferes with the clinician/patient relationship.
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Some of the Joint Commission's National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs) are easier to monitor than others, such as reducing the likelihood of harm associated with the use of anticoagulants, which can be tracked electronically.
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Medication errors harm roughly one out of 15 hospitalized children, according to a new study. Researchers reported an 11.1% rate of adverse drug events in pediatric patients. Of those, 22% were deemed preventable, 17.8% could have been identified earlier, and 16.8% could have been mitigated more effectively.
