Hospital Peer Review
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Patient safety on the night shift
The floors are quiet, patients are asleep, and residents are trying to either catch some shut-eye or catch up on paperwork. The rush of the evening hours in the emergency department has ended. Yet the wee hours of the morning — 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. — are when doctors think the hospital is at its least safe, according to a new study.1
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Leadership Involvement Improves Quality
A study looks at quality improvement and patient safety, and how they trickled down to actual quality of care and outcomes.
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The conflict between quality and patient experience
Imagine you are trying desperately to reduce your fall rate and you have instituted a program with bed alarms for patients who meet certain criteria. You may find yourself really pleased to note a reduction in falls, but at the same time you are noticing your patient satisfaction scores are taking a hit. Patients are talking about the noise of alarms, of feeling infantilized, of their sense of control being taken away. Is there a link? Maybe, according to an editorial in the American Journal of Medical Quality.1
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Less harm done in 2013, says AHRQ
The data look so good for the headlines: in 2012-2013, hospital-acquired conditions such as urinary tract infections and falls fell by 9%, saving about $8 billion. Stretching back another year, to 2011, the total cost savings reached an estimated $12 billion, with about 1.3 million cases of harm and 50,000 deaths prevented. All this good news came in a December report released by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
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Skills for Success as a Quality Professional
What does it take to be a good quality professional? Even at the entry level, it's the ability to lead.
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Quality Professionals in Demand Post-Health Reform
The demand is high for healthcare professionals in hospitals, health systems, and for third-party payers in towns and businesses big and small.
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Patient Safety Alert supplement
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Accreditation Field Report: Survey is rigorous, but staff get morale boost
During a recent unannounced Joint Commission survey at Presbyterian Healthcare in Charlotte, NC, staff underwent a rigorous, in-depth process, says Paula Swain, MSN, CPHQ, FNAHQ, director of clinical and regulatory review. -
Discharge Planning Adivsor: Set discharge time that works for you
Consider patient volumes and staff constraints and set a discharge time that makes sense for your facility, suggests Jonathan Morris, RN, bed management coordinator at Wake Forest University (WFU) Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC. -
Discharge Planning Adivsor: Letting go of the ‘that’s not how we do it here’ mindset
When it comes to discharge planning and other health care challenges, dont be afraid to rock the boat, advises Jonathan Morris, RN, bed management coordinator at Wake Forest University (WFU) Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC.