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Concerns about the relationship between worker fatigue and patient safety are a relatively new issue for the health care industry. Residents are now limited to working 80 hours a week, and various groups have recommended that nurses should not provide direct patient care for more than 12 hours in any given 24-hour period or in excess of 60 hours in any seven-day period.
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Too many patients are getting injured from falls at your organization, and you've got the data to prove it. You've drilled down to identify specific units with the highest fall rates, and zeroed in on the exact shift and type of patient that are most at risk.
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A new study from HealthGrades, a Golden, CO-based health care ratings company, names the top 5% of hospitals in the country and also shows that this group has mortality rates that are 27% lower than other hospitals, with a 14% lower risk of complications.
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The JCAHOs National Patient Safety Goal requiring all medications to be labeled sounds simple enough, but its proving to be difficult for many organizations. I think the biggest challenges for an organization center around the back table labeling of syringes and containers, says Susan Mellott, PhD, RN, CLNC, CPHQ, FNAHQ, CEO of Houston, TX-based Mellott & Associates.
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When organizations gave feedback on the 86 unannounced pilot surveys done in 2005, many told the Joint Commission that they were happy with the new process overall but that they really needed a few minutes to collect themselves after surveyors arrived.
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When a group of surveyors from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations walked into St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton, CA, in January 2006, staff were ready and waiting for them even though the survey was unannounced and completely unexpected.
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A group of well-dressed people walk into the main entrance of a southern California hospital and announce they're going to do a walk-through before a JCAHO survey. In another California facility, a professional-looking man comes to the lobby and explains that he is with JCAHO and needs access to several clinics.
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Is your organization's rapid response team getting enough calls? Are the calls coming early enough to make a difference? Are outcomes such as mortality rates improving?
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Information management, communication, quality improvement, and staffing. These were four key areas of focus during a recent unannounced JCAHO survey at Harbor Hospital in Baltimore. "Surveyors noted our hospital's readiness and longevity and experience of staff.
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Anyone who works in retail knows that customer satisfaction is the key to repeat business, leading to a more successful financial future.