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Electronic health records, or EHRs, can be valuable tools for managers as they strive to comply with The Joint Commission's National Patient Safety Goals. That's a clear message communicated in a recent commentary in The Journal of the American Medical Association; however, the authors take care to not only outline some best practices for EHR use, but to also review some of the challenges presented.
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We just opened our newest ambulatory surgery center (ASC) in Texas this week. We think it is our 206th, but we could be off on that number. While it is an ASC, there is some useful information for our hospital readers here. Please read on!
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In 2010, the number of unintended retentions of a foreign body jumped to the highest level since The Joint Commission started tracking statistics in 1995: 133 reported events. Already, through the third quarter of 2011, there have been 136 incidents reported to the agency.
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It could happen, says Eric Chiu, founder & president of HyTrust, a company in Mountain View, CA, that specializes in access control for data. It likely would be caused by someone employed or formerly employed at your organization, he says.
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In the first weeks of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, a physician became ill at a Chicago hospital and tested positive for the virus. Then other healthcare workers became ill and tested positive an outbreak that began at a time when the virus was not widespread in the community.
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In an era when controversial mandatory flu vaccine policies threaten to end up in some high court as a cause célèbre, The Joint Commission is urging healthcare organizations to go for the proverbial gold.
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Abdominal pain is an exceedingly common presentation in the emergency department. Every clinician fears missing the diagnosis of appendicitis. Children are particularly challenging since appendicitis is less common, and the history and physical may be subtle. The diagnostic use of CT is not without its risks and must be balanced against the potential risk of appendicitis in each individual patient. This article provides a comprehensive review of appendicitis in children.
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While intrauterine devices (IUDs) represent a safe, effective, and reversible form of birth control, results of a new study indicate many U.S. women choose sterilization immediately postpartum.
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Check your pharmacy stock, and review patient pill choices: A nationwide recall of multiple lots of Qualitest oral contraceptives (OCs) has been issued after the Huntsville, AL-based manufacturer detected a packaging error that could lead to incorrect administration of pills.