PPAHS is engaged in the following key initiatives for improving patient safety and health outcomes. To view posts for each of these initiatives, please click on the links below:

Identifying Risk of Respiratory Compromise for Patients Using Patient-Controlled Analgesia: Lessons Learned from a National Hospital Survey

March 6, 2014
by

0

In an article recently published in the Society of Anesthesia & Sleep Medicine newsletter (page 4), Michael Wong, JD and Lynn Razzano, RN, MSN, ONCC discuss identifying risk of respiratory compromise for patients receiving patient-controlled analgesia (PCA). As noted by SASM’s editor (page 2), Satya Krishna Ramachandran, MD, FRCA (Assistant Professor in Anesthesiology and Director […]

Tagged: , , , , ,
Posted in: Patient Monitoring, Patient Safety, Patient-Controlled Analgesics, PCA, Post-Operative Monitoring, Postoperative Pain

Put the “M” Back in Maternal-Fetal Medicine: Implementing VTE Prevention Guidelines

March 3, 2014
by

2

By Lynn Razzano RN, MSN, ONCC (This article was first published in Ob/Gyn.net.) Every physician knows that venous thromboembolism (VTE) kills. Often, there are symptoms, such as pain and swelling in the leg or a severe headache. If a patient communicates these symptoms to you, there is a good chance that if a VTE is […]

Tagged: , , , , ,
Posted in: Patient Safety, Patient Stories, VTE

3 Findings on Alarm Management from the Attendee Survey at the Society for Technology in Anesthesia 2014 Annual Meeting

February 26, 2014
by

0

by Sean Power February 26, 2014 A survey of attendees conducted at the annual meeting of the Society for Technology in Anesthesia collected data about opinions toward alarm management. Specifically, the questionnaire asked respondents to agree or disagree with the following statements using a Likert scale: Alarm management is a significant danger to patient safety. […]

Posted in: Capnography

PPAHS Joins Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation in Call for a “Paradigm Shift” in Opioid Safety

February 19, 2014
by

7

by Sean Power February 19, 2014 “It’s time for a change in how we monitor postoperative patients receiving opioids,” declares Dr. Robert Stoelting, president of the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF). “We need a complete paradigm shift in how we approach safer care for postoperative patients receiving opioids.” The APSF recently released a video highlighting […]

Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in: Capnography, Monitoring Liability and Costs, Patient Monitoring, Patient Safety, Patient-Controlled Analgesics, PCA, Post-Operative Monitoring, Postoperative Pain

One Death, Two Near Misses: Required Action Needed to Prevent Blood Clots in Pregnant Mothers

February 11, 2014
by

0

By Lynn Razzano, RN, MSN, ONCC (Clinical Nurse Consultant) [This article first appeared in Healthcare News (Issue 1, 2014)] We must be compelled to act. Three pregnant mothers – one dead and two who could have been. Danielle Ciccozzi, a 35-year-old mother of three, “died on Nov. 12, after suffering from a stroke, blood clots, […]

Tagged: , , , , ,
Posted in: Patient Safety, Patient Stories, VTE

“No patients are low risk” when it comes to cesarean delivery and venous thromboembolism, says perinatal expert Dr. Peter Cherouny

February 4, 2014
by

0

by Sean Power February 4, 2014 The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) held on January 22, 2014 a special webinar for the Perinatal Improvement Community on safety recommendations for maternal patients. You can download the webinar recording and slides here. The webinar featured Peter Cherouny, MD, Emeritus Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of […]

Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in: Patient Safety, Patient Stories, VTE

Making the Case for Maximum Alarm Management and Prevention of Alarm Fatigue

January 30, 2014
by

1

By Lynn Razzano, RN, MSN, ONCC (Clinical Nurse Consultant) 17-year old Mariah Edwards went in for a procedure that is performed countless times each year – a tonsillectomy. Recovering after the successful and very routine procedure, she was administered a dose of fentanyl to manage her pain. Although she was monitored continuously electronically, one of […]

Tagged: , , , , ,
Posted in: Alarm Fatigue, Monitoring Liability and Costs, Patient Monitoring, Patient Safety, Patient Stories, Post-Operative Monitoring, Postoperative Pain

VTE Safety Recommendations

To download a checkable version of the OB/GYN VTE Safety Recommendations click here.

To download a regular version of the Safety Recommendations click here.

Learn more about the VTE Safety Recommendations working group.

National Survey on Patient Safety with PCA

To download a free copy of the First National Survey on Patient-Controlled Analgesia Practices, please click here.

PCA Safety Checklist

To download a word copy of the PCA Safety Checklist, please click here .
For a pdf of the PCA Safety Checklist, please click here .

Looking for an Expert Quote?

We've collected several opinions from patient safety experts and have aggregated some of the best of them here.

Assessing Sleep Apnea

Need help determining if a patient experiences obstructive sleep apnea and is therefore at risk of opioid-induced sedation and respiratory depression?

STOPBang can help.

Follow PPAHS on Twitter

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

WNDU News: PPAHS and three other healthcare experts speak at University of Notre Dame

PPAHS Ground Rules

Comments and articles are welcome to be submitted, so long as such submissions:
(a) Discuss patient safety.
(b) Do not mention or endorse a company or its products.
(c) Is in keeping with previous posts on PPAHS.

PPAHS reserves the right to decline comments and articles submitted that, in its opinion, are not in accordance with the above principles.

The opinions expressed in each article in this blog are solely those of the article’s author and of any health experts quoted therein.

Blog at WordPress.com.
The Inuit Types Theme.