On our 4th Anniversary, we thought it very fitting that the Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety begin our first public appeal for funds to help us continue with our mission to improve patient safety and health care (thank you for your tweets of support – @ADR_Rocks, @lzipperer, @BioAlliances, @PatientPro1st, @ehealthmgmt).

Help us ensure all patients receiving opioids are monitored. Choose your donation amount.

Help us ensure all patients receiving #opioids are monitored #ptsafety http://bit.ly/1JRzCvY Click To Tweet

The anniversary of Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety on July 27 will always be greeted with mixed emotions – both celebration and sadness (a shout out to those who tweeted well wishes – @Bi3PtSafety, @GetOnTopWithUs, @cardiovasc_bio, @BioAlliances, @GeratorTrdplc).

July is the anniversary month when Amanda Abbiehl died – July 17 (our hats off to so many of you who tweeted – apologies if we forgot anyone – about Amanda and our call for continuous electronic monitoring in her honor  including @ts2marcin, @GxP_Services, @jazziz65, @Brian_Wellons, @megha_prn, @Stock_shopper, @stock_irish, @Resp_Motion, @GeratorTrdplc, @cafegabriel, @susiesusee, @ParentingNFamily

It is also the month when Logan Parker died – July 23 (thank you for your tweets! – @ParentingNFamily, @Naomi_Kaufman-Price, @I.N.T.L., and @Megha_Desai):

So, what does this week’s must reads in patient safety and health care tells us about how to prevent another tragedy, like that with Amanda Abbiehl and Logan Parker?

Improve Pain Management Administration

Kaweah Delta Medical Center in Visalia, California, developed a pharmacy pain management service (PPMS) program.

According to Richard Poirier, PharmD, a pain management clinical pharmacy specialist at Kaweah Delta Medical Center, the PPMS program has saved roughly $1.6 million in costs related to opioid adverse events and nearly $400,000 of which was directly attributed to the stewardship components of the program.

Failure to institute adequate pain management could be costly and deadly. A jury recently reached a $5.1 million malpractice verdict resulting from a Pennsylvania ASC’s medication mix-up that caused the death of Jacqueline DiTore.

How to improve #pain management administration #healthcare #ptsafety http://wp.me/p5JhsL-1on Click To Tweet

Monitor with Capnography

As reported by Psycall, the Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing recommends:

Nurses in today’s health care need cutting edge knowledge to effectively care for the complex needs of their patients. It is important for Perianesthesia care nurses to consistently evaluate their current practice to ensure that they are applying the most current evidence based practice rather than continuing care based on past methods. Capnography monitoring allows the perioperative RN to monitor respiratory status closely and accurately even before symptoms or desaturation of oxygen arises. Capnography provides earlier warning for impending depression, and can result in interventions, thereby providing a higher level of patient safety and potentially better outcomes.

#Capnography monitors respiratory status closely and accurately #ptsafety http://wp.me/p5JhsL-1on Click To Tweet

Screen for Obstructive Sleep Apnea

RT for Decision Makers reports on a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine that found that “overnight pulse oximetry may be a cost-effective strategy to screen for OSA in hospitalized patients”.

Use overnight #oximetry - cost-effective strategy to screen for #OSA #ptsafety http://wp.me/p5JhsL-1on Click To Tweet

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