Weekly Must Reads in Patient Safety (July 10, 2015)

For this week’s must reads, we have two questions that we hope that you have thoughts and comments about.

1.  Respiratory Compromise Prevention Exists. So Why Aren’t Hospitals Using It?

Respiratory Compromise Prevention Exists. So Why Aren’t Hospitals Using It?” – that’s the title to our Executive Director’s article published in The Doctor Weighs In. Hats off to @pash22 and @DovMichaeli for the retweets!

Almost in answer to this question, are these articles:

Capnography improves nursing workflow and patient satisfaction

Mary Jo Valentine, MSN, RN, CNS (Director, Nursing Professional Development, Methodist Hospitals) in her article in ADVANCE for Nurses discusses how capnography has improved nursing workflow and patient satisfaction in her hospital:

One program that has had a significant impact on patient safety and nursing staff workflow is the continuous electronic monitoring of patients managing their pain with patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) … 

After expanding its use of capnography to monitor the respiratory status of our patients outside of the operating room, adverse respiratory events at Methodist Hospitals have declined. Not only is this a win for patient safety, but it has helped our nurses provide better and more efficient care to their patients.

#Capnography improves #nurse workflow and patient satisfaction #ptsafety Click To Tweet

Choosing the Smartest Infusion Pump

According to RT Magazine, new offerings in pulse oximetry and patient monitoring are improving clinician workflow.

If you are looking for advise on how to choose the smartest, ECRI Institute recently released its report, “Infusion Pumps: The Essentials

What's the best way to prevent of #RespiratoryCompromise? #ptsafety Click To Tweet

2.  Are Blood Clots The Least Appreciated Complication of Hospital Care?

Blood clots are the least appreciated hospital complication, according to this recent article by Dr. Peter Pronovost (PhD, FCCM, Professor, Departments of Anesthesiology/Critical Care Medicine and Surgery, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Medical Director, Center for Innovation in Quality Patient):

Each year, dangerous blood clots claim the lives of about 100,000 Americans. Many of those deaths occurred during or after a hospitalization, despite evidence showing that most of these events could have been prevented.

#Bloodclots are the least appreciated #hospital complication #ptsafety Click To Tweet

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