The top 5 health and safety posts for 2015 on the Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety (PPAHS) blog demonstrate risk management concerns for monitoring patients to prevent respiratory depression, preventing blood clots, and the need to manage device alarms.

Number 5 – New Stroke VTE Safety Recommendations Prevent Blood Clots In Stroke Patients

In “New Stroke VTE Safety Recommendations Prevent Blood Clots In Stroke Patients”, PPAHS released recommendations from a panel of health experts who encouraged their use to reduce the risk of blood clots in stroke patients.

Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability in the U.S., with 800,000 cases occurring each year.

Number 4 – Increased Risk of Blood Clots with NSAIDs Use

In “Increased Risk of Blood Clots with NSAIDs Use”, the risks of blood clots being developed in patient receiving nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is discussed. NSAIDs are commonly prescribed for people with pain.

Number 3 – 4 Keys for Implementing Patient Safety Checklists at Your Hospital

In “4 Keys for Implementing Patient Safety Checklists at Your Hospital”, we highlighted key ways hospitals can look to improve the efficacy of safety checklists that were discussed inEmily Anthes’ article, “Hospital checklists are meant to save lives—so why do they often fail?”

Number 2 – Weekly Must Reads in Patient Safety (Jan 16, 2015)

In our weekly must reads for January 16, 2015, we discussed The Joint Commission’s 2015 National Patient Safety Goals. We recommended that all healthcare facilities review The Joint Commission’s presentation to make sure they are meeting these objectives:

Number 1 – Reasons to Monitor Patients for Respiratory Depression Outside of the ICU

In “3 Reasons to Monitor Patients for Respiratory Depression Outside of the ICU”, James D. Harrell, RCP, from the San Diego Patient Safety Council (SDPSC) offered compelling reasons why hospitals need to change the way they monitor patients outside of the intensive care unit (ICU) for respiratory compromise.

• Alarm Fatigue
• Blood Clots
• Must Reads
• Opioid Safety
• Patient Safety
• Practices & Tips
• Respiratory Compromise