This week’s must reads brings forth key resources relevant to our latest podcast, as well as stories from around the web related to alarm fatigue, patient safety data collection, and opioid guidelines.
From PPAHS:
5 Key Resources to Reduce the Risk of Respiratory Compromise With Patients with Sleep Apnea
Building upon our latest interview featuring Dr. Thomas Frederickson, lead author of the RADEO guide, we’ve pulled together 5 key resources to combat what Dr. Frederickson identifies as the “number one risk factor for respiratory depression associated with the use of opioids”: obstructive sleep apnea. It’s a combination of screening tools, recommendations, and patient stories relevant to any clinician working with patients at risk of respiratory depression. Read the full article here.
From Around the Web:
America’s ICUs are Dangerously Out of Date
The Week’s feature article this week put the spotlight on the ICU, including a discussion with Dr. Peter Povonost of Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore – also a member of PPAHS’ PCA Checklist Group. It’s an insightful article that highlights some of the most pressing issues faced in a clinical setting, not just the ICU: alarm fatigue, integration of tech into manual workloads, and data overload. Read the full article here.
The state knows where medical errors are harming patients. But it won’t tell you.
Public Source published an expose on the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority’s efforts to collect data related to medical errors. Disregard the alarming title; at the crux of the article is a look into the importance of data collection to enable clinicians to acknowledge and target root causes of medical errors. Read the full article here.
AAP Says Codeine Not Safe for Children, Urges Restrictions
Following the FDA’s black box warning on codeine medication in 2013, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a new report this week warning against the use of codeine medications for children. This builds upon guidelines published by the AAP earlier this year regarding pediatric sedation. Read the full article here.
Opioid Deaths in Women
In a quick clip published last year, but no less relevant today, Dr. Janetta Iwanicki from the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center in Denver, Colorado highlights the impact of prescription opioids on women.