Patient Safety Weekly Must Reads (March 25, 2017)

This week in #patientsafety, we highlight again that it is Blood Clot Awareness Month. From around the web, three studies: one on the effect of hospital inspectors on patient safety; one on sepsis; and, one on the relationship between opioid supply levels and long-term use.

From PPAHS:

March is Blood Clot Awareness Month. Blood Clot Awareness Month is a time for us to highlight stories and resources that you can share with colleagues, patients, and loved ones to bring attention to blood clots.

From Around the Web:

When Hospital Inspectors Are Watching, Fewer Patients Die. A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine studied records of Medicare admissions from 2008 to 2012 at 1,984 hospitals and found that in the non-inspection weeks, the average 30-day death rate was 7.21 percent. But during inspections, the rate fell to 7.03 percent.

UAB study highlights risks of sepsis. A new study from researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham analyzing three different methods for characterizing sepsis has helped to illustrate the risk of death or severe illness attributable to the condition.

With a 10-day supply of opioids, 1 in 5 become long-term users. With an initial 10-day opioid prescription, about one-in-five patients become long-term users, according to data published Friday in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

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