Articles the Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety (PPAHS) have been reading the these past week raise 3 patient safety questions:
#1 Patient Safety Question – Are you ready for a mass casualty?
Unfortunately, mass casualties seem to be a regular occurrence. Are you prepared for a mass casualty?
In this article, “Anesthesiology and Critical Care In an Age of Mass Casualty Events,” Venkat Reddy Mangunta, MD and Bradley Kelsheimer, MD provide a primer. In discussing the 2015 terrorist attack in different parts of Paris, France, they write:
“Unfortunately, terrorism and natural disasters are nothing new to our world … on that day, given the number of penetrating injuries requiring emergent and urgent surgery, they flexed to open 10 ORs. According to one of the trauma surgeons there on that day, by the time he arrived at the hospital, the on-call anesthesiologists and intensivists were being assisted by several of their colleagues who had already come to the hospital from home. According to the anesthesiologist, the factors that contributed to their success that day were preparation in the months preceding the attacks, excellent cooperation among all caregivers, and good organization.”
Are you ready for a #masscasualty? #terrorism Click To Tweet#2 Patient Safety Question – Have You Established a Culture of Safety?
In her article, “Have You Established a Culture of Safety?” Elizabeth Wick, MD says that talk is cheap when it comes to protecting patients and staff from harm. Read her article for some interesting pointers.
Have You Established a Culture of #PatientSafety? Click To Tweet#2 Patient Safety Question – Should You Treat Propofol as a Controlled Substance?
In her article, “Do You Count Your Propofol?,” Laura Young, RN warns that propofol could be categorized as a controlled substance:
“Propofol isn’t considered a controlled substance, but the Drug Enforcement Administration may soon designate it as a “scheduled” drug.”
She provides useful tips on handling propofol.
Should You Treat #Propofol as a Controlled Substance? Click To Tweet