Promoting patient safety and improving the quality of patient care
Author: PPAHS
Editor’s note: In this editorial from the desk of the Executive Director of the Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety, Michael Wong, JD asks, “Are We Doing Enough to Prevent Maternal Death?”
By Michael Wong, JD (Founder and Executive Director, Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety
A US Crisis
The birth of a child is a time to celebrate. As Angela Johnson, a mother of two, writes:
Continue reading “Are We Doing Enough to Prevent Maternal Death?”
Articles the Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety (PPAHS) have been reading the this past week.
Make the Operating Room Smoke-Free
Nurse Janelle Casanave, RN, urges you to make your operating room smoke-free:
Continue reading “3 Ideas for Greater Safety and Patient Satisfaction in the Hospital”
The Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety wishes you a safe and Happy New Year!
To help make 2019 patient safe, please implement the following 3 recommendations to keep your patients safe:
Patients Receiving Opioids Must Be Monitored With Continuous Electronic Monitoring
Much of the public attention has been focused on the harm caused by prescription use and abuse of opioids. However, there is another facet that must be focused on: opioid-induced respiratory depression in clinical settings. This includes patients undergoing moderate and conscious sedation, or recovering from procedures and managing pain using a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump, particularly those during the postoperative period.
Continue reading “3 Recommendations to Implement to Improve Patient Safety During Sedation”
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Thank you for making the clinical education podcasts and videos by the Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety some of the most viewed clinical education podcasts on the web! As of December 21, 2018, PPAHS’s clinical education podcasts have been viewed 680,695 times on YouTube.
PPAHS’s top 3 most viewed podcasts and videos in 2018 were:
#1 Most Viewed Clinical Education Podcast in 2018 – Preventing Avoidable Deaths: Monitor for Respiratory Compromise [viewed 78,204 as of December 21, 2018]
In this article published in the December 2018 issue of the British Columbia Medical Journal, Drs Richard Merchant and Matt Kurrek encourage the use of capnographic monitoring to improve the safety of patients undergoing procedural sedation.
By Richard Merchant, MD, FRCPC (Clinical Professor, University of British Columbia, Department of Anesthesia, Pharmacology, & Therapeutics) explained in a clinical education podcast with Matt Kurrek, MD, FRCPC (Professor, Department of Anesthesia, University of Toronto)
Continue reading “Monitoring with Capnography Improves Patient Safety”
At the recent 4th Annual AARC Respiratory Patient Advocacy Summit, Michael Wong, JD (Founder and Executive Director, Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety) discussed 3 key patient safety initiatives for PPAHS for 2019.
Also speaking with Mr. Wong on the panel discussion were:
Tim Myers (Chief Business Officer, AARC) moderated the session.
The 3 key patient safety initiatives for 2019 emphasized by Mr. Wong are:
Continue reading “3 Key Patient Safety Initiatives for 2019”
By Jeffrey S. Vender, MD
Clinicians and even the general public are aware of the dangers of sepsis, the life-threatening illness caused by a body’s response to an infection. Irrespective of one’s perception of pharmaceutical marketing materials or the evidence-based medicine used, awareness about sepsis has led to earlier diagnosis and interventions that have likely saved countless patients’ lives.
Moreover, hospitalists have played a key role in sepsis prevention.
Please click here to read the article by Dr. Vender.
Dr. Jeffery Vender is the emeritus Harris Family Foundation chairman of the department of anesthesiology at NorthShore University Health System in Evanston, Ill. He is clinical professor at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and chairman, Clinical Advisory Committee, Respiratory Compromise Institute. Dr. Vender has consulted with Medtronic
According to the Census Bureau, seniors made up 13.3% of the U.S. population in 2011 and will account for at least 20% of the population by 2060. Max Gottlieb discusses 3 tips for successful discharging a senior patient from hospital.
By Max Gottlieb (Senior Planning)
After being discharged from a hospital, seniors and their families not only have to worry about speeding up recovery through post-operation dieting or physical therapy, but they can experience a myriad of issues completely unrelated to physical health. Knowing what to expect when dealing with the American healthcare system, especially when the patient is using Medicare, can ensure that your loved one has the best possible care under your supervision.
Continue reading “3 Tips for Successfully Discharging a Senior Patient from Hospital”
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?
Patient health and safety advocates and the biopharmaceutical industry share a commitment to improve patient care and safety to removing obstacles to physician-prescribed medications. At the recent BIO Patient and Health Advocacy Summit, advocates and industry met to discuss these shared concerns. Representatives from the Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety attended the Summit.
There were two major key concerns discussed:
Continue reading “Obstacles to Physician-Prescribed Medications – Cost, Delays, and Denials”