Tag: APSF

US Representative Keith Ellison Calls for Elimination of Preventable Deaths and Continuous Electronic Monitoring of All Post-Operative Patients Receiving Opioids

US Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN), Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Chief Deputy Whip, recently urged the US House of Representatives to work to prevent patient deaths. Continue reading “US Representative Keith Ellison Calls for Elimination of Preventable Deaths and Continuous Electronic Monitoring of All Post-Operative Patients Receiving Opioids”

Monitoring Technology for PCA Pumps Can Prevent Adverse Events with Patient-Controlled Analgesia (PCA): So Why Are Hospitals Not Using It?

By Michael Wong

(This article has also been published in SurgiStrategies, which can be read here.)

According to its newly-updated, “How-to Guide: Prevent Harm from High-Alert Medication”, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) looked at high-alert medications, which are “more likely than other medications to be associated with harm”.

One of the areas that the IHI singles out is narcotics. Continue reading “Monitoring Technology for PCA Pumps Can Prevent Adverse Events with Patient-Controlled Analgesia (PCA): So Why Are Hospitals Not Using It?”

1/3 of Healthcare Providers Believe Medical Practices Are Not in Accordance with Basic Monitoring Standards

by Michael Wong

In the PPAHS survey conducted among healthcare providers (for pdf download of survey report, please see link below), more than a third believe medical practices are not completely in accord with the Standards for Basic Anesthetic Monitoring set by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). Most of the respondents (about 60%) indicated anesthesiology as their medical practice. Continue reading “1/3 of Healthcare Providers Believe Medical Practices Are Not in Accordance with Basic Monitoring Standards”

Post-Surgical Patients Require Better Monitoring

by Michael Wong

PPAHS encourages the adoption of the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) recently released recommendations to improve the safety of patients by continuously monitoring patients following surgery. Continue reading “Post-Surgical Patients Require Better Monitoring”