Tag: Dr. Bradley Truax

Going to the Dentist in this COVID-19 Era

Editor’s note: As many states look to “re-open,” some of us may be looking to do what might have been put off during the last few weeks of COVID-19 isolation – such as, going to the dentist. T help Michael Wong, JD (Founder/Executive Director, Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety) interviewed Bradley T. Truax, MD about what precautions dentists and their patients should consider.

By Michael Wong, JD (Founder/Executive Director, Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety)

As many states look to “re-open,” some of us may be looking to do what might have been put off during the last few weeks of COVID-19 isolation – such as, going to the dentist.

Continue reading “Going to the Dentist in this COVID-19 Era” →

Patient Safety Tip of the Week: Guideline Update for Pediatric Sedation

This article was first published in Patient Safety Solutions in August 2016. As part of our efforts to bring in expert viewpoints from across the #patientsafety community, we have reposted this with permission.

By Bradley T. Truax, MD

Our March 15, 2016 Patient Safety Tip of the Week “Dental Patient Safety” noted numerous cases of death related to sedation in dental practices. The majority of those cases occurred in pediatric patients. Continue reading “Patient Safety Tip of the Week: Guideline Update for Pediatric Sedation” →

Patient Safety Weekly Must Reads (March 4, 2017)

This week in #patientsafety, we shared an article on opioids in dentistry by Bradley Truax, MD. Outpatient Surgery covered our position statement on patient ambulation. From around the web, NPR wrote about dentists working to use fewer opioids, a hospital reduced nuisance alarms by 30%, and The Joint Commission issued a new Sentinel Event Alert on developing a culture of safety.

From PPAHS:

Patient Safety Tip of the Week: Dental Patient Safety. As part of our efforts to bring in expert viewpoints from across the #patientsafety community, we have reposted an article on dental patient safety (with permission).

Push to Make Ambulation a Key Patient Recovery Metric. Outpatient Surgery covered our position statement on patient ambulation.

From Around the Web:

Dentists Work To Ease Patients’ Pain With Fewer Opioids. Dr. Joel Funari performs some 300 tooth extractions annually at his private practice in Devon, Pa. He’s part of a group of dentists reassessing opioid prescribing guidelines in the state.

Hospital’s program reduces nuisance alarms 30 percent. Nurses at Palomar Health in California were part of a study designed to reduce alarm fatigue. The health system decreased its alarms by nearly 30 percent.

Sentinel Event Alert 57: The essential role of leadership in developing a safety culture. “Competent and thoughtful leaders contribute to improvements in safety and organizational culture,” says The Joint Commission.

Patient Safety Tip of the Week: Dental Patient Safety

This article was first published in Patient Safety Solutions on March 15, 2016. As part of our efforts to bring in expert viewpoints from across the #patientsafety community, we have reposted this with permission.

By Bradley T. Truax, MD

We were recently asked why we haven’t done any columns on dental patient safety. While over the years we’ve encountered a few minor safety issues in dental cases in hospitals, we’ve never looked at the broader issue of safety in dental practice where it is usually practiced – outside the hospital.

Continue reading “Patient Safety Tip of the Week: Dental Patient Safety” →

The Dangers of Opioids: Q&A with Bradley T. Truax, MD

Anesthesiology News recently published an article about new research that found that increased used of HYDROmorphone (e.g. Dilaudid) over morphine triggers more opioid-related adverse events and higher readmission rates. In light of the study, the Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety (PPAHS) interviewed patient safety expert Bradley T. Truax, MD, who has written extensively about the dangers of Dilaudid.

By Sean Power

PPAHS: The study found that HYDROmorphone use has increased for pain treatment in hospital inpatients by 22% and 17% among surgical and medical patients, respectively, while morphine usage has decreased by 22% and 6%. It found higher rates of naloxone rescue for patients on HYDROmorphone and also found that the 30-day readmission rate was 1.37% higher in surgical patients and 3.41% higher in medical patients receiving HYDROmorphone. Should patients and physicians be alarmed by these numbers?

Continue reading “The Dangers of Opioids: Q&A with Bradley T. Truax, MD” →

Patient Safety Implications of the 12-Hour Nursing Shift

by Bradley T. Truax, MD

Not only is there limited data on the impact of 12-hour shifts on patient outcomes, there is also limited data on their association with nurses’ physical and mental well-being.

Now a new study, using data from 12 European countries from the large RN4CAST study, provides insight into the impact of 12-hour shifts on nurse well-being (Dall’Ora 2015). Continue reading “Patient Safety Implications of the 12-Hour Nursing Shift” →

Understanding Adverse Events and Death: Root Cause Analysis of California Department of Public Health Case

by Dr. Bradley Truax

(The Truax Group consults with hospitals to improve patient safety and procedures.)

PCA (Patient Controlled Analgesia) safety has been one of our most frequent topics. Serious incidents related to PCA continue to occur frequently. Another case with some valuable lessons learned comes from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH 2012). Continue reading “Understanding Adverse Events and Death: Root Cause Analysis of California Department of Public Health Case” →