by Michael Wong

Pain control in hospitals using patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) need to be made safer. In this interview with Michael Wong of the Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety (PPAHS), Tim Ritter (Senior Patient Safety Analyst at the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority) and Matthew Grissinger (Director, Error Reporting Programs at ISMP) discuss PCA pumps and why reliance on periodic checks by caregivers and pulse oximetry can only catch an adverse event, but not prevent an adverse event from occurring. For patient safety, PPAHS encourages continuous electronic monitoring, including the use of both capnography and pulse oximetry, of all patients using patient-controlled analgesia (PCA). Continue reading “Hospitals Need to Address PCA Pump Patient Safety: Q&A with ISMP & Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority” →