Tag: opioid induced respiratory depression

Physicians on Surgeon General’s Letter on Opioid Epidemic: Survey Results

On August 25, 2016, the Surgeon General issued a letter to physicians urging them to take a part in combating the opioid epidemic. On the Surgeon General website, healthcare providers are encouraged to help solve the opioid epidemic:

“Our nation faces an opioid crisis. Health care providers are uniquely positioned to help communities and their patients #TurnTheTide on the opioid epidemic. Providers can be the solution. Join the movement. Sign the pledge.”

To gauge whether clinicians would answer this call and how clinicians and the public felt about the Surgeon General’s recommendations to fight the opioid epidemic, the Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety (PPAHS) conducted a survey to examine perceptions about the Surgeon General’s appeal to physicians to play an active role in stemming the opioid epidemic. Continue reading “Physicians on Surgeon General’s Letter on Opioid Epidemic: Survey Results” →

Patient Safety Weekly Must Reads – October 14, 2016

This week from PPAHS we created a two-part article series examining patient monitoring strategies. We also found 2 insightful articles adding to our knowledge of the opioid crisis, and a spotlight on alarm fatigue. Continue reading “Patient Safety Weekly Must Reads – October 14, 2016” →

PPAHS to Present at ACI Annual Advanced Forum on Medical Liability, Claims, Coverage, and Risk Management

The Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety (PPAHS) will be presenting at the American Conference Institute’s 2nd Annual Advanced Forum on Medical Liability, Claims, Coverage, and Risk Management in New York City. The 2-day conference, running from October 27 to 28, will bring together professionals from government, healthcare, risk management, and legal fields to discuss the latest trends and issues in today’s fast-paced medical liability landscape.

Michael Wong, JD, PPAHS executive director, will convene a panel titled “New Claims Trends Related to the U.S. Pain Crisis: Taking a Look at the Recent Prescription Opioid Abuse Epidemic and Its Impact on a New Wave of Med Mal Insurance Claims”. He will be joined by Linda Van Dillen, CompAlliance Managed Care; Michael D. Anderson, Sr. Claims Examiner & Risk Specialist Medical Insurance Exchange of California, Medical underwriters of California; and Keri Marmorek, Specialty Lines, Beazley USA. The panel will occur on day two of the conference, October 28, 2016. Continue reading “PPAHS to Present at ACI Annual Advanced Forum on Medical Liability, Claims, Coverage, and Risk Management” →

3 Keys To Successfully Implementing Capnography

capnography-waveform — Source: CapnoAcademy.com

As a follow-up to our latest podcast interview with Thomas W. Frederickson, MD, FACP, SFHM, MBA – lead author of the Society of Hospital Medicine RADEO guide (“Reducing Adverse Drug Events Related to Opioids”) – we focused on the advantages and limitations of pulse oximetry in monitoring patients for opioid-induced respiratory depression.

Most importantly, Dr. Frederickson highlighted that the alerts provided by pulse oximetry can be a lagging indicator of patient ventilation, particularly when supplemental oxygen is administered. One solution to improving the care provided to patients is to understand that pulse oximetry is one part of a comprehensive monitoring strategy. Continue reading “3 Keys To Successfully Implementing Capnography” →

Patient Safety Weekly Must Reads (October 7, 2016)

This week from PPAHS and around the web, we celebrate our 5th anniversary with some sharable tips for improving #patientsafety. We’ve also found 2 great studies and an interesting infographic about the opioid epidemic.

Continue reading “Patient Safety Weekly Must Reads (October 7, 2016)” →

3 Limitations to the Use of Pulse Oximetry

Image source: http://thedoctorweighsin.com/pulse-oximetry-false-alarms-on-post-surgical-floors/ — *Image source.*

In PPAHS’ latest podcast, we spoke with Thomas W. Frederickson, MD, FACP, SFHM, MBA – lead author of the Society of Hospital Medicine RADEO guide (“Reducing Adverse Drug Events Related to Opioids”). The RADEO guide is a comprehensive clinician manual created with the aim to decrease opioid-related adverse events in an inpatient setting. Continue reading “3 Limitations to the Use of Pulse Oximetry” →

5 Strategies to Keep Patients Safe When Receiving Opioids

The Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety (PPAHS) had the pleasure of interviewing Thomas W. Frederickson, MD, FACP, SFHM, MBA – lead author of the Society of Hospital Medicine RADEO guide (“Reducing Adverse Drug Events Related to Opioids”). The guide is a comprehensive clinician manual created with the aim to decrease opioid-related adverse events in an inpatient setting.

In the first of this two-part interview, Dr. Frederickson discusses five key steps to identify and address patient conditions that pose a greater risk of respiratory depression. For readers that have yet to listen to the podcast, please click here; it’s an insightful interview relevant for any clinician working in quality improvement or directly with patients prescribed opioids.

In part two, interviewer Pat Iyer and Dr. Frederickson switches gears and focuses on monitoring issues associated with caring for at-risk patients. You can watch/listen to the interview below: Continue reading “5 Strategies to Keep Patients Safe When Receiving Opioids” →

Patient Safety Weekly Must Reads (September 23, 2016)

This week’s must reads brings forth key resources relevant to our latest podcast, as well as stories from around the web related to alarm fatigue, patient safety data collection, and opioid guidelines. Continue reading “Patient Safety Weekly Must Reads (September 23, 2016)” →

Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety