Promoting patient safety and improving the quality of patient care
Tag: Patient Safety
The safety checklist targeting patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pumps reminds caregivers of the essential steps needed to be taken to initiate Patient-Controlled Analgesia (PCA) with a patient and to continue to assess that patient’s use of PCA.
Here are two healthcare experts opinion on the impact the PCA Safety Checklist will have on improving patient safety: Continue reading “PCA Safety Checklist Will Optimize Patient Safety”
by Michael Wong
(This article first appeared in Becker’s Clinical Quality & Infection Control.)
More than 10 years ago, the Institute of Medicine in its landmark report, “To Err is Human” pointed out that at least 44,000 people, and perhaps as many as 98,000 people, die in hospitals each year as a result of medical errors that could have been prevented. IOM therefore called for the building of a safer healthcare delivery system.
In 2009, ten years after the original IOM report, Consumers Union, the non-profit publisher of Consumer Reports, concluded in its report “To Err is Human – To Delay is Deadly”:
“Despite a decade of work, we have no reliable evidence that we are better off today. More than 100,000 patients still needlessly die every year in U.S hospitals and health-care settings …”
Implementing change to decrease adverse events and to increase patient safety can be difficult for hospitals and healthcare facilities to implement. But, improvements are possible. Here are five tips to get you started. Continue reading “5 Tips on How to Improve Patient Safety With the Help of Technology”
The Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety (PPAHS), an advocacy group devoted to improving patient health and safety, today announced the release of a concise checklist that reminds caregivers of the essential steps needed to be taken to initiate Patient-Controlled Analgesia (PCA) with a patient and to continue to assess that patient’s use of PCA. Continue reading “Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety Announces New Expert Checklist for Facilitating Safety of Hospital-Based Intravenous Patient-Controlled Analgesia Pumps”
By Timothy L.V. Wong (college intern with A Promise to Amanda Foundation, a non-profit working to ensure – “Monitor ALL PCA patients using Capnography – It Saves Lives”)
Patient Controlled Analgesia is the most common and effective form of pain treatment because it offers consistent and continuous pain relief. However, faults in current PCA technology are putting patients at risk everyday. Continue reading “The Path to a Safer PCA Pump: Improving Patient Safety with Integrated Capnography”
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?”
by Michael Wong
This is the question that I posed to lawyers, insurers, and healthcare professionals attending a major healthcare conference, the Crittenden Medical Conference. Continue reading “Improving Patient Safety in Hospitals: Can Hospitals Afford to Give Away Money? So Why Do Preventable Adverse Events Still Occur in Hospitals?”
by Michael Wong
According to study recently published in Anesthesiology News, Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health spent about $112,000 and saved $985,130 over a six month period. Dr. Courtney Rowan, pediatric critical care fellow at Riley Hospital, was looking at blood gas measurements.
Survey found that a patient safety checklist may help prevent “dead In bed” syndrome.
by Michael Wong
In our recently conducted survey among healthcare providers, almost all the respondents (85%) favor the development and use of safety checklists.
Because of this strong desire of healthcare professionals to have a checklist, PPAHS is putting together a working group to create a checklist targeted towards patient-controlled analgesia. This checklist would reinforce the need for continuous electronic monitoring for oxygenation and ventilation. Continue reading “Preventing “Dead In Bed Syndrome” with Patients After Surgery”
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”
by Michael Wong
The BBC recently reported that lack of intensive care equipment was “causing deaths” in UK intensive care wards. Citing the report by The Royal College of Anaesthetists and The Difficult Airway Society recently “Major complications of airway management in the United Kingdom”, the BBC states: Continue reading “Should there be legal liability for not having the right intensive care equipment?”