In healthcare facilities across the United States, x-rays and CT scans are used widely and often. Because of them, patients rarely undergo risky exploratory surgery, and countless lives are undoubtedly saved because the correct diagnosis was made with the help of the picture...
In November 2010, The Joint Commission issued a Sentinel Event Alert requiring all hospitals to screen patients who do not present with a primary mental health diagnosis and are treated in general hospitals in medical-surgical units and the ED, in addition to those patients who...
I've been attending a lot of patient safety and quality conferences lately-‘tis the season. As conferences generally go, some are valuable and the networking is great; others are not overly helpful; and the opportunities for learning from others are slim to none.
Hospitals have been working toward better patient satisfaction for years. Now, with patient experience survey results posted publicly and a new national value-based purchasing system in place, it's more important than ever to understand what positively and negatively affects a patient's time...
The 10th annual National Quality Colloquium in Cambridge, MA, focused on patient engagement and provider accountability during its opening session in August. Each year, Colloquium brings together national and international leaders in healthcare quality and safety. This year's...
Wash your hands. It's a message that infection control (IC) professionals cannot stress enough, yet caregivers can become unknowingly complacent in their hand hygiene routines, easily becoming deliverers of harm without even realizing it.
With the advent of electronic health record implementation, never-ending administrative duties, and unrelenting changes, it's no surprise that practitioners often talk about losing the joy of caregiving. In fact, many patient safety and quality conferences have begun to focus on this theme....