Starting in 2011, Joint Commission surveyors will begin looking at—but not scoring—new standards for patient-centered communication. These standards were approved in December 2009 and published to the field for review the following January.
Lean works for healthcare. It has simple concepts to learn and teach. However, Lean projects are far from easy to undertake. Accomplishing Lean requires hard work, and it is tiring. The “easy” part of Lean is the basic philosophy, which is clear and concise and something on which staff members...
Most clinicians understand the dangers multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) present to patients. Most also understand that these germs are easily spread through hands and other surfaces, and that hand washing is a proven method for preventing MDROs from spreading. Yet—as many patient safety...
Preventing medical errors and patient harm is a top priority for most hospitals. Physicians, nurses, and other clinicians do not enter their professions to produce poor outcomes.
True or false: The safety officer has the authority to take immediate action if he/she feels that there is a safety concern that poses an immediate threat to patients, employees, or visitors.
The Joint Commission’s Center for Transforming Healthcare (CTH) has announced the second in its series of solutions for top healthcare challenges: hand-off communication.
Except for some minor changes, The Joint Commission has announced that there will be no other updates to the 2011 National Patient Safety Goals (NPSG).
True or false: When preparing to administer blood or blood products, it is important to use a two-person verification process to ensure that the correct patient is getting the correct product.
In order to comply with changes to CMS Conditions of Participation for hospitals regarding who may order respiratory services, The Joint Commission has implemented changes to...
