We work hard in healthcare to make sure that safety is always a consideration, particularly when it comes to modifying or updating infrastructure systems. But I guess technology has a way of getting ahead of itself sometimes (or at least the desire for technology).
Effective communication is essential for ensuring patient safety and quality care. The Joint Commission reports that communication failures are among the most frequent causes of harmful medical errors. Not surprisingly, these errors can lead to poor patient outcomes such as misdiagnoses, patient...
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) outlined in a blog post, “Prioritizing Our Healthcare Workers: The Importance of Addressing the Intersection of Workplace Violence and Mental Health and Wellbeing,” the critical link between workplace violence and the mental...
This story looks at some of the common PPE mistakes or misconceptions laboratories should be striving to eliminate in 2025, as well as how to battle PPE complacency.
As we discussed last month with Julia Finken, RN, BSN, MBA, CPHQ, CLSSMBB, senior vice president of accreditation and regulatory compliance at Barrins & Associates and Patton Healthcare Consulting, many healthcare providers struggle with restraint and seclusion compliance...
Tens of millions of Americans are either diabetic or prediabetic, making the diagnosis and treatment of this chronic health issue crucial for the well-being of patients everywhere. While there are a number of barriers to diabetes care that healthcare providers can’t change, there are things that...
One of my friends recently shared a post on LinkedIn from a flight instructor that I think is well worth sharing here (which means you sort of have a homework assignment—but it will be worth it). Historically, leadership is considered something of a top-down undertaking. But the truth (...
There was a subsection of hospitals surveyed in 2023 that struggled with the notion of a continuity of operations plan (COOP), which, if I’m honest, kind of puzzles me. My sense is that without a fairly effective COOP (whether you call it that or not), an organization would have had a very...
During the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s (IHI) 2024 forum, three doctors gave an in-depth presentation on one of the biggest chronic health issues in the U.S.—diabetes.
Personal electronic devices—cell phones, smartwatches, earbuds, etc.—have become ubiquitous in our lives, but their use in laboratory environments poses significant safety risks. For hospital labs, which handle sensitive specimens and play a critical role in patient care, the challenge lies in...
