HCPro.com: Briefings on Patient Safety

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March 2008 (Volume 9, Issue 3)	view entire issue

Perfecting stroke care through certification
Editor's note: Check out a related story about anticoagulant therapy on p. 8 and a stroke care-themed word search on p. 11 of the PDF of this issue. Achieving Joint Commission primary stroke care certification doesn't have to be the ultimate goal when creating a stroke care program. However, using the Joint Commission's 10 indicators provides a solid guideline for facilities wishing to strengthen their stroke care programs. But striving for accredited status could be just part of the reason to strengthen your stroke care program.

Changing the view on health literacy
Cezanne Garcia, MPH, likes to recall an anecdote from one of her patient advisors to illustrate why health literacy needs to be integrated into all aspects of a hospital stay, and why a large part of health literacy is understanding the fluid needs of patients and families. "This woman had brought her grandfather into the hospital and saw a 'no cell phone use' sign," says Garcia, who serves as the associate director of patient and family centered care for the University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC) in Seattle. "Instead of thinking about the reason for not using cell phones, because they interfere with the equipment, she said, 'I was instead thinking about that I just had to race to the hospital because I was his primary support, I was thinking about who's going to pick up my kids from school, how am I going to take care of his dog, and also, I'm concerned about how my grandfather is doing and how long his hospitalization will be. Meanwhile I'm taking fleeting glances at these signs.' All of a sudden it makes the message and how we give feedback far different."

The supervisor's role in lowering human error
Editor's note: The following article is the fifth in a series about human error and its role in medical error. This month, the author discusses where a manager fits in when lowering human error. The second part of this column will appear in next month's issue of this newsletter. The key role of a supervisor is to provide leadership to those whom he or she manages. How effective this leadership is will determine the productivity of one's staff.

Patient Safety Q&A
The following is a column answering some of the most debated questions on "Patient Safety Talk," an HCPro listserv that addresses many of the topics covered in this newsletter. This month's questions are answered by Pat Pejakovich, RN, BSN, MPA, CPHQ, consultant for The Greeley Company, a division of HCPro, Inc., in Marblehead, MA.

Other recently-published articles from Briefings on Patient Safety:

Minnesota develops rules for preventing surgical errors

2009 Leadership standards tell hospital leaders to make patient safety a priority

Taking responsibility for building accountability among staff members

Work stress and its effect on a professional environment

Family-activated RRTs stress involvement

Early warning system to be surveyed in January

WalkRounds involve senior leaders with frontline staff

Infection control-related NPSG not new to field

The fundamentals of accountability

Three keys to ensuring your anticoagulant therapy program is ready

Pennsylvania association promotes standardized wristbands to prevent errors

Latest Sentinel Event Alert exposes disruptive behavior among staff members

Evolving titles in patient safety: Medication safety officer

Increased documentation added to 2009 NPSGs

California hospital team takes aim on VTE

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