Henry Ford West Bloomington Hospital is serving its patients higher quality food as part of an effort to teach them how to care for themselves when they leave the hospital, reports the The Detroit Free Press. In addition to learning about eating correctly, the hospital features private rooms that have extra space for family members, health coaches, and holistic therapies. However, its food program is the most innovative, offering patients daily meals made with fresh, organic food and the chance to take cooking classes before they are discharged. The American Hospital Association says there is a trend of newer hospitals being built to help patients focus on lifestyle changes, the article says. Today, many facilities realize the importance of teaching patients to stay out of the hospital while they are in the hospital for the first time. To read the article, click here.

The Maryland Patient Safety Center has decided to continue to finance its Perinatal Collaborative, which was launched in 2007. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will give $469,650. Almost every hospital in the state participates in the Perinatal Safety Culture Collaborative. The Collaborative’s mission is to create perinatal units that provide safe care and an atmosphere in which no preventable errors will be committed. This is carried out by the following proven methods: Standardization of electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) language Training in team coordination and teamwork behaviors Ensuring complete documentation and availability of prenatal medical records Assessment of safety culture To read more about the Collaborative, click .

One third of toilets of patients in a Canadian study were found to be insufficiently cleaned. The study, published by BMC Infectious Diseases was done in an effort to see if the toilets of patients with Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) were being effectively cleaned, hence lowering the risk of spreading CDAD throughout the hospital. The study compared toilets of patients in isolation with CDAD with patients who were suffering from diarrhea unrelated to CDAD. This measurement was done by putting an ultraviolet visible marker, in the form of a substance called "Glitterbug" on the underside toilet seats of these patients. Glitterbus comes off easily with soap and water. Researchers measured to see how much of the substance was left 24 hours later. The study found that toilets of those patients in isolation with CDAD were less clean, with a score of 1.23 (on a scale of 0-3, with 0 being no Glitterbug and 3 being a lot of Glitterbug). The other toilets had a score of 0.9. Researchers recommend this type of study be replicated in other hospitals to gauge the cleanliness of patient toilets. To read more, click here.

The VHA Foundation is launching a new initiative to train CEOs of healthcare bodies in areas of patient safety, an area in which they generally have little background. The two-year program will teach leaders to put safety ahead of other facility goals. It will also provide leaders a chance to speak with their peers and patient safety experts about patient safety-related topics. A recent survey done by the VHA Foundation shows that many CEOs are not confident in their facilities’ abilities to handle a patient safety-related incident. 85% of respondents think that safety improvements are put into place appropriately and monitored. Many (88%) are also uncomfortable speaking with the media on this topic. To read more, click here.