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Patient Safety Monitor Alert

This e-mail newsletter provides healthcare professionals with the latest patient safety news, while offering useful information on creating safer patient care environments and reducing medical errors.

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Patient Safety Monitor Alert

Issue 22, May 30, 2012

• Fatigue causes loss of effectiveness for surgical residents

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• Blog spotlight: Involving patients to improve quality

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• Consultations with nurse practitioners improves quality of patient care

  Researchers with the Mayo Clinic found that a consultative visit between a nurse practitioner and a...

• Editor’s pick: Medical Interpreter Programs: Meet the Needs of Your Patient Population

  Meet the language needs of your community and comply with new Joint Commission patient-centered...

Issue 21, May 23, 2012

• Take advantage of Patient Safety Monitor’s Talk Group

  Members and nonmembers alike can take advantage of Patient Safety Talk, one feature of Patient...

• Take advantage of Patient Safety Monitor’s Talk Group

  Members and nonmembers alike can take advantage of Patient Safety Talk, one feature of Patient...

• Blog spotlight: Perception versus practice in quality of care

  Patients' perceived quality of care varied greatly from the actual quality of care as defined by...

• Fatal falls among seniors more obvious with ICD-10 coding

  ICD-10 coding has revealed a 42% increase in falls as a cause of death among seniors, according to...

• Editor’s pick: Chapter Leader’s Guide Series

  These practical books provide chapter leaders with simplified explanations of individual chapters...

Issue 20, May 16, 2012

• Free tool: Nursing Professional Development Needs Assessment Form

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• Blog spotlight: Create patient safety solutions that are right for you

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• FDA aims to reduce radiation exposure for children

  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released recommendations that ask manufacturers of...

• Editor’s pick: Proven Methods for Drastically Reducing CAUTIs

  Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) are a consistent cause of concern for...

Issue 19, May 9, 2012

• June issue of newsletter now available!

  The June issue of Patient Safety Monitor Journal (formerly Briefings on Patient Safety) has been...

• Blog spotlight: HCPro celebrates National Nurses Week!

  May 6 through May 12 marks the celebration of National Nurses Week, an annual event to recognize...

• ED wait time measures show wide variations

  Hospital Compare, run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, now features two...

• Editor’s pick: Making Your Data Work

  The Joint Commission, state agencies, and others are demanding solid data proving increased patient...

Issue 18, May 2, 2012

• CMS proposes revisions to IPPS

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• Blog spotlight: The many measures of patient safety and quality

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• ICU hospitalists lead to quality improvement

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• Editor’s pick: Creative Ways to Trim Nurse Staffing Costs

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Issue 17, April 25, 2012

• Take advantage of Patient Safety Monitor's Talk Group

  Members and nonmembers alike can take advantage of Patient Safety Talk, one feature of Patient...

• Blog spotlight: CAUTIs still a problem

  Bit of a plug, but I think my visitors will find HCPro’s webcast on CAUTIs...

• CDC report provides insight on healthcare-associated infections

  Healthcare facilities nationwide reported a total of 13,812 healthcare-associated infections in...

• Editor’s pick: Occurrence Reporting: Building a Robust Problem Identification and Resolution Process

  You already capture the data. Now use it to make real improvements in your patient care. This...

Issue 16, April 18, 2012

• Free tool: Glove Use Guidelines

  Members of Patient Safety Monitor have access to the tools library, an archive of a number of...

• Blog spotlight: HCAHPS information studied by demographics

  Interestingly, a new study of HCAHPS scores shows that when you split up the survey by sex, men are...

• Medicare links physician performance to pay

  Medicare issued “resource use” reports to 20,000 physicians in Kansas, Iowa, Missouri...

• Editor’s pick: Proven Methods for Drastically Reducing CAUTIs

  Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) are a consistent cause of concern for...

Issue 15, April 11, 2012

• April issue of newsletter now available!

  The April issue of Patient Safety Monitor Journal (formerly Briefings on Patient Safety) has been...

• Blog spotlight: The push and pull of quality initiatives

  Sometimes quality can be a bit like a game of whack-a-mole. As you try to improve in one area...

• Death of organ donor during surgery raises patient safety questions

  The widow of a man who died while donating a part of his liver to his brother-in-law plans to file...

• Editor’s pick: Assessing the Risk: Suicidal Behavior in the Hospital Environment of Care

  Suicide of a care recipient while in a staffed, round-the-clock care setting or within 72 hours of...

Issue 14, April 4, 2012

• Unconscious racial bias among physicians results in lower patient satisfaction

  Physicians with an unconscious racial bias spoke slowly and dominated conversations with...

• Blog spotlight: Win-lose? Why quality measures might lead to poor HCAHPS scores

  New research indicates that implementing quality measures can improve clinical outcomes but may...

• Antibiotic resistant bacteria found in Chicago-area ambulances

  Researchers from Lewis University found Staphyloccocus aureus (S. aureus) in 69% of Chicago-area...

• Editor’s pick: Nurse Residency Program Builder

  Bridge the gap between nursing school and real-life nursing practice. Nurse Residency Program...

Issue 13, March 28, 2012

• Take advantage of Patient Safety Monitor’s Talk Group

  Members and nonmembers alike can take advantage of Patient Safety Talk, one feature of Patient...

• Blog spotlight: Transparency...are we there yet?

  Apparently not. Public reporting of surgical site infections is required in only eight states. That...

• FDA increases training on alarm standards and safety

  In an effort to reduce alarm fatigue in hospitals, the FDA is increasing the amount of training on...

• Editor’s pick: Hassle-Free Nursing Professional Development: Time-Saving Strategies for Four of Your Biggest Challenges

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Issue 12, March 21, 2012

• Providers’ advanced life support skills decline before required re-training

  Healthcare providers’ advanced life support skills decline within a year of training if those...

• Blog spotlight: A win for public reporting?

  We all know that CMS is collecting, publicly reporting, and basing reimbursement on quality...

• Physicians switch to end-of-life care in full ICU

  Researchers at the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, found that physicians switch from...

• Editor’s pick: Adverse Events Reporting: Do you comply with OIG recommendations?

  The Office of Inspector General (OIG) has looked at CMS and found its system of hospital oversight...

Issue 11, March 14, 2012

• March issue of newsletter now available!

  The March issue of Patient Safety Monitor Journal (formerly Briefings on Patient Safety) has been...

• Blog spotlight: In the hospital, we're all just big babies

  A new column in the New York Times today dives into the idea of using common practices and...

• Lower MRSA infection rates linked to board certified professionals

  Employing a director with board certification in infection prevention and control leads to lower...

• Editor’s pick: The CMS Joint Commission Crosswalk, 2012 Edition

  Now in its 8th edition, The CMS Joint Commission Crosswalk, 2012 Edition is a practical resource...

Issue 10, March 7, 2012

• We need your help

  HCPro is looking for your help over the next couple of weeks. We’re working on an...

• EMR implementations improve quality measures for hospitals

  Hospitals that have implemented advanced electronic medical record (EMR) systems have seen...

• Blog spotlight: Twitter chat, HCPro discount, in honor of Patient Safety Awareness Week

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• New York hospital faces vast quantity of lawsuits

  More than 100 patients or families of patients have filed lawsuits against Brookdale University...

• Editor's pick: HCAHPS Basics: A Resource Guide for Healthcare Managers

  Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) spells worry for many...

Issue 9, February 29, 2012

• We need your help

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• Report examines widespread issue of unsanitary surgical instruments

  Reusable medical devices may retain tissue and other debris despite following the cleaning...

• Blog spotlight: AHAP Conference opportunities

  The Association for Healthcare Accreditation Professionals (AHAP) is hosting its 6th Annual...

• Virtual ICU brings expert care to hospitals

  The virtual ICU is an emerging trend in healthcare that utilizes innovative technology to provide...

• Editor's pick: The Joint Commission Survey Coordinator's Handbook, 13th Edition

  Packed with expert advice, best practices, and sample tools and tracers, The Joint Commission...

Issue 8, February 22, 2012

• Nurses' access to data improves quality of care

  Making data available and accessible for all nurses could have a tremendous impact on patient care...

• Blog spotlight: Ask your staff: How can we earn your trust?

  Every time I explore a quality improvement initiative with a hospital for Patient Safety Monitor...

• More pediatricians are letting go of families who refuse vaccinations

  Rejecting or dismissing patients who refuse to vaccinate their children is a growing trend among...

• Editor’s pick: The Survival of Staff Development

  High-quality clinical care comes from high-quality education. Prove the value of your staff...

Issue 7, February 15, 2012

• Man seeks new law to make hospitals pay for hospital-acquired infections

  A near-death experience caused by a hospital-acquired infection has led one Virginia man to seek...

• Blog spotlight: Bloodstream infections in pediatric ICUs

  A Consumers Report study has found that many pediatric ICUs have high rates of bloodstream...

• Hospitals question Medicare assessments of quality

  Medicare identified many teaching hospitals across the country as having a substantially higher...

• Editor’s pick: National Patient Safety Goals Q & A

  Top healthcare experts present their analysis of frequently-asked questions on National Patient...

Issue 6, February 8, 2012

• CMS publishes infection rate data online

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published central line-associated...

• Cool app to help nurses, but does it foster bad habits?

  Robert Freeman, a registered nurse at Beth Israel Hospital in New York, designed an mobile app for...

• Minorities receive less pain treatment, University of Pennsylvania study finds

  A study by the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing revealed that minority and low-income...

• Quality Improvement for Nurse Managers

  This book, Quality Improvement for Nurse Managers: Engage Staff and Improve Patient Outcomes and...

Issue 5, February 1, 2012

• Pediatric ICUs have higher infection rates than adult ICUs

  An investigation by Consumer Reports found that infection rates in pediatric intensive care units...

• Providence-based play tackles medical errors

  Providence has dealt with its share of medical errors. Perhaps as a result, the issue is moving...

• HHS health IT challenge aims for better transitions

  The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) launched a Discharge Follow-Up Appointment...

• Occurrence Reporting: Building a Robust Problem Identification and Resolution Process

  You already capture the data. Now use it to make real improvements in your patient care. This new...

Issue 4, January 25, 2012

• Diagnostic errors survey examines frequency and cause

  A survey conducted by QuantiaMD revealed that diagnostic errors occur with relative frequency. Of...

• Understanding HIT nationally and on the local front lines

  In the past couple of months, there have been numerous publications around health information...

• Half of preventative health services missed at annual check-ups

  Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University found that 46% of guideline-recommended...

• Removing Visitation Restrictions: The Path to Excellence with The Joint Commission’s Standards

  Honor your patients' choices and comply with Joint Commission changes to visitation requirements...

Issue 3, January 18, 2012

• Latest issue of Patient Safety Monitor Journal now available

  The January issue of Patient Safety Monitor Journal (formerly Briefings on Patient Safety) has...

• Blog spotlight: California Department of Public Health releases HAI reports

  The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has released six reports on data from California...

• CMS innovation advisors aim to improve quality of care

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has tapped 73 healthcare professionals for its...

• Editor’s pick: Creating a Just Culture: A Nurse Leader’s Guide

  Creating a Just Culture: A Nurse Leader's Guide explains the process of creating and sustaining a...

Issue 2, January 11, 2012

• Using death rates to evaluate hospital quality faulted, study finds

  A new study has researchers at Yale School of Medicine questioning whether death rates in hospitals...

• You can’t improve without knowing what’s wrong

  In the healthcare quality improvement field, there has been much talk about reporting errors, about...

• Investigation by HHS finds many unreported errors

  According to a report from the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services...

• The Joint Commission Mock Tracer Made Simple

  This updated edition includes new tools and case studies of successful tracers from facilities...

Issue 1, January 4, 2012

• Napping could be crucial in minimizing fatigue-related medical errors

  An ongoing study is testing whether short, onsite naps, rather than further restrictions on work...

• Top 10 most read blog posts from 2011

  The new year is upon us. I thought before we dive into what’s to come for patient safety and...

• December issue of journal stresses patient safety in point-of-care testing

  Medical News Today reports that the December issue of Point of Care : The Journal of Near-Patient...

• Professional growth in staff development

  This training resource is a professional development career ladder for nursing professional...