Top 10 Patient Safety Issues for 2014
Patient safety is a serious issue. Click to continue »
Reducing Readmissions: How a MacArthur ‘Genius’ is Revolutionizing Care in One of the Most Dangerous Towns in America
Camden, N.J. has high hospital readmissions rates: both hospitals accepting inpatients in the city limits paid steep CMS penalties in 2012, reducing their penalties for fiscal year 2014 by only .05 percent. Click to continue »
5 Joint Commission Hospital Accreditation Survey Mistakes to Avoid
Complying with state and federal regulations is critical for hospitals to receive funding, attract patients and, most importantly, ensure safe, high-quality care. Click to continue »
Study: Medical Error Deaths 4.5 Times More Likely Than IOM Estimate
The number of U.S. hospital patients who die from medical errors each year could be up to 4.5 times higher than the Institute of Medicine estimated in its landmark 1999 report, “To Err is Human,” according to a study in the Journal of Patient Safety. Click to continue »
Limited Research Need Not Deter From Involving Patients in Hand Hygiene
The idea of involving patients in provider hand hygiene compliance is a relatively new one. Click to continue »
Study: Financial Incentives Boost Hand Hygiene Compliance
Financial incentives in the context of a shared accountability model are effective in improving rates of hand hygiene compliance, according to an article published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. Click to continue »
Study: MRSA Screening Lacks Evidence
While screening for methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus may be the method of choice for some hospitals, the efficacy of the practice remains in question, according to a study in the American Journal of Infection Control. Click to continue »
11 Barriers to Hand Hygiene Compliance
Time pressure is one of the biggest reported barriers to hand hygiene compliance among healthcare workers, according to a study in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. Click to continue »
Study: Don’t Wash Hands Before Donning Gloves
Engaging in hand hygiene before donning nonsterile gloves does not reduce bacterial counts on gloves, rendering that hand hygiene step unnecessary, according to research published in the American Journal of Infection Control. Click to continue »
Study: Obesity Linked to C. diff Infection Risk
Being obese may increase the risk of developing a Clostridium difficile infection, according to research published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention journal, Emerging Infectious Diseases. Click to continue »
24% of Healthcare Workers Carry C. diff on Hands After Disinfecting
Even after rubbing hands with alcohol after caring for patients infected with Clostridium difficile, 24 percent of healthcare workers still carried spores of the bacteria on their hands, according to a study published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. Click to continue »
Study: 57% of Hospitalists Forgot About a Catheter
The finding that 57 percent of hospitalists report having forgotten about the presence of a patient’s peripherally inserted central catheter is one of several that outline the variation in hospitalist experiences with catheters in a paper published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine. Click to continue »
Putting the “E” in HygiEne
Infection control and prevention is a major challenge faced by hospitals, surgery centers and long-term care facilities. Click to continue »
Implementing and Sustaining Best Practices in Mobile Equipment Disinfection
Approximately 1.7 million healthcare-associated infections occur in America’s hospitals each year. Click to continue »
7 Ideas for Improving Sepsis Management
In a healthcare world in which amazing things are increasingly possible — surgery through just a few tiny incisions, successful replacements of entire organs, treatment of once-fatal infections — sepsis is still a problem. Click to continue »
Patient Safety Toolkit
To supplement the material and analysis provided in Becker’s Hospital Review and Becker’s ASC Review, Becker’s Healthcare offers an online database of free and low-cost downloadable patient safety tools and resources, putting them all in one place for user convenience. Click to continue »
A Look Inside the One of the Country’s Safest Hospitals
When The Leapfrog Group released its latest round of safety grades and designations for the nation’s hospitals, Swedish Covenant Hospital President and CEO Mark Newton said he was rather surprised. Click to continue »