Johns Hopkins patient safety expert Peter Pronovost, MD, PhD, recently wrote a commentary that was published in the July 14 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
In the article, Dr. Pronovost argues why hospitals have yet to successfully tackle and overcome the problem of hospital-acquired infections and outlines what changes need to take place in order to achieve that goal.
1. Getting rid of arrogance in the workplace. Dr. Pronovost argues that many of the HAIs that occur in hospitals can easily be prevented if physicians and other staff members would simply do away with arrogance. He says that the struggle with arrogant attitudes come in when physicians are overconfident in their ability to provide quality care for patients, always believe things will turn out right or fail to preparedly deal with HAIs or approach HAI cases with urgency.
2. Allowing transparency to rule over egos. Dr. Pronovost studied whether HAIs could be completely preventable by issuing a checklist to hospitals through Michigan. His study showed that not only did following the checklist bring down the rate of HAIs dramatically, but it fostered a new culture of open communication in hospitals. Nurses were allowed to keep their supervising physicians in check if ever they skipped something on that checklist. This culture of open communications also allows more feedback between staff members.
3. Creating financial incentives for keeping rates of HAIs down. Another point Dr. Pronovost makes is that working with insurers to create financial incentives for cutting down infection is something hospital systems should consider.
4. If necessary, set regulatory sanctions in place. The theme of accountability sounds strongly throughout Dr. Pronovost's commentary. Using a system of regulations can help with fostering better accountability throughout hospitals. By considering this and the aforementioned points, "we can remedy this pandemic and move on to other types of preventable harm," he says.
Read the John Hopkins Medicine release on hospital acquired infections.
Read more about on HAIs.
-APIC Study: Hospitals Still Struggle with Infections
-Report Finds Drop in Pennsylvania Hospital Infections
-Michigan Hospitals' Infection Control Program Spreading to Other States
In the article, Dr. Pronovost argues why hospitals have yet to successfully tackle and overcome the problem of hospital-acquired infections and outlines what changes need to take place in order to achieve that goal.
1. Getting rid of arrogance in the workplace. Dr. Pronovost argues that many of the HAIs that occur in hospitals can easily be prevented if physicians and other staff members would simply do away with arrogance. He says that the struggle with arrogant attitudes come in when physicians are overconfident in their ability to provide quality care for patients, always believe things will turn out right or fail to preparedly deal with HAIs or approach HAI cases with urgency.
2. Allowing transparency to rule over egos. Dr. Pronovost studied whether HAIs could be completely preventable by issuing a checklist to hospitals through Michigan. His study showed that not only did following the checklist bring down the rate of HAIs dramatically, but it fostered a new culture of open communication in hospitals. Nurses were allowed to keep their supervising physicians in check if ever they skipped something on that checklist. This culture of open communications also allows more feedback between staff members.
3. Creating financial incentives for keeping rates of HAIs down. Another point Dr. Pronovost makes is that working with insurers to create financial incentives for cutting down infection is something hospital systems should consider.
4. If necessary, set regulatory sanctions in place. The theme of accountability sounds strongly throughout Dr. Pronovost's commentary. Using a system of regulations can help with fostering better accountability throughout hospitals. By considering this and the aforementioned points, "we can remedy this pandemic and move on to other types of preventable harm," he says.
Read the John Hopkins Medicine release on hospital acquired infections.
Read more about on HAIs.
-APIC Study: Hospitals Still Struggle with Infections
-Report Finds Drop in Pennsylvania Hospital Infections
-Michigan Hospitals' Infection Control Program Spreading to Other States