All Entries Tagged With: "benchmarking survey"
Last chance to participate in the latest AHAP survey!
Last week an invitation went out to all AHAP members inviting you to participate in our latest benchmarking survey. This quarter we’re taking a look at infection control and related National Patient Safety Goals. We’ll be closing the survey soon in order to put together our quarterly benchmarking report, but if you’d still like to participate, all you have to do is click here and you’ll be taken directly to the survey.
Not an AHAP member but interested in our quarterly benchmarking surveys? Sign up here!
Members–we’re already looking ahead at next quarter’s benchmarking survey. What topics are you most interested in? Comment below, or feel free to shoot me an email directly.
Restraint benchmarking survey
Hello, all. I just wanted to share with you some results from our recent benchmarking survey:
Managing the use of restraints and complying with related requirements continue to be major challenges for accreditation professionals throughout the country. And one of the biggest areas of concern is the use of medication restraints, according to AHAP’s most recent benchmarking survey.
According to the members-only survey, conducted in June and July 2008, 46% of accreditation professionals find medication restraints the most troublesome under CMS’ updated restraint Interpretive Guidelines (24% listed soft limb restraints as most troublesome, while 17% listed “other,” 7% listed zippered comforter restraints, and 6% listed low bed restraints).
The number for medication restraints seems high, says Elizabeth Di Giacomo-Geffers, RN, MPH, CNAA, BC, CSHA, member of the AHAP advisory board, healthcare consultant in Trabuco Canyon, CA, and former Joint Commission surveyor. “Perhaps the organizations need to review their definitions of chemical restraint,” she says. “They may, in fact, not be following the CMS/Joint Commission definition—theinappropriateuse of a sedating psychotropic drug to manage or control behavior. To give a medication may in fact be medical management of the patient’s condition and not inappropriate use.”
When asked how they used medication restraints, 51% of survey respondents said they use them to de-escalate aggressive, destructive behavior. Thirty-seven said they use medication restraints to manage behavior, 25% said they use them for other purposes, and 7% said they use them to restrict freedom of movement.
Hope you found this useful. Go to http://www.accreditationprofessional.com/benchmarking_survey.cfm?topic=WS_AHP_QBS to download the full 11-page report, as well as other benchmarking reports from this year.
