Archive for May, 2009
Thank you nurses!
It’s National Nurses Week from May 6 through May 12. We here at the Patient Safety Solutions Blog wanted to take a posting to say thanks for all of the hard work, long hours, and dedication that you put in to making sure your patients receive safe, reliable care. Formally recognized sine 1991, this week gives healthcare organizations a chance to also say thanks.
The American Nursing Association has a landing page up dedicated to the observance and offers some ideas on how to celebrate it. Some of the suggestions include holding a facility-wide celebration, hosting a press conference for local media, distributing RN pins for all of the nurses in your organization, and even holding a candlelight vigil in honor of nurses.
Is your organization doing anything to commemorate National Nurses Week 2009?
AHRQ reports show quality improvement for hospitals, but existing disparities in minority care
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality yesterday released two reports that summarize many of the issues with which healthcare professionals and specifically those in quality improvement struggle.
The National Healthcare Quality Report for 2008 highlights strategic areas to measure whether the quality of care in the U.S. is getting better–or not. Although quality within hospitals improves annually by 3%–the most out of all care settings, some of the findings related to patient safety within hospitals are nothing short of a rude awakening:
- One in seven adult patients is the victim of at least one medical error
- Hospital compliance with the six core indicators in the report have declined about 1%
- 40% of all hospital-acquired infections are the result of catheter-associated urinary tract infections
You can find the full report here for futher details. The report details some suggestions for the future, such as standardizing patient safety measures and better collecting patient safety data.
The National Healthcare Disparities Report, also released yesterday, shows that disparities do indeed still exist as far as access to healthcare and quality of healthcare goes. For African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, Alaska natives/ American Indians, and poor people, 60% of quality measures either stayed the same or got worse. Some progress is being made, however, in reducing the occurrence of certain illnesses that disproportionately affect one minority.
WHO announces new hand hygiene campaign
Piggy backing off its “Clean Care is Safer” campaign launched in 2005, The World Health Organization (WHO) announced its latest initiative on May 5th. Titled “Save Lives: Clean Your Hands,” the initiative attempts to illustrate how deadly failing to use proper hand hygiene practices can be. Several events took place around the world on May 5th in honor of the initiative’s launch.
The WHO has also posted lots of tools on it’s Web site for those hospitals interested in the initiative, including case studies, videos, and a graphic display touting the “Five Moments for Hand Hygiene” that specifies the five most important times bedside caregivers can perform hand hygiene. They also offer advice on how to educate staff members, a method for gathering feedback on any hand hygiene initiatives started in a facility, and a sample action plan for those hospitals who need guidance.
The concept of cleaning our hands to prevent the spread of infection is not new, yet it’s something that is just not done enough in the healthcare setting. The WHO’s new spin might spur on some creative ideas within your own facility. Has your hospital signed up to be a a part of this new initiative? More than 4,500 hospitals worldwide have done so.
Survey: Patients happy with physicians, want specific recommendations
A new survey out from the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions shows that most patients still want their doctor’s honest opinion and recommendations for care. However, more and more patients want their physicians to offer more treatment options and also offer the ability to shop around for care. A recent article in American Medical News highlighted some of the survey’s findings.
Interesting to note is the fact that the third of patients who describe themselves as “content and compliant” with their own care are older patients who may have different priorities than younger patients. Sources in the article suggest that doctors try to keep up with the times and adapt to patients’ needs by offering online follow-up information and resources.
One other perhaps unsurprising find, given the economy, is that a greater number of patients think about cost when it comes to deciding on a treatment.