Hospital Peer Review articles from July 2003

Hospital Peer Review archives from July 2003

JCAHO's clinical alarm safety goal requires teamwork, collaboration: work closely with biomed professionals to ensure alarms meet standard.(Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations)
July 1, 2003... As quality improvement professionals tackle the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations patient safety goals, one of the goals is proving to be more challenging and confounding than the others. As one Joint Commission...

Walking tour could reveal problems with clinical alarms: listen to experiences of frontline providers.
July 1, 2003... A walking tour of each patient care area that includes clinical alarms could reveal both problems and solutions you might not otherwise consider, says Britton Berek, CCE, MBA, associate director of the standards interpretation group for the...

Clinical alarms and patient safety information sources.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... * Emergency Care Research Institute. Critical alarms: Patients at risk. Health Devices 1996; 25(1):25-30. * Emergency Care Research Institute. Evaluation of monitors. Health Devices 1999; 28(1 & 2):15-17. * Emergency Care Research...

Satisfaction data essential tool in accreditation; satisfaction surveys can augment QI efforts. (Reader Question).(quality improvement)
July 1, 2003... Question: Our hospital routinely surveys patients and family members to gauge satisfaction with our services, but so far we haven't really used those results in our accreditation efforts. Can the data be used to show compliance with Joint...

QI project cuts patients' chronic pain dramatically: facility earns Codman Award from JCAHO.(quality improvement, Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations)
July 1, 2003... A quality improvement project at a Michigan long-term care facility resulted in a decrease in the prevalence of chronic pain among its residents from 33% in March 2000 to 18% currently. The reduction is even more significant--given that the...

Research institutions prepare for accreditation: first surveys expected to begin this summer.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The Partnership for Human Research Protection (PHRP) in Oakbrook Terrace, IL, recently announced the approval of final standards for a new accreditation program to safeguard the interests of human subjects participating in research efforts. ...

Before implementing changes ... simulate! Helps visualize, analyze, and predict performance. (The Quality-Cost Connection).
July 1, 2003... Implementation of actions that achieve intended goals is the primary purpose of all process improvement projects. Whether your organization is seeking to reduce process inefficiencies or eliminate the chance of unintended patient harm, action...

CE questions.
July 1, 2003... 1. The Joint Commission's patient safety goals are announced in July and become effective when? A. immediately B. that October C. Jan. 1 of the following year D. July of the following year 2. Elopement and abduction...

System's LOS shrinks as DP, UM functions are combined; how? Fewer people interact with patient, record.(length of stay, discharge planning, utilization management)
July 1, 2003... "Daily bed alerts," emergency department (ED) case management, and an express admit unit for direct admits from physician offices are among the initiatives that help streamline operations at Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network in...

CHF readmissions decline as med needs addressed: 'Medication Mission' improves quality of life.(congestive heart failure)
July 1, 2003... A discovery that came out of a congestive heart failure (CHF) project led to a Medication Mission" that is improving quality of life and reducing readmission rates for patients at St. Joseph Health Center in Warren, OH. While looking at...