The Permanente journal
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The Permanente journal · Jan 2008
A 36-hospital time and motion study: how do medical-surgical nurses spend their time?
Nurses are the primary hospital caregivers. Increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of nursing care is essential to hospital function and the delivery of safe patient care. ⋯ The time and motion study identified three main targets for improving the efficiency of nursing care: documentation, medication administration, and care coordination. Changes in technology, work processes, and unit organization and design may allow for substantial improvements in the use of nurses' time and the safe delivery of care.
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To evaluate the implementation of a mind-body program for surgical patients in a community hospital, assessing patient participation, patient perception, and program impact on anxiety, pain, and quality of sleep during the perioperative period. ⋯ Patient response to a perioperative mind-body program was favorable. Most patients listened to the program CD at least once, and a third used the CD repeatedly, as recommended. The majority of patients who used the CD felt it had been helpful and would use it again. Program participants experienced less anxiety on the night of surgery.
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Increased media attention on surgical procedures that were performed on the wrong anatomic site or wrong patient has prompted the health care industry to identify and address human factors that lead to medical errors. ⋯ Team members who work together and communicate well can quickly detect and more easily avoid errors. The Preoperative Safety Briefing is now standard in many operating suites in the KP Orange County Service Area. The concepts and design of this project are transferable, and similar projects are underway in the Departments of Radiology and of Labor and Delivery at KP Anaheim Medical Center.