Joint Commission journal on quality and patient safety / Joint Commission Resources
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Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf · Jan 2015
Implementation of a standardized postanesthesia care handoff increases information transfer without increasing handoff duration.
In the transition of a patient from the operating room (OR) to the postanesthesia care unit (PACU), it was hypothesized that (1) standardizing the members of sending and receiving teams and (2) requiring a structured handoff process would increase the overall amount of patient information transferred in the OR-to-PACU handoff process. ⋯ A standardized, team-based approach to OR-to-PACU handoffs increased the quantity of patient information transferred, increased PACU nurse satisfaction, and did not increase the handoff duration.
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Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf · Dec 2014
Excellence in Transitional Care of Older Adults and Pay-for-Performance: Perspectives of Health Care Professionals.
Article-at-a-Glance Background: Care transitions across health care settings are common and can result in adverse outcomes for older adults. Few studies have examined health care professionals' perspectives on important process measures or pay-for-performance (P4P) strategies related to transitional care. A study was conducted to characterize health care professionals' perspectives on (1) successful transitional care of older adults (age 65 years and older), (2) suggestions for improvement, and (3) P4P strategies related to transitional care. ⋯ In characterizing health care professionals' perspectives, specific care processes to target, challenges to address in the design of P4P strategies, and unmet needs to consider regarding education and feedback for health care professionals were described. Future investigations could evaluate whether performance targets, educational interventions, and implementation strategies based on this conceptual framework improve quality of transitional care.
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Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf · Nov 2014
Implementing Best Evidence in Smoking Cessation Treatment for Hospitalized Veterans: Results from the VA-BEST Trial.
Although the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has promoted adherence to smoking cessation guidelines since 1997, hospitalized smokers do not consistently receive assistance in quitting. ⋯ A multifaceted intervention including enhanced academic detailing is an effective strategy for improving the delivery of smoking cessation services in medical inpatients. To promote long-term cessation, more intensive interventions are needed to ensure that motivated smokers receive guideline-recommended treatment (including pharmacotherapy and referral to outpatient cessation counseling).
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Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf · Oct 2014
Medication Safety in the Operating Room: A Survey of Preparation Methods and Drug Concentration Consistencies in Children's Hospitals in the United States.
Medication errors in the perioperative environment are an important source of iatrogenic harm to patients. In 2010 the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) initiated an effort to reduce medication errors in the operating room environment. One of the components of this effort was designed to minimize error opportunities for the anesthesia provider by having the hospital pharmacy supply premixed solutions from in-house pharmacies or outside pharmaceutical companies. ⋯ Some children's hospitals use standardized medication concentrations, and pharmacy-prepared syringes of anesthetic medications; however, the majority of anesthetic medications were still prepared by the anesthesia provider at the anesthetizing location.
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Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf · Sep 2014
Use of CAHPS patient experience surveys to assess the impact of health care innovations.
The Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) surveys are the standard for collecting information about patient experience of care in the United States. However, despite their widespread use, including in pay-for-performance and public reporting efforts and various provisions of the Affordable Care Act, knowledge about the use of CAHPS in assessing the impact of quality improvement efforts is limited. A study was conducted to examine the use of patient experience surveys in assessing the impact of innovations implemented in health care settings. ⋯ Although innovations targeting quality improvement are often evaluated using surveys, there is considerable untapped potential for using CAHPS measures or surveys to assess their effectiveness.