Joint Commission journal on quality and patient safety / Joint Commission Resources
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Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf · Nov 2011
Simulated pediatric resuscitation use for personal protective equipment adherence measurement and training during the 2009 influenza (H1N1) pandemic.
Previous experience with simulated pediatric cardiac arrests (that is, mock codes) suggests frequent deviation from American Heart Association (AHA) basic and advanced life support algorithms. During highly infectious outbreaks, acute resuscitation scenarios may also increase the risk of insufficient personal protective equipment (PPE) use by health care workers (HCWs). Simulation was used as an educational tool to measure adherence with PPE use and pediatric resuscitation guidelines during simulated cardiopulmonary arrests of 2009 influenza A patients. ⋯ Large gaps exist in the use of PPE and self-protective behaviors, as well as adherence to resuscitation guidelines, during simulated resuscitation events. Intervention opportunities include use of rapid isolation measures, use of gatekeepers, reinforcement of first responder roles, and further simulation training with PPE.
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Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf · Nov 2011
Comparative StudyReporting of sentinel events in Swedish hospitals: a comparison of severe adverse events reported by patients and providers.
Mandatory and voluntary reporting of adverse events is common in health care organizations but a more accurate understanding of the extent of patient injury may be obtained if additional sources are used. Patients in Sweden may file a claim for economic compensation from the national insurance system if they believe they have sustained an injury. The extent and pattern of reporting of serious adverse events in a mandatory national reporting system was compared with the reporting of adverse events on the basis of patient claims. ⋯ Adverse events causing severe harm are underreported to a great extent in Sweden despite the existence of a mandatory reporting system; physicians often consider them to be complications. Health care organizations should consider using a portfolio of tools-including incident reporting, medical record review, and analysis of patient claims-to gain a comprehensive picture of adverse events.
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Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf · Nov 2011
Kaiser Permanente's performance improvement system, part 3: multisite improvements in care for patients with sepsis.
In 2008, Kaiser Permanente Northern California implemented an initiative to improve sepsis care. Early detection and expedited implementation of sepsis treatment bundles that include early goal-directed therapy (EGDT) for patients with severe sepsis were implemented. ⋯ Twenty-one cross-functional frontline teams redesigned processes of care to provide regionally standardized, evidence-based treatment algorithms for sepsis, substantially increasing the identification and risk stratification of patients with suspected sepsis and the provision of a sepsis care bundle that included EGDT.
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Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf · Nov 2011
Improving safety culture results in Rhode Island ICUs: lessons learned from the development of action-oriented plans.
The Rhode Island (RI) Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Collaborative was designed to improve patient safety and clinical outcomes in adult ICUs through a unit-based patient safety program and evidenced-based practices. Few studies have shown how to draw on a strong safety culture to improve clinical outcomes. A study was conducted to (1) examine the impact of a Safety Attitudes Questionnaire Action Plan (SAQAP) on the 2008 Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ) and (2) determine the impact of an SAQAP on ICU central line-associated blood stream infections (CLABSIs) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) rates. ⋯ Teams that developed SAQAPs improved their unit culture and clinical outcomes. An active, targeted intervention in culture can translate into improved outcomes for patients.