Articles: checklist.
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Many of the quality measures for patients with heart failure (HF) or acute myocardial infarction (AMI) require the completion of comprehensive discharge instructions, including instructions about medications to be taken after discharge. To improve compliance in a tertiary care teaching hospital with these evidence-based quality measures, a clinical-decision-support system (CDSS) that uses an electronic checklist was developed. The CDSS prompts clinicians at every training level to consistently create comprehensive discharge instructions addressing quality measures. ⋯ Compliance with the remaining measures was higher before intervention, and, thus, the modest improvement in the postintervention period was not statistically significant (AMI patients: aspirin, 97.5% to 98.8%; P = .43; and beta-blocker, 97.9% to 98.7%; P = .78; HF patients: LVSF, 99.3% to 99.1%; P = .78). Implementation of a CDSS with computerized electronic prompts improved compliance with selected cardiac-care quality measures. The design of quality-improvement decision-support tools should incorporate educational missions in their message and design.
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Multicenter Study
Predictors of successful implementation of preoperative briefings and postoperative debriefings after medical team training.
The purpose of this study was to examine which factors at a medical team training learning session predict future success in the implementation of preoperative briefings and postoperative debriefings at health care facilities. ⋯ Full implementation of the patient safety tool preoperative briefings and postoperative debriefings is dependent on facility leadership support.
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Of the more than 230 million patients who undergo surgery each year, 7 million suffer a disabling complication, and one million die (Weiser 2008). These numbers are substantial, and through the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist, the issues surrounding safe surgery are at last receiving attention on the international stage.