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Maintain safety and reduce risk in the manner that JCAHO
will respect.
This monthly newsletter from the Joint Commission gives readers “how to” information on
analyzing
and preventing errors. While this newsletter emphasizes
prevention (a proactive approach), it also addresses the real-world
issues of reacting to adverse events. In addition, Patient Safety:
teaches
health care organizations how to analyze and prevent errors;
provides
the tools and information necessary to help organizations create
and implement a culture of safety;
links
standards
compliance and the survey process to establishing
proactive risk reduction and error prevention activities;
explains
how organizations can use the root cause analysis process and
failure mode and effects analysis to improve their processes
and prevent errors; and
presents
case studies, examples, forms, and tools for
organizations to adapt for their own risk reduction and error
prevention activities.
This newsletter is intended for
performance improvement and risk management professionals in all
accredited health care settings, as well as nurse managers, medical
staff leaders, pharmacy leaders, and consultants for all accredited
health care settings. New features address the medication process, FMEA, and
discipline-specific information about patient safety.
Joint Commission Resources is pleased
to announce that Joint Commission Perspectives on Patient Safety
is now available online to all subscribers. After you purchase your
print subscription, you will immediately be able to access the
online archive. This subscriber benefit will allow you to:
get information fast—you'll have
access to the online issue before it mails to your organization;
receive each issue directly—no
more waiting for each issue to make its way through your
organization to your desk.
access additional information at
your fingertips—click on a hyperlink and go directly to related
information anywhere on the worldwide web;
never misplace an issue—you can
access current and archive issues online, without taking up
space on your desk.
find articles on a specific
topic or for a specific setting;
open up a world of related
resources to help you with a particular topic.
To give you
an idea of the topics covered, here are descriptions of some of the
articles offered in the February 2006 issue:
Technology in Patient Safety: Using Patient Identification
Bands to Reduce Patient Identification Errors - To help reduce
patient identification errors, many hospitals use patient
identification (ID) bands that can either be worn on the wrist
or ankle. This article discusses the use of different types of
ID bands, including those that use color coding, bar coding, and
radiofrequency. In addition, the article offers strategies for
safely using ID bands in your organization.
Medication Station: AHRQ Study Finds Inappropriate
Medication Prescribing in Elderly Patients - Using a
predetermined list of drugs to be avoided in elderly
populations, an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
study found that 21% of the patients studied filled a
prescription for one or more of the potentially inappropriate
drugs. This article briefly discusses the resolution of this
problem, offering tips for overcoming this medication challenge.
Q & A:
Medication Management and National Patient Safety Goals 3 and 8.
Richard Croteau, M.D., executive director for strategic
initiatives at the Joint Commission on Accreditation of
Healthcare Organizations answers questions about the medication
management-related National Patient Safety Goals.
Pouring Over the Plan: Keeping Patients Safe During a Flood
- As a credible threat to all health care organizations, floods
should be assessed as part of organizational emergency
management (EM) plans. Organizations can use the tips and
strategies in this article to help (1) create a well thought-out
EM plan, (2) successfully evacuate patients from harmful areas
or entire floors in the facility, and (3) prepare for staffing,
transportation, and supply needs during a flood.
Crafting an Effective Apology: What Clinicians Need To Know
- Most clinicians realize that offering disclosure and an
apology is the right thing to do, but many clinicians skip the
apologies altogether simply because they do not know what to say
to patients and their families. This article offers several tips
that could help clinicians deliver empathetic and effective
apologies to patients and their families, as well as a
physician’s perspective on the topic.
Joint
Commission News - Definition of Reviewable Sentinel Events
Expanded - The Joint Commission has expanded the definition of a
reviewable sentinel event to include abductions of any
individual receiving care, treatment, or services and the
suicide of any individual receiving care, treatment or services
in a staffed, round-the-clock setting or within 72 hours of
discharge.
Case
Study: Ingham Regional Medical Center Involves Patients in
the Infection Control Process - Ingham Regional Medical Center
used the Partners in Your Care program (developed by Dr.
Maryanne McGuckin at the University of Pennsylvania School of
Medicine) to involve patients and their families in helping
ensure that staff members wash their hands. Using Dr. McGuckin’s
brochure and visual aid, Ingham encouraged patients to ask staff
members about their hand hygiene compliance.
Focus
on Five: Meeting New Requirements in National Patient Safety
Goal 2: Timely Report and Receipt of Critical Tests and Results
- Critical tests and critical results must be reported directly
to a responsible licensed caregiver within time frames
established by the organization so that patients can receive
safe, high-quality care. Organizations should consider the five
strategies in this article to help make sure critical tests and
results are reported and received in a timely manner.
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Maintain safety and reduce risk in the manner that JCAHO
will respect.
JCAHO's
mission is to
continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the
public through the provision of health care accreditation and
related services that support performance improvement in health care
organizations. The
Joint Commission is an independent, not-for-profit organization,
established more than 50 years ago. Joint Commission is governed by
a board that includes physicians, nurses, and consumers. Joint
Commission sets the standards by which health care quality is
measured in America and around the world. The
Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 15,000
health care organizations and programs in the US. An independent, not-for-profit organization, the Joint Commission
is the nation's predominant standards-setting and accrediting body
in health care. Since 1951, the Joint Commission has maintained
state-of-the-art standards that focus on improving the quality and
safety of care provided by health care organizations. The Joint
Commission's comprehensive accreditation process evaluates an
organization's compliance with these standards and other
accreditation requirements.
