The Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare announced its new Hand-off Communications Targeted Solutions Tool in June 2012. The tool will assist organizations with the process of passing patient care information from one caregiver to another to prevent miscommunication. Organizations piloting the tool reduced readmissions by 50% and reduced by…

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The rate of depression in hospital–employed nurses, at 18%, is twice the rate of the general population, finds a study. Body mass index, job satisfaction, number of health problems, mental well-being, and health-related productivity were significantly related to depression in the survey of 1,171 RNs. Advanced practice nurses and nurse…

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  Readmission of patients who develop surgical site infections (SSIs) after total knee and hip replacement is common, adding more than $65 million to health care costs annually, in a new study. “We found that the impact of these infections is not only significant and profound in the immediate diagnosis…

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Three ambulances are headed for the hospital with victims of a multivehicle accident. A fourth ambulance is also en route carrying a 52-year-old man with chest pain. Calls come in from the EMS team, which begins streaming real-time vital signs and diagnostic information to the ED. Realizing multiple critically injured…

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There are good reasons to think about how patients experience your OR and your facility. It isn’t about private rooms and better food. The quality of their experience is fundamental to keeping patients safe. A new analysis from HealthGrades finds hospitals with the highest ratings for nurse and physician communications…

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Is your spark flickering? Maybe it’s dimmed in the face of the endless reports, e-mails, and urgent meetings you face every week. The to-do list seems endless. Next week’s priorities are overtaking this week’s, and they all seem to be in the wrong order. Connie Merritt, BSN, RN, PHN, is…

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First of 3 articles on applying Lean management to turnover time. Sinai Hospital of Baltimore faced a challenge. The block schedule was maxed out, even though new ORs had been added. There was a need to eke out every available minute. Despite efforts to improve turnover time, it had plateaued…

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Second of 3 articles on applying Lean management to turnover time.   Efforts to weed waste from turnover time quickly took root in one 10-OR department. Within about a month after OR staff and certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) embraced the new process, turnover time decreased from about 26 minutes…

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