Editor's Note Findings published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons show how a standardized handoff protocol can improve OR communication and reduce the risk of error, Medical Xpress reported on June 19. The study focused specifically on SHRIMPS, a standardized handoff protocol developed by the quality improvement…

Read More

Editor's Note According to the annual Sentinel Event Data Report, The Joint Commission received 1,411 reports of sentinel events—an event not related to the natural course of an illness or condition that causes severe harm, permanent harm or death—in 2023. Of that total, 96% of events were voluntary self-reported by…

Read More

Editor's Note Released May 1, the most recent Leapfrog Group hospital patient safety grades reflect declines in preventable healthcare-associated infections and improvements in patient’s hospital experiences since fall 2023. Leapfrog, a nonprofit, releases its Hospital Safety Grades report biannually, assigning traditional letter grades to nearly 3,000 general hospitals based on…

Read More

Editor's Note Healthcare workers in Kentucky will become the first in the country to gain protection from criminal prosecution for medical errors, WKYT reported April 30. Passed unanimously by both chambers of the Kentucky legislature and signed by Gov. Andy Beshear in March, the law was championed by the Kentucky…

Read More

From integrating new technology to navigating shifts in care delivery and mitigating burnout, the most pressing challenges for healthcare organizations tend to be multifaceted problems that demand multifaceted solutions. For evidence of that, look no further than the Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns 2024 list from ECRI. For every risk…

Read More

What is the purpose of the top 10 health technology hazards list, released every year by ECRI? “Our number one goal at ECRI is to reduce preventable harm,” stresses Jason Launders, MSC, former director of operations, device evaluation, at ECRI. “We know that every healthcare provider has a lot they…

Read More

Editor’s Note An investigation by the nonprofit organization ProPublica and the Capital Forum revealed many doctors with a history of malpractice cases now serve as insurance company medical directors—a role with major influence on decisions that impact patient outcomes. According to a December 15 article in ProPublica, the organizations used…

Read More

Editor's Note This Canadian study finds that nurses who received 40 minutes of bright light exposure before their night shifts had reduced fatigue and committed fewer errors at work. Researchers at the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, enlisted 57 nurses who were on a rotating schedule of both day and…

Read More

Editor's Note The American Nurses Association and Tennessee Nurses Association, on March 25, released a statement saying that the conviction of a former Vanderbilt University Medical Center nurse because of a fatal medication error made in 2017 sets a dangerous precedent. In the statement, they said: “We are deeply distressed…

Read More

Editor's Note The Joint Commission recently released a Sentinel Event Data summary that includes a 2021 update and the 10 most common sentinel events reported to the accreditation body last year, the February 22 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. Only a small portion of all sentinel events are reported to The…

Read More