Joint Commission journal on quality and patient safety / Joint Commission Resources
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Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf · Jun 2011
A survey of the use of time-out protocols in emergency medicine.
Time-outs, as one of the elements of the Joint Commission Universal Protocol for Preventing Wrong Site, Wrong Procedure, and Wrong Person Surgery has been in effect since July 1, 2004. Time-outs are required by The Joint Commission for all hospital procedures regardless of location, including emergency departments (EDs). Attitudes about ED time-outs were assessed for a sample of senior emergency physicians serving in leadership roles for a national professional society. ⋯ Although the time-out requirement has been in effect since 2004, more than 1 in 10 of ED physicians in this sample ofED physician leaders were unaware of it. According to the respondents, medical errors preventable by time-outs were rare; however, time-outs may be useful for certain procedures, particularly when there is a risk of wrong-site, wrong-patient, or wrong-procedure medical errors.
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To achieve significant and sustainable statewide improvements in the safety of health care, the Washington State Hospital Association has launched a series of Safe Table Collaboratives. All 97 community hospitals in the state set ambitious goals, implement the latest medical evidence to improve care, and measure progress.
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Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf · May 2011
An interview with John H. Eichhorn. Interview by Joseph Conigliaro.
Anesthesiology, with its development of practice standards, helped create the patient safety movement, states Dr. Eichhorn, and "can continue to be the role model and to lead the way in patient safety for all of health care.
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Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf · Apr 2011
A two-pronged quality improvement training program for leaders and frontline staff.
A unique two-pronged QI training program was developed at Emory Healthcare (Atlanta), which encompasses five hospitals and a multispecialty physician practice. One two-day program, Leadership for Healthcare Improvement, is offered to leadership, and a four-month program, Practical Methods for Healthcare Improvement, is offered to frontline staff and middle managers. KNOWLEDGE ASSESSMENT: Participants in the leadership program completed self-assessments of QI competencies and pre- and postcourse QI knowledge tests. Semistructured interviews with selected participants in the practical methods program were performed to assess QI project sustainability and short-term outcomes. ⋯ This initiative shows the feasibility of implementing a broad-based in-house QI training program for multidisciplinary staff across an integrated health system. Initial assessment shows knowledge improvements and successful QI project implementations, with many projects active up to one year following the courses.
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Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf · Apr 2011
Does the Veterans Affairs depression performance measure predict quality care?
In 2000, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) instituted a performance measure to improve the quality of depression care. The measure evaluated adequacy of follow-up for depressed patients but was removed from clinic directors' performance plans in fiscal year (FY) 2009 because it had not been empirically validated. The VA depression performance measure was compared with an empirically validated model for assessing adherence to important depression treatment processes. ⋯ The highest-performing sites on the VA depression performance measure adhered to important care processes more often than did the lowest-performing sites.