The Ochsner journal
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The Ochsner journal · Jan 2013
ReviewHouse Staff Quality Council: One Institution's Experience to Integrate Resident Involvement in Patient Care Improvement Initiatives.
Residents and fellows perform a large portion of the hands-on patient care in tertiary referral centers. As frontline providers, they are well suited to identify quality and patient safety issues. As payment reform shifts hospitals to a fee-for-value-type system with reimbursement contingent on quality outcomes, preventive health, and patient satisfaction, house staff must be intimately involved in identifying and solving care delivery problems related to quality, outcomes, and patient safety. Many challenges exist in integrating house staff into the quality improvement infrastructure; these challenges may ideally be managed by the development of a house staff quality council (HSQC). ⋯ Academic medical centers should consider establishing HSQCs to align institutional quality goals with residency training and medical education.
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The Ochsner journal · Jan 2013
Effective use of bronchial blockers in lung isolation surgery: an analysis of 130 cases.
One-lung ventilation (OLV) is necessary for selected surgical settings and medical conditions. Different methods have been described and used to isolate 1 lung, including the double-lumen endotracheal tube (DLT) and a variety of bronchial blockers (BBs). This selection is often based on the preferences and experiences of the anesthesiologist and surgeon. Complications associated with OLV isolation tubes have been previously described, but complications specifically associated with the Cohen BB (CBB) (Cook Medical, Bloomington, IN) have not been investigated. The purpose of this retrospective review was to determine the incidence of vocal cord injury, tracheobronchial injury, and hoarseness in adult patients who underwent OLV with the CBB. ⋯ This study demonstrates that the use of CBB can be successful in a wide variety of thoracic operations, has minimal complications, eliminates the need for tracheal tube exchange when postoperative mechanical ventilation is required, and effectively isolates the lungs of critically ill patients.
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The Ochsner journal · Jan 2013
ReviewBasic concepts in opioid prescribing and current concepts of opioid-mediated effects on driving.
Many patients with chronic pain receive substandard analgesic therapy. Incomplete or inadequate care often stems from physician fears of patient addiction and/or drug toxicity. As a result, many chronic pain patients are undertreated and have unrelieved pain that tempts them to overuse or to abuse prescribed pharmacologic treatments. In the last few years, educational efforts have targeted physicians who treat chronic, nonmalignant pain with information to improve prescribing strategies and to appreciate side effects. Additionally, opioid prescribing guidelines and educational programs, including World Health Organization-published guidelines for the management of cancer pain in 1986 and the American Pain Society's promotion of pain as the 5(th) vital sign, have increased the propensity of pharmacists, physicians, and pain specialists to dispense pain treatments. ⋯ With additional appreciation for the untoward effects of chronic analgesia and a better understanding of opioid pharmacology, physicians can utilize pain management treatments in a safer and more effective manner.
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The Ochsner journal · Jan 2013
ReviewCare transitions in anticoagulation management for patients with atrial fibrillation: an emphasis on safety.
Thromboprophylaxis with oral anticoagulants is an important but underused element of atrial fibrillation (AF) treatment. Reduction of stroke risk by anticoagulants comes at the price of bleeding risk. Patients with AF receiving anticoagulants require heightened attention with transition from one care setting to another. ⋯ Patient education is critically important with all anticoagulants. Close adherence to the prescribed regimen, regular international normalized ratio testing for warfarin, and understanding the stroke risk conferred by AF and aging are goals for all patients receiving oral anticoagulants. Detailed handoff from the hospitalist to the patient's primary care physician is required for good continuity of care. Monitoring by an anticoagulation clinic is the best arrangement for most patients. The elderly, particularly frail or debilitated patients who are transferring to long-term care, need a detailed transfer of information between settings, education for the patient and family, and medication reconciliation. Communication and coordination of care among outpatient, emergency, inpatient, subacute, and long-term care settings are vital in patients with AF who are receiving anticoagulants to balance stroke prevention and bleeding risk.
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The Ochsner journal · Jan 2013
Implementation of a surgical safety checklist: impact on surgical team perspectives.
The World Health Organization (WHO) surgical safety checklist has been shown to decrease mortality and complications and has been adopted worldwide. However, system flaws and human errors persist. Identifying provider perspectives of patient safety initiatives may identify strategies for improvement. The purpose of this study was to determine provider perspectives of surgical safety checklist implementation in an effort to improve initiatives that enhance surgical patients' safety. ⋯ Implementation of a surgical safety checklist improves perceptions of surgical safety. Barriers to implementation exist, but staff feedback may be used to enhance the sustainability and success of patient safety initiatives.