Becky T
Members-
Content Article
This blog is written in time for the WHO's World Immunisation Week. It explores vaccination programmes, in particular that for COVID-19 – it's uptake, both in the UK and globally, and the negative impact the pandemic has had on vaccination programmes for other diseases. -
Content ArticleMedications are an important component of health care, but each year their misuse results in over a million adverse drug events that lead to office and emergency room visits as well as hospitalisations and, in some cases, death. As a patient's most tangible source of information about what drug has been prescribed and how that drug is to be taken, the label on a container of prescription medication is a crucial line of defence against such medication safety problems, yet almost half of all patients misunderstand label instructions about how to take their medicines. This book, 'Standardizing Medication Labels: Confusing Patients Less', is the summary of a workshop, held in Washington, D.C. on 12 October 2007. It was organised to examine what is known about how medication container labelling affects patient safety and to discuss approaches to addressing identified problems.
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Content ArticleThe Covid-19 pandemic exposed the need to harness and leverage digital tools and technology for remote patient monitoring (RPM). This article explores the benefits of RPM for clinicians as well as how it can be changed to improve outcomes.
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Content ArticleThis article, published in the International Journal for Quality in Health Care, explores the usage of participatory engagement in patient-created and co-designed medical records for emergency admission to the hospital. It is advocated as a means to improve patient safety.
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Content ArticleThis article, published in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, explores the impact and effectiveness of patient-facing mobile health technology on patient outcomes. It concludes that these technologies can empower patients to play a more active and meaningful role in improving their outcomes, but that there is a need for better understanding of the interactions between patients, technology and health care providers.
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Content ArticleThe aim of this study, published in BMJ Quality and Safety, was to assess the role of intraoperative non-routine events and team performance on paediatric cardiac surgery outcomes. It focuses on improving methods for studying teamwork.
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Content ArticleThis article, published in BMJ Quality and Safety, examines the relationships between non-routine events, teamwork and patient outcomes in paediatric cardiac surgery. Structured observation of effective teamwork in the operating room can identify deficiencies in the system and conduct of procedures, even in otherwise successful operations. High performing teams are more resilient, displaying effective teamwork when operations become more difficult.
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Content Article'Patient Safety: The PROACT® Root Cause Analysis Approach' addresses the proactive methodologies and organisational paradigms that must change in order to support and sustain activities that promote patient safety. Written by reliability expert Robert J. Latino, this book provides a perspective on patient care from outside the health industry and culture. It teaches a proven approach that measures its effectiveness based on patient safety results, rather than compliance, and demonstrates the Return-On-Investment for using root cause analysis to reduce and/or eliminate undesirable outcomes. Addressing the contribution of human error to physical consequences, Latino explores ways to identify conditions that are more prone to result in human error.
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Content ArticleThis article, published in the American Journal of Medical Quality, examines pragmatic applications of simulation and human factors to support the Quadruple Aim of health system performance during the Covid-19 era.
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Content ArticleThis audit of the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP), published by JBara Innovation, looked at how to engage clinicians and clinical teams to learn from evidence, be accountable, and to act to improve quality as a result. It explores how those who lead data collection programmes can deliver their findings to drive action, and to lead and promote change. The attachment includes a series of quotes from various groups, including a HQIP Advisory Group member, a National Clinical Audit lead and consumers, surrounding quality improvement in the NHS.
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Content ArticleThis article, published in PLoS One, explores how occupational worker wellness and safety climate are key determinants of healthcare organisations' ability to reduce medical harm to patients while supporting their employees. A longitudinal study was carried out to evaluate the association between work environment characteristics and the patient safety climate in hospital units, and concludes that improvements in working conditions are needed for enhancing patient safety.
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Content ArticleThis article, published in BMC Health Services Research, discusses the effectiveness of using checklists as training and operational tools to assist in improving the skills of general ward staff on the rescue of patients with abnormal physiology.
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Content ArticleThis article, published in ICU Management and Practice, explores how human factors are significant contributors to drug error. To overcome some of these human factors, standardisation and consolidation is needed of agreed drugs and equipment into a compact pre-packed critical care drugs pouch (CCP) for use in non-theatre environments.
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Content ArticleThis article, published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, looks at how outsourcing in health care has become increasingly common as health system administrators seek to enhance profitability and efficiency while maintaining clinical excellence. However, outsourcing clinical services often results in lower quality patient care, including patient harm, and compromises the values of the organisation.
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Content Article
Using evidence to design cancer care facilities (2020)
Becky T posted an article in Facilities
This article, published in the American Journal of Medical Quality, explores how cancer facilities should be conceived and constructed on the basis of evidence-based design thinking and implementation. The nuts and bolts of planning and designing cancer care facilities—the physical space, the social systems, the clinical and nonclinical workflows, and all of the patient-facing services—directly influence the quality of clinical care and the overall patient experience.
