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Reducing falls is a constant worry for risk managers, and sometimes it seems there are no new ideas. But many health care providers are finding the most success with an approach that includes a wide range of efforts, everything from special equipment and monitoring systems to making sure every employee is empowered to prevent falls.
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Automation and high-tech systems often are touted as the solution for medication errors, but the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) in Horsham, PA, is warning that you could be substituting one type of medication error for another when you use automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs).
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Problems related to automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs) include both product design flaws and human errors, according to the 2007 ADC Survey from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) in Horsham, PA. There has been some improvement since the first ADC survey in 1999, but not enough.
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Police say an employee of Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta stole jewelry from two patients in cases that garnered substantial media attention in the community.
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The Joint Commission's April 11, 2008, Sentinel Event Alert offers a number of risk reduction strategies for pediatric medication errors.
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Health care providers are taking a hard look at how to restrict the free gifts, meals, and travel from pharmaceutical companies and device manufacturers that have become a standard part of the health care business, and risk managers have a major role to play.
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While many health care providers wrangle with exactly how to monitor and restrict gifts from vendors, an influential college association has come up with a direct solution: Ban all drug and medical device companies from offering free food, gifts, travel and ghost-writing services to doctors, staff members and students in all 129 of the nation's medical colleges.
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When discussing industry relations guidelines, most of the emphasis falls on pharmaceutical companies and device manufacturers, because they are the most prominent when it comes to gifting and buying meals. But good industry relations guidelines should cover all aspects of a health care provider's operation, not just the physicians.
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The common wisdom is that states with high rates of medical malpractice cases, or those considered plaintiff-friendly, will see declining numbers of physicians and specialists in particular. But a new report suggests that might not be the case.
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The number of medical malpractice lawsuits filed in Pennsylvania declined for a third consecutive year in 2007, according to figures released recently by the state Supreme Court.
