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The Legal Standard of Care if ED Is Understaffed
Frustrated emergency physicians want to be sure the lack of nursing staff is duly noted in the mistaken belief such a note will change the legal standard of care to which they are held. However, that documentation is ammunition for plaintiff lawyers to use against the provider, and leaves the standard of care unchanged.
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EMTALA Concerns if Patient Harm Is Linked to Staffing Shortage
It is important for administrators to understand an individual emergency physician or facility can be held liable under EMTALA, even if no one is hurt.
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Beware Venting About Staffing Problems
Emergency providers should follow proper channels for making such complaints. There may be a patient safety organization to which staff are directed to submit complaints, or the hospital could view the situation as a human resources issue.
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Inexperienced Nurses Placed in Unsafe Roles Due to Staffing Shortages
Because of staff shortages, inexperienced nurses are placed in roles that may be unsafe for patients — and for the nurses themselves.
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ED Violence Pushes Out Top Employees
While multiple factors can figure into an emergency provider’s decision to leave his or her profession, receiving threats or winding up as assault victims while on the job easily can be the final straw. Those who work in the ED say the violence in this setting is only growing worse.
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Staffing Shortages No. 1 Challenge in Healthcare
Short-staffed EDs mean patients have to wait longer for laboratory and diagnostic testing results, which could lead to delays in administering life-saving treatment.
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Better Diagnostics Equals Fewer Unnecessary Antibiotic Prescriptions
Researchers credit diagnostic stewardship as the top reason for an impressive reduction in needless antibiotic prescriptions.
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Track the Right Safety Indicators for Best Results
Risk managers can track leading indicators to assess safety improvement efforts, but there is no uniform set of leading indicators for hospitals and health systems. Knowing which indicators to track can make your risk management program more effective.
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Feds Serious About Preventing Discrimination in Telehealth
The HHS Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Justice are signaling they will take seriously any discrimination against protected classes in the delivery of telehealth services. Hospitals and health systems must make sure they are providing reasonable accommodations when needed.
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Handwashing Compliance Often Not as Good as Leaders Hope
Hand hygiene is fundamental to patient safety. But for many healthcare organizations, maintaining compliance with good handwashing practices is a challenge. Compliance seemed to improve at many facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, but some research suggests clinicians are regressing to old habits.