Efficacy of clinical laboratory: Therapeutic TAT,safety, and medical errors

Health care services rely on continued technological advances and management of the operational systems for optimum reduction of medical errors. Significant gains in health care outcomes as indicated by recorded increases in life expectancies have been achieved due to the availability and application of technological advances for medical services. The inadequacies in the application of these systems for maximum benefit of the health care systems have however been the subject of recent publications dealing with patient safety and medical errors [1], [2], [3], [4]. Estimates by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) indicate that approximately 44,000–98,000 deaths occur each year as a consequence of inadequate safety and failure to prevent errors in the health care system. This puts medical errors in the top four leading causes of deaths per the IOM report. Other studies in the USA states of Colorado, Utah, and New York suggest that medical errors occur in 2–4% of hospitalizations. The paper by Raab et al. denoted a 6.7% discrepancy between original report and secondary case review, and 5% of the discrepancies have modest to significant effect on patient care [Raab SS, Grzybicki DM, Zarbo RJ, Meier FA, Geyer SJ, Jensen C. Anatomic pathology databases and patient safety. Arch Pathol Lab Med 2005;129:459–66]. This presentation focuses on the health care safety and medical errors relative to clinical laboratory. The impact of laboratory operations with resultant delays in test turn around times (TAT) and other laboratory errors on the health care services are presented. The role of governmental (US Department of Health and Human Services) and non-governmental regulatory agencies (CAP, AACC, IFCC, CLSI, etc) in mitigating these clinical laboratory errors is discussed. The use of payment system as a mechanism for improving the quality of laboratory services is also presented to illustrate the checks and balance systems aimed at reduction of medical errors. The presentation will conclude with the recommendation that majority of the clinical laboratory delays in turn around time and other errors can be prevented with appropriate analytical systems and operational processes under the overall guidance of the right regulatory agencies.     

Medical errors,incidents, accidents and violations

Atul Gawande: 'The real problem isn't how to stop bad doctors from harming, even killing their patients. It's how to prevent good doctors from doing so.'A. Gawande: When doctors make mistakes. The New Yorker, 1st February 1999; 40-55.Errors are an integral part of human behaviour and performance, and in this respect, medical/ surgical practice is no exception. Undoubtedly medical errors account for substantial patient morbidity and mortality. The subject is complicated due to complex and at times confusing taxonomy and the lack of agreed definitions and classification of medical/ surgical errors. It is not possible to eliminate errors from clinical practice but we can improve the quality of medical care by adopting error-tolerant operating medical systems (E-TOMS) based on progress in cognitive psychology, human factors, and human reliability assessment made during the past 30 years. E-TOMS should enable detection, reporting and targeted reduction of errors, and together with effective team dynamics, good clinical governance incorporating root-cause analysis of adverse events during the delivery of health care should improve the quality of care that we can provide for our patients.     

Electronic Health Records: Patient Care and Ethical and Legal Implications for Nurse Practitioners

Electronic health records (EHRs), with their adoption incentivized as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, are now a ubiquitous part of the health care landscape. Although these systems promised to improve the quality of patient care, increase efficiency, and reduce costs, health care providers are finding that current EHRs instead require time-consuming data entry, can interfere with patient interactions, and cause medical errors. Nurse practitioners should implement practical tips and best practices for navigating and successfully using EHRs, as well as risk management strategies to ensure better patient care and avoid malpractice litigation or licensing issues.     

Medical errors,drug-related problems,and medication errors: a literature review on quality of care and cost issues

Medical errors have received a great deal of attention in recent years. The phrase medical errors is an umbrella term for all errors that occur within the health care system, including mishandled surgeries, diagnostic errors, equipment failures, and medication errors. This article is a review and discussion of the literature on the scope of medical errors, with a focus on drug-related problems and medication errors. Cost and quality ideas for addressing these issues are provided.     

Healing, medical care, and health service organizations

This paper reviews the reasons for disappointing health results from U.S. medical care, and prescribes values for health service organizations (HSOs) that will provide a foundation for better medicine. Although the United States spends more money that any other country in the world on medical care, it ranks twenty-sixth in major indicators of population health. One reason for this is inequality in income distribution and other issues relating to social justice. Lack of access to medical care and the poor quality of care that is often rendered may also damage population health. A key component in the movement for improved medical outcomes is the concept of healing care in contrast to curing disease. Patient-centered approaches such as those advocated by the Institute of Medicine to improve medical quality and reduce medical error may provide a bridge to a healing environment in HSOs. A research program on the optimal healing environment must study issues of cost, access, and quality to support successful, broad-based integration of such programs in HSOs. Key research questions on these topics are proposed.     

美国医疗风险监测预警机制现状及绩效的循证评价

目的循证评价美国医疗风险监测预警机制的经验及其对我国医疗风险监管系统建立的借鉴意义。方法检索相关数据库和网络资源,全面收集有关美国医疗风险管理、医疗差错、病人安全和安全教育等方面的文献,将文献质量按循证科学的原理和方法进行分级并分类统计。结果1999年美国医学研究所(IOM)《犯错人皆难免,构建更安全的医疗卫生系统》的报告,揭示了美国医疗差错的严重性,同时指出了问题的根源并提出了解决途径。2000年,政府指定国家质量协调特别工作组(QuIC)评估IOM报告并制订了具体的整改措施。经过5年改革,在增强公众医疗差错意识、建立病人安全中心、制定医疗安全执行标准、应用信息技术、建立差错报告系统等方面取得了一定的成绩,建立了完善的医疗风险监管机制。但在风险防范方面仍存在一定不足。结论我国在建立医疗风险监管体系时应结合自身的特点:①普及和加强公众的医疗风险、病人安全意识,支持和开展病人安全相关研究;②建立医院检查审核制度和医务人员的定期考核管理制度,重视和加强医务人员的继续教育及医学生有关医疗风险知识的在校教育;③应用循证科学的原理和方法,制定涉及医疗保健系统、采购系统、药物供应系统等各个方面相应的制度和指南,规范操作制度和管理;④利用计算机信息技术,促进医院的信息化建设和规范化管理,减少人为因素的影响;⑤在选点示范、逐步推行的同时,应用循证科学的原理和方法后效评价,止于至善。     

L’erreur médicamenteuse: nouveaux textes de loi et expériences en France

Drug error is the omission or the non-intentional realization of an act during the drug process that may harm the patient. The error may be confirmed, potential or latent. Drug errors are the most frequent among medical errors. Age (older and younger patients) and co-morbidities are the commonly reported risk factors for drug errors. Two recent French laws regarding the management of drug errors in the hospital are presented. The hospital, patient, health, territory (HPST) law (July 2009) assigns the management of quality and safety of health care to hospitals. The law focusing on the quality of drug management in hospitals (April 2011) recommends to set up a quality management system in each hospital to ensure the quality and security of drug use. In addition, a national evaluation of drug errors has been organized, allowing a direct intervention of national health authorities to modify drug presentation and labeling, if required. Two examples of drug error management processes, one in a university hospital and the other in an intensive care unit, are presented. Multidisciplinary management, absence of informant sanction, and collection of anonymous data are the reasons for the success of those systems. If a drug error is related to practices, then analysis and improvement of practices by local management are mandatory. Participation of all health professionals involved in the drug process as well as a strong commitment of hospital staff are the two essential conditions to make the drug error management process successful.     

The effects of information technology on perioperative nursing

Numerous advances in technology during the past decade require that nurses not only be knowledgeable in nursing science but that they also become educated in information technology (IT). Perioperative IT has the potential to improve the quality of health care, reduce costs, decrease medication administration errors, reduce time spent on paperwork, increase management efficacy, and allow affordable access to health care. Nursing knowledge is needed for designing, implementing, and updating software, including an electronic health record (EHR). With the support of EHR data, nurses will be able to develop best practices for patient care and support research for evidence-based practice. When a standardized terminology, such as the Perioperative Nursing Data Set, is incorporated into an EHR, consistent documentation can be shared among systems. With advances in technology, perioperative nursing roles are expanding in relation to IT requirements and nurses are pursuing additional education. In addition to traditional methods, e-learning is an effective way to provide ongoing technological education.     

Population health management with computerized patient records

CIGNA Healthcare of Arizona is using a computerized patient record system (EpicCare) for all medical care delivery at two primary care clinics. Use of this technology to improve quality of care for healthy populations and targeted groups of at-risk persons has led to population health management. This paper discusses strategies used in these endeavors.     

Quality health care in an era of limited resources. Challenges and opportunities

Quality health care is a complex phenomenon. The factors contributing to quality in health care are as varied as the strategies needed to achieve this elusive goal. This article examines the impact of medical errors, health finance (insurance), moral hazard, and provider shortages on the quality of health care today in the United States. Emphasis is given to the need to restore public trust and to create a health care system that maximizes scarce physical, fiscal, and human resources.     

Can regulation improve safety in critical care?

This article examines national and state safety practice initiatives, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services quality focus, federal and state outcomes reporting, and consumer access to outcomes data. The efforts of national and regional legislators and health care institutions to create regulations for staffing and technology to reduce medical errors is reviewed. The potential of a unified cooperative effort from all stakeholders to implement the above initiatives to improve intensive care unit safety practices is discussed.     

Second victim phenomenon: Is ‘just culture’ a reality? An integrative review

BackgroundDespite rigorous and multiple attempts to establish a culture of patient safety and a goal to decrease incidence of patient deaths in the health care, estimations of preventable mortality due to medical errors varied widely from 44,000 to 250,000 in hospital settings. This magnitude of medical errors establishes patient safety as being at the forefront of public concerns, healthcare practice and research. In addition to the potential negative impact on patients and the healthcare system, medical errors evoke intense psychological responses in health care providers' responses that threaten their personal and professional selves, and their ability to deliver high quality patient care. Studies show half of all hospital providers will suffer from second victim phenomena at least once in their careers. Health care institutions have begun a paradigm shift from blame to fairness, referred to as ‘just culture’. ‘Just culture’ better ensures that a balanced, responsible approach for both providers who err and healthcare organizations in which they practice, and shifts the focus to designing improved systems in the workplace.ObjectivesThe aim of this review was to identify: how medical errors affect health care professionals, as second victims; and how health care organizations can make ‘just culture’ a reality.DesignAn integrative review was performed using a methodical three-step search on the concept of second victims' perceptions and responses, as well as ‘just culture’ of health care institutions.ResultsA total of 42 research studies were identified involving health care professionals: 10 qualitative studies; eight mixed-method studies; and 24 quantitative studies. Second victims' perceptions of the current ‘just culture’ included: 1) fear of repercussions of reporting medical errors as a barrier; 2) supportive safety leadership is central to reducing fear of error reporting; 3) improved education on adverse event reporting, developing positive feedback when adverse events are reported, and the development of non-punitive error guidelines for health care professionals are needed; and 4) the need for development of standard operating procedures for health care facility peer-support teams.ConclusionsSecond victims' perceptions of organizational and peer support are a part of ‘just culture’. Enhanced support for second victims may improve the quality of health care, strengthen the emotional support of the health care professionals, and build relationships between health care institutions and staff. Although some programs are in place in health care institutions to support ‘just culture’ and second victims, more comprehensive programs are needed.     

Measuring satisfaction with medical case management. A quality improvement tool.

Medical case management's purpose is to improve the quality of health care and decrease medical expenses associated with high cost medical cases. Patient satisfaction can be used as a measure of the quality of medical case management. This investigation resulted in a reliable and valid questionnaire for assessing patient satisfaction and demonstrated mild satisfaction with the medical case management services of a vendor for a large manufacturer. Occupational health nurses can use this questionnaire to document the quality of medical case management that employees or their dependents are receiving and to assess the value received in conjunction with the costs incurred.     

疗养院健康体检管理中心开展优质护理服务的管理和实践

近年来疗养院健康体检管理中心开展优质护理服务,采用问卷调查的形式,了解体检客户对护理服务的意见,着重提高业务技能,重点塑造服务形象。不仅提高了护士的综合素质,也提升了体检中心的整体社会形象。     

医院感染的预防与护理管理措施

在现代医学的发展中,医院感染管理已成为医院医疗质量管理的重要组成部分,预防和控制医院感染是保障病人安全、提高医疗质量以及维护医务人员职业健康的一项重要工程。医院感染的控制尤其是外源性医院感染的控制,很大程度上取决于医务人员和病人所掌握的医院感染管理知识、健康保健知识及其技能的掌握和运用。     

Simulation et gestion de crise

Human factors characterize how individuals interact with their environments. Analysis of medical errors shows that among human factors, psychological, cognitive, and organizational features are directly related to the quality of care. Therefore, in addition to knowledge and control of technical procedures, care providers should be able to operate within a successful team aiming at developing an adapted therapeutic approach. Simulation is an effective method to train health professionals to these called “non-technical” skills. Various situations provided by simulation offer secured possibilities for training, assessment, and discussion that enable healthcare professionals to face critical situations, develop competences, and improve performance. Based on a literature review, the authors present useful data for the development and promotion of teamwork training in crisis management in simulation centres as well as critical care departments including intensive care, emergency medicine, and anaesthesia departments.     

Patient safety and human error: the big picture

For most of the past century, health care literature including many books written about health care and its quality have documented the problems of errors in health care delivery. That outcomes of care have differed significantly among hospitals has also inferred that perhaps the "best practices" or the appropriate resources may not have been used, although most of these study results have be adjusted for case mix. The Institute of Medicine's recent publication, "To Err is Human," represents their review of studies quantifying medical errors in health care and their recommendations for eliminating such errors to the extent possible. One should note that, while using the term "medical," it does not infer that all errors are made by physicians. It recommends shifting the focus of study from blaming the health providers to studying the "system" in which health care is provided, believing that most of the errors committed are not reckless but rather result from system variables. The Institute of Medicine's recommendations are broad and cover a variety of quality assurance mechanisms. It recommends mandatory reporting of these errors to a central agency via a state mechanism, with better and broader legislation to make peer review, for purposes of studying errors with a view toward making change in the system, privileged information, and not subject to subpoena. The American Medical Association and American Nurses Association, in their testimony before the US Senate Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies, on December 13, 1999, support the recommendations in general with a few reservations.     

Crisis management and medical disputes related to nursing practice

The number of medical dispute cases has been increasing, due to uncertainties about medical care quality and outcomes as well as the increased influence of consumer-centered ideology. This situation has created difficulties in the relationships between patients/family members and health care providers. This paper focuses on discussing crisis management and medical disputes as related to nursing practice. Reviewed literature was organized into four parts: understanding crisis management; crises in medical institutions; nursing practice, medical disputes and crisis management; practical implications. The information included in this paper might improve nurses' and administrators' knowledge of crisis management, enhance the implementation of crisis management strategies in medical disputes, and reduce financial losses and psychological distress resulting from inappropriate crisis management.     

Patient Participation: Current Knowledge and Applicability to Patient Safety

Patient participation is increasingly recognized as a key component in the redesign of health care processes and is advocated as a means to improve patient safety. The concept has been successfully applied to various areas of patient care, such as decision making and the management of chronic diseases. We review the origins of patient participation, discuss the published evidence on its efficacy, and summarize the factors influencing its implementation. Patient-related factors, such as acceptance of the new patient role, lack of medical knowledge, lack of confidence, comorbidity, and various sociodemographic parameters, all affect willingness to participate in the health care process. Among health care workers, the acceptance and promotion of patient participation are influenced by other issues, including the desire to maintain control, lack of time, personal beliefs, type of illness, and training in patient-caregiver relationships. Social status, specialty, ethnic origin, and the stakes involved also influence patient and health care worker acceptance. The London Declaration, endorsed by the World Health Organization World Alliance for Patient Safety, calls for a greater role for patients to improve the safety of health care worldwide. Patient participation in hand hygiene promotion among staff to prevent health care—associated infection is discussed as an illustrative example. A conceptual model including key factors that influence participation and invite patients to contribute to error prevention is proposed. Further research is essential to establish key determinants for the success of patient participation in reducing medical errors and in improving patient safety.Patient participation is a complex concept and arises from the widespread consumer movement of the 1960s that affirmed the consumer''s right to safety, the right to be informed, the right to choose, and the right to be heard.¹ During the past few years, patient participation has been increasingly recognized as a key component in the redesign of health care processes and successfully applied to some aspects of patient care, notably the decision-making process and the treatment of chronic illness. Recently, increasing patient participation has been recommended to improve patient safety. The World Health Organization (WHO) World Alliance for Patient Safety is actively highlighting the role that patients and their families could play in the improvement of health care.² However, this field of patient participation has not been widely researched thus far.We review the underlying principles and the efficacy of patient participation in decision making and self-treatment of chronic illness, as well as the potential obstacles to implementation. Building on these principles, we develop a conceptual framework for patient participation. Finally, we suggest that patient participation could be useful to improve quality of care and prevent medical errors and propose an agenda for research.     

基于信息化的化疗相关性恶心呕吐多维管理模式的构建

目的 构建基于信息化的化疗相关性恶心呕吐的多维管理模式。方法 通过查阅文献、质性访谈、专家会议法开发化疗相关性恶心呕吐症状管理微信公众号,构建基于信息化的医护患共同参与的多维管理模式。结果 建立了化疗相关性恶心呕吐的症状管理平台,包括：患者端微信公众号和医护电脑端,明确了使用方法、医护职责,确定了以症状管理平台为媒介的化疗相关性恶心呕吐的多维管理模式。结论 基于信息化的化疗相关性恶心呕吐的多维管理模式具有较强的科学性和实用性,满足了患者和医护症状管理的需求,及时发现患者有无发生化疗相关性恶心呕吐,给予对应的预防和干预措施,提高患者生活质量,保证化疗顺利进行。