Patient Safety Commons^™

Enhancing Patient Safety: The Role Of Interdisciplinary Teams In Reducing Blood Culture Contamination, Austin Patrick Eisenberg, Fady M. Awad, Brian Watson, Mohammed Faris

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

Blood cultures are vital to diagnostic workups among many hospitalized patients, providing valuable information about bloodstream infections (BSIs), which cause roughly 250 000 deaths annually between North America and Europe. Despite advances in health care, blood culture contamination remains a substantial problem, with deleterious effects on patient mortality, patient and hospital costs, and microbial resistance. This article reviews the repercussions of blood culture contamination on the health care system and delineates evidence-based strategies to decrease contamination rates.

Methods

To reduce blood culture contamination rates, our health care facility undertook a quality improvement initiative. A task force was created, consisting …

Inpatient Falls: Epidemiology, Risk Assessment, And Prevention Measures. A Narrative Review, Taylor Locklear, Jeannie Kontos, Callaham A. Brock, Alexander B. Holland, Rachel Hemsath, Anna Deal, Shannon Leonard, Carsten Steinmetz, Saptarshi Biswas

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Patient falls are a common inpatient dilemma and comprise the largest category of preventable adverse events in hospitalized patients. These events place a clinical burden on the patient, such as increased morbidity and reduced quality of life, in addition to an economic burden on the hospital system. Fall prevention strategies have the opportunity to decrease inpatient health care costs and length of stay. Several risk factors have been identified that contribute to inpatient falls and several strategies have been identified to minimize this risk. These risk factors are typically characterized as intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic factors include characteristics such …

Preventing The Next Fall: The Power Of A Simple Checklist In Reducing Patient Falls, Ryan P. Bialaszewski, Michael Sander, Maria Hincapie, Rita Garza, Aurora Cavazos

MEDI 9331 Scholarly Activities Clinical Years

Background:
Preventable medical errors and adverse events in US hospitals are far too common and contribute to an estimated $17 billion annually in healthcare expenditures. Falls comprise the majority of these preventable adverse events and are a significant cause of increased healthcare costs, prolonged hospital stays, and patient morbidity and mortality. The average cost per hospital fall is estimated at $62,521 ($35,365 direct costs). Despite numerous preventative measures, the complexity of managing multiple interventions can lead to inconsistent application. Inspired by the success of surgical "time-out" checklists in operating rooms, we hypothesized that a standardized checklist for fall prevention could …

Physician Perspectives About The Diagnosis And Management Of Acute Chest Syndrome, Neha Bhasin, Dana Marie Leblanc, Sean Yates, Quentin Eichbaum, An Pham, Deva Sharma, Li Zhang, Elliott P. Vichinsky, Ravi Sarode

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background: Acute chest syndrome (ACS) is the leading cause of mortality, accounting for 25% of all deaths among individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD). There is a lack of evidence-based laboratory and clinical risk stratification guidelines for the diagnosis and management of ACS. Study Design and Methods: To better understand physician practices for the management of ACS in the United States, we created an ACS Working Group including hematology and transfusion medicine physicians from four different SCD treatment centers in the United States. The working group created a physician survey that included physician demographics and ACS diagnostic criteria that they …

Health Matters! Coloring And Activity Booklet (16-Pages), Your Very Favorite, Children's Health, Lorraine Sheldon, May Bressler

English

Health Matters! is a English-language health literacy resource designed for pediatric patients and their families. Written at an approximately 6th-grade reading level, it supports patient education through engaging coloring and activity pages.

This booklet version includes a smaller selection of materials from the larger Health Matters! book. Developed for use in both hospital settings and the broader community, the resource promotes learning through interactive, age-appropriate activities.

This printable PDF version contains the complete collection of activities and comprises 16 pages. The resource was commissioned by Children's Health and prepared by Your Very Favorite.

All Kinds Of People, One Caring Place (Spanish), Your Very Favorite, Children's Health

Spanish

two-pages, Spanish

Blood, Heart, And Circulation, Your Very Favorite, Children's Health

English

single-page

Brain And Nerves, Your Very Favorite, Children's Health

English

single-page

Digestive System, Your Very Favorite, Children's Health

English

single-page

Ear, Nose, And Throat, Your Very Favorite, Children's Health

English

single-page

Endocrine System, Your Very Favorite, Children's Health

English

single-page

Eyes And Vision, Your Very Favorite, Children's Health

English

single-page

Hair, Skin, And Nails, Your Very Favorite, Children's Health

English

single-page

Immune System, Your Very Favorite, Children's Health

English

single-page

Kidneys, And Urinary System, Your Very Favorite, Children's Health

English

single-page

Lungs And Breathing, Your Very Favorite, Children's Health

English

single-page

Mouth And Teeth, Your Very Favorite, Children's Health

English

single-page

Muscular System, Your Very Favorite, Children's Health

English

single-page

Reproductive System, Your Very Favorite, Children's Health

English

single-page

Skeletal System, Your Very Favorite, Children's Health

English

single-page