Information Center
Risk Management News: Healthcare and Patient Safety
Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA): Patient Safety News
A Video News Show for Health Professionals. New broadcasts monthly, with online video and transcripts.
Recalls and Safety Alerts: Warning Added to Regranex Label
A boxed warning alerting healthcare professionals to an increased risk of cancer death has been added to the labeling for Regranex (becaplermin), a topical medication used to treat certain diabetic foot and leg ulcers. Based on a review of an ea...
Recalls and Safety Alerts: Cellcept and Myfortic Linked to Birth Defects and ...
FDA is advising healthcare professionals about an increased risk of fetal harm when women become pregnant while being treated with the immunosuppressant drugs Cellcept (mycophenolate mofetil) or Myfortic (mycophenolic acid). Myfortic is approved t...
Recalls and Safety Alerts: Possible Association between TNF Blockers and Cancer
FDA has informed healthcare professionals that it is investigating a possible association between drugs that block tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and the development of lymphoma and other cancers in children and young adults. This is part of FDA's ...
Preventing Medical Errors: Danger Giving Topical Thrombin Intravascularly
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) recently warned about the dangers of accidentally giving topical thrombin intravascularly. Thrombin applied topically can help stop oozing blood and minor bleeding from capillaries and small veins. ...
Preventing Medical Errors: Potential Problems with Insulin Pens in Hospitals
In a recent article, the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) highlighted several potential safety problems when hospitals switch from multiple dose vials of insulin to insulin pens. ISMP points out that there are certain safety advant...
FDA Consumer Corner: Nonoxynol 9 Contraceptives: No Protection against HIV an...
The Food and Drug Administration wants to be sure that consumers know about new warnings on over-the-counter vaginal contraceptive products that contain the spermicide ingredient nonoxynol 9 (N9). These products include spermicidal gels, foams, film...
More Health Care and Patient Safety News
Joint Commission International Center for Patient Safety Launches New Patient Safety Practices Online Resource
The Joint commission International Center for Patient Safety announced the launch of a new "in-development" Patient Safety Practices resource on the Center's website. This beta version of the new online database offers a rich collection of practices and interventions for preventing adverse events while also soliciting user suggestions for enhancing the content and funtionality of the website.
Patient Safety Practices: An online Resource for Improving Patient Safety is available at http://www.jcipatientsafety.org/psp
FAQs for the 2006 National Safety Goals
Questions about the applicability of the National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs) and associated requirements.
JCAHO 2007 National Patient Safety Goals Implementation Expectations
Implementation expectations have been added to each requirement and appear in the same format as elements of performance (EPs) in standards. In addition, rationales have been added to some of the requirements. Organizations providing care relevant to these goals are responsible for implementing the applicable requirements or effective alternatives. Compliance with these requirements is assessed throughout the accreditation cycle, through on-site surveys, and the Periodic Performance Review (PPR).
Universal Protocol
Frequently Asked Questions about the Universal Protocol for Preventing Wrong Site, Wrong Procedure, Wrong Person Surgery
Could You Be Having Surgery in 2006? Be Ready to Communicate About Your Anesthesia
In a typical year, more than 40 million surgical procedures are performed in U.S. hospitals. The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) wants to remind patients who are facing surgery and other invasive procedures to communicate with their anesthesiologist about their anesthesia.
Health Care Risk Management Articles
Improving Surgical Site Infections Tracking
Lessons from a hospital’s two-year surveillance study could simplify the job of monitoring and documenting your post-op infection rates.
Besides the fact that most SSIs surface only after patients are long gone from your facility, surgical site infections in ambulatory surgery patients haven’t been extensively studied. The reason is simple: Traditional surveillance methods don’t let us comprehensively detect surgical site infections in ambulatory surgery. You can probably guess why.
Inside Local Anesthesia
Understanding the intricacies of dosing and side effects can help make administration safer.
Though surgical administrators often don’t deal directly with the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of local anesthetics, it wouldn’t hurt to gain an understanding of these complexities from an anesthesia provider’s perspective. Doing so will give you the ability to discuss with your providers the way local anesthesia is used in your facility and will help you set standards of care, enhancing safety.
Improving Cataract Procedures
How one surgery center benchmarked its way to improved cataract procedures.
You manage your employees, your case costs and your procedure times, and you’re not careless. Your facility turns a profit. Why compare it to other facilities? The accrediting agencies require you to, for one thing. But also, patients deserve to be treated, and staff members deserve to work, where people are striving for excellence. Competition breeds excellence, and numbers don’t lie. Benchmarking is essential.
Preventable Errors
How four wrong-site surgeries could have been avoided.
In patient safety and risk management circles, wrong-site surgery is considered one of the “never events.” Healthcare industry observers estimate, however, that as many as 4,000 wrong-site, wrong-patient or wrong-procedure incidents occur each year, not to mention an incalculable number of near-misses. Four examples of wrong-site surgeries, adapted from actual incidents, are described below. After each scenario, experts offer their views on what went wrong and what would have been the right thing to do.