
12/25/2020
Best wishes to all for a happy and healthy holiday season!
The Patient Safety Authority is an independent state agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania charged with taking steps to prevent medical errors.
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Operating as usual
Best wishes to all for a happy and healthy holiday season!
Happy Holidays! And a heartfelt thank you to our healthcare workers who have been working around the clock during the pandemic. We appreciate all you do for patients every day, and we wish you and your loved ones health, safety, and joy this season.
Cathy Casares Reynolds got polio in 1954, when she was only 2 years old. Just a few years later, a vaccine for the disease had been developed and soon was being distributed in schools—too late to help her. Polio is a virus that can cause paralysis or even death, famously associated with President Franklin D. Roosevelt, but even those who survive it and recover, like Cathy, can suffer debilitating effects for the rest of their lives. Eventually she learned she had post-polio syndrome, which presents as muscle weakness and pain 40 to 50 years after contracting the disease. She hopes her story will inspire others to take the opportunity she never had: to take a vaccine to prevent a devastating disease with potentially long-term effects. “Everyone just wants to protect their kids, but there was no polio vaccine when I was a child. I wish my parents had the choice to protect me.” Read more: https://patientsafetyj.com/index.php/patientsaf/article/view/struggle-with-polio
The Philadelphia Phillies and the Patient Safety Authority are teaming up against the flu! And there’s still time for you to join the roster by getting your flu shot. Take it from Phillies alumnus Mickey Morandini and Phanatic: Getting vaccinated is easier and more important than ever this year. Check local stores, pharmacies, and hospitals for a flu clinic near you. Play it like a winner and step up to help #KnockOutTheFluPA!
This month's newsletter highlights articles, stories, interviews, and research from the December issue of our journal, PATIENT SAFETY. Read about what it was like to grow up as a survivor of polio. Study the latest data from PA about wrong-site surgeries and wrong-patient errors. Learn best practices for prone positioning treatment for respiratory disorders. Read about how to overcome racial disparities in healthcare. And more!http://patientsafety.pa.gov/newsletter/Documents/What%20You%20Need%20to%20Know%20-%20December.pdf
Don't delay! Nominations for the I AM Patient Safety Achievement Awards are due Wednesday, December 30, 2020. Read the inspiring stories of last year's winners at http://patientsafety.pa.gov/NewsAndInformation/Brochures/Pages/IAPS_2019_Winners.aspx and then share your patient hero's story with us at http://patientsafety.pa.gov/NewsAndInformation/Brochures/Pages/IAPS_home.aspx.
The December issue of PATIENT SAFETY is here! Read it now at https://patientsafetyj.com/.
Our feature story is an in-depth study of variables associated with wrong-site surgeries in PA, to understand why this “never event” continues to happen. We interviewed Queen Quet, chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation, about their history, life on the Sea Islands, racial disparities in healthcare, and other topics. We also have the latest studies, including an analysis of wrong-patient errors related to health information technology; a discussion on sepsis; a look at risks involved with using prone positioning as a treatment for ARDs; a patient perspective from a polio survivor—and much more!
Join the CDC Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity - COCA Call today at 2 p.m. EST for guidance on "Making Practical Decisions for Crisis Standards of Care at the Bedside During the COVID-19 Pandemic": https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1613403966
Healthcare professionals, we invite you to join us for another COCA Call in the COVID-19 series.
Topic: Making Practical Decisions for Crisis Standards of Care at the Bedside During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Date: Thursday, December 17, 2020
Time: 2:00 - 3:00 PM EST (**Please note time differs than 12/14)
During this COCA Call, experts from Hennepin Healthcare and Bellevue Hospital will present background on the Institute of Medicine (IOM) framework, Guideline for Establishing Crisis Standards of Care for Use in Disaster Situations, and identify how Crisis Standards of Care apply to the COVID-19 pandemic. Presenters will also highlight systems-level information sharing and coalition-level coordination activities to help clinicians plan for these potential situations and make medical decisions during a pandemic.
Please visit emergency.cdc.gov/coca/calls/2020/callinfo_121720.asp for more information. Advanced registration is not required to attend COCA Calls.
'Tis the season to bundle up when you go outside, but when you get home, don't forget to wash your hands—and anything that touches your face. Germs can hide anywhere, including your scarf, gloves, and mask! Share this helpful reminder and look for it on SEPTA trains this winter.
Montgomery County, PA
Your best protection from COVID-19 will be a combination of getting a COVID-19 vaccine, wearing a mask, staying at least 6 feet away from others, avoiding crowds, and washing your hands often.
No one tool alone is going to stop the pandemic. Learn about the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination so you’ll be ready when a vaccine is recommended: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/about-vaccines/vaccine-benefits.html
We’re looking for an Infection Preventionist to join our team! In this role, you will initiate, develop, implement, and monitor new and existing infection prevention and reduction initiatives to improve patient safety in PA. Learn more and apply today at http://patientsafety.pa.gov/PatientSafetyAuthority/Pages/Job_Openings_Links.aspx
December is National Safe Toys and Gifts Month. Remember when buying gifts for children to follow the most up-to-date toy safety guidelines set by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. For toy-buying safety tips: https://www.cpsc.gov/Safety-Education/Safety-Guides/toys-crafts/toys.
It’s National Influenza Vaccination Week! This week is another reminder that there is still time to roll your #SleeveUp and get your annual flu shot to protect yourself and your loved ones. It’s especially important for people with certain chronic conditions like asthma, heart disease, and diabetes to get vaccinated. Find a vaccination location near you: vaccinefinder.org #KnockOutTheFluPA
Pennsylvania Department of Health
🆕 Protecting Pennsylvanians: Governor Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine today announced new mitigation efforts to help stop the spread of #COVID19, effective at 12:01 am on 12/12/2020 until 8 am on 1/4/2021:
▪️ Indoor dining is prohibited; outdoor dining, take-out food service and take-out alcohol sales are permitted
▪️ Indoor gatherings/events of more than 10 people are prohibited
▪️ Outdoor gatherings/events of more than 50 persons are prohibited
▪️ In-person businesses serving the public may only operate at up to 50% capacity
▪️ Indoor operations at gyms/fitness facilities are prohibited
▪️ All in-person businesses in the entertainment industry serving the public within a building/indoor are prohibited from operation
▪️ Voluntary activities sponsored/approved by school entity's governing body or administration are suspended (may be held virtually)
▪️ All sports at K-12 public schools, nonpublic schools, private schools and club, travel, recreational, intermural + intramural sports are paused
ℹ️: https://bit.ly/3nkeoTr
If you haven't gotten your flu shot yet, it isn't too late! According to the CDC , flu activity peaks between December and February, but it can extend as late as May—so get vaccinated as soon as possible. Watch this video to see why it's so important to protecting the health of you, your family, and community, especially during the pandemic.
Let’s #KnockOutTheFluPA
In this op-ed, intensivist Dr. Natalia Solenkova says that many hospitals across the United States lack the resources to treat COVID-19 patients who require intensive care—a particular challenge for small, rural hospitals, which may have fewer than 10 ICU beds. “Also, ICU beds provide little value without qualified, well-trained staff. Yet nearly half of U.S. acute care hospitals do not have intensivists, doctors who are trained specifically to provide care to critically ill patients...” https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/89930
ICUs stretched past the breaking point
Allegheny Health Network teamed up with Marvel to create a powerful new comic book celebrating real-life heroes: nurses. Read it for free at http://ahn.org/The-Vitals.
Our nurses are our heroes. So, we partnered with Marvel to turn the stories of our real-life nurses, like Andrew Cleary, into a comic book. Read it now at AHN.org/The-Vitals. And, tag the nurse heroes you know below.
#AHNxMarvel #nurses #HealthCareHeroes
Flu vaccination can reduce the burden of flu illnesses on our medical systems so they can focus on patients with COVID-19. There’s still time to get vaccinated! Make a plan to get vaccinated during National Influenza Vaccination Week. For more information, visit: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/prevention.htm #KnockOutTheFluPA
There’s still time to nominate an individual or group for an I AM Patient Safety Achievement Award! Nominations will be accepted through Dec. 30 in the categories Ambulatory Surgical Facility, Conquering COVID-19, Focus on the Patient, Improving Diagnosis, Individual Impact—Going Above and Beyond, Long-Term Care Facility, Safety Story (Near Miss or Close Call), Transparency and Safety in Healthcare, Nationwide Warriors, and Physician’s Offices. For more info and to submit an entry, visit http://patientsafety.pa.gov/NewsAndInformation/Brochures/Pages/IAPS_home.aspx.
You have questions about the #COVID19 #vaccine, and this panel of public health experts has the answers! Register now for the webinar "Vaccines—The Realities of Next Steps" on Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 5 p.m. ET, presented by the American Public Health Association and the National Academy of Medicine: https://covid19conversations.org/webinar-registration
The views expressed on this website and in this webinar series are those of the participants and not necessarily of the participants' organizations, the American Public Health Association, or the National Academy of Medicine.
The good news: The survival rate of COVID-19 patients is higher than it was at the beginning of the pandemic. Among other reasons, this may be because healthcare providers have a better understanding of how to treat it—and because there’s less strain on hospitals than in the early days. Which leads to the bad news: The current spike in cases and hospitalizations, and consequently dwindling resources, could put us right back where we started. https://www.statnews.com/2020/11/23/hospitalized-covid-19-patients-surviving-at-higher-rates-but-surge-could-roll-back-gains/
Clinicians warn that the progress with treating Covid-19 won’t withstand what happens when crushes of patients again overwhelm hospitals.
It’s National Handwashing Awareness Week! Washing your hands properly stops the spread of COVID-19, the flu, and other illnesses. Proper #handwashing steps are wet, lather, scrub, rinse, and dry. For more info: http://patientsafety.pa.gov/PATIENTSCONSUMERS/Pages/Handwashing.aspx
The "I AM Patient Safety" award is an annual contest that recognizes and celebrates healthcare staff for their individual or collective commitment to and influences on patient safety. It is a chance for us to celebrate the things that go right each day in healthcare to make our patients safer.
We invite hospitals, ambulatory surgical facilities, birthing centers, abortion facilities, long-term care facilities, and physician offices to submit nominations of individuals or teams who have made a difference in patient safety.
http://patientsafety.pa.gov/NewsAndInformation/Brochures/Pages/IAPS_home.aspx
Since the beginning of November, COVID-19 has been on the rise in rural Pennsylvania, including Bedford, Juniata, Mifflin, Somerset, and Tioga counties. Statewide, COVID-19 cases are increasing at an alarming rate, placing higher demand on intensive care unit beds—and may exceed availability this month. In response, health officials are expanding testing to help control the spread of the virus in hard-hit communities. https://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2020/12/01/COVID-19-surge-rural-Pennsylvania-testing-AMI-Expeditionary-Healthcare/stories/202012010153
COVID-19 continues its month-long storm of rural Pennsylvania, prompting government health officials to expand coronavirus testing in some of the hardest...
Do you have an original manuscript related to preventing harm and improving patient safety? We want to see it! We are particularly interested in articles about quality improvement projects in healthcare. We do not charge submission fees, and our editors consider every submission carefully—with a quick response time and fast turnaround from acceptance to publication. Visit https://patientsafetyj.com/ for more information and to submit your work to our award-winning journal, PATIENT SAFETY.
CDC
Did you know? COVID-19 cases are rising faster in rural areas compared to urban areas. Do your part to slow the spread:
• Stay home when possible.
• Wear a mask over your mouth AND nose.
• Stay at least 6 feet apart from people who do not live in your household and avoid crowds.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
Get the facts: https://bit.ly/3bGvO6p.
Rosa María Gonzalez never dreamed of becoming a certified nursing assistant, but now she can’t dream of giving it up. The 66-year-old CNA refuses to retire from her job at the skilled nursing center at Friendship Village in Tempe, Arizona, where lots of others live in their retirement, even during the height of a pandemic that puts her at as much risk for COVID-19 as the residents she cares for. She has spent the last 14 years of her career there, a career she essentially stumbled into almost 30 years ago, when she thought she was applying to be a housekeeper at a convalescent home and got into the wrong line. Although her four children have been encouraging her for a while to retire, she says now isn’t the time, and no one at Friendship Village wants to see her go. Rosa’s story, from growing up in Mexico City to emigrating to the United States and finding love, a family, and a calling, is a heartwarming profile of a born caregiver. Read more athttp://patientsafety.pa.gov/newsletter/Documents/What%20You%20Need%20to%20Know%20-%20November%202020.pdf
In our four-part video series Telemetry Monitoring in Pennsylvania, national experts and healthcare clinicians and staff share telemetry-related challenges and how they overcame them and improved patient safety by reevaluating processes, studying data, and collaborating across disciplines. Their successes and lessons learned may be useful in your own work and organization. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwJn-tgLXAJIS5NsmypAAnXoTNJNkv0WL
In this four-part series, national experts and clinicians and staff at Pennsylvania healthcare facilities share telemetry-related challenges and how they ove...
Due to popular request from our facilities, we are extending the nomination deadline for the I AM Patient Safety Achievement Awards to Wednesday, December 30, 2020!
This is a busy time for healthcare staff, and we want everyone to have the chance to tell us about their patient safety heroes. It doesn’t take long to nominate an individual or group:
• Download our nomination packet today: http://patientsafety.pa.gov/NewsAndInformation/Brochures/Pages/IAPS_home.aspx
• All we need is 500 words or less about the person(s) or team you are nominating in a single category and their event or initiative—that’s it!
• Anyone from a Pennsylvania hospital, ambulatory surgical facility, birthing center, abortion facility, long-term care facility, or physician office is eligible.
• We also have a new category open to all 50 states: Nationwide Warriors.
• Winners will be announced in February 2021.
Thank you for everything you do for patients—now more than ever—and for helping celebrate the things that go right each day in healthcare to make patients safer.
In this video, Kathleen Sullivan, MD, PhD, chief of the Division of Allergy and Immunology at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, provides a clear and engaging overview of #COVID19, practical strategies to protect against it this winter, how the two COVID-19 #vaccine frontrunners work, and how they’ll be distributed: https://youtu.be/cDS1ddNq_iw?t=80
Our one-hour meeting included important information on three topics: 1. COVID-19 (a presentation about the disease and discussion/Q&A about the city's recent...
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The Philadelphia Phillies and the Patient Safety Authority are teaming up against the flu! And there’s still time for you to join the roster by getting your flu shot. Take it from Phillies alumnus Mickey Morandini and Phanatic: Getting vaccinated is easier and more important than ever this year. Check local stores, pharmacies, and hospitals for a flu clinic near you. Play it like a winner and step up to help #KnockOutTheFluPA!
In this video, staff at Einstein Health Einstein Healthcare Network share how they implemented a consistent battery change schedule, which showed a steep reduction in battery failures and subsequent unmonitored patients. #PatientSafetyMonitoring #ThoughtfulTelemetry Participants: Lisa Adam, MSN, RN - Director, #Telemetry and Stepdown Melissa Corliss, Monitor Technician Kelly Romano, MPH - Director, Infection Control and Patient Safety For more information and resources for telemetry monitoring, visit http://patientsafety.pa.gov/pst/Pages/Telemetry/hm.aspx#
Dr. Tejal Gandhi, IHI Senior Fellow, and Dr. Jeffrey Brady, AHRQ, co-chairs of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement - IHI's National Steering Committee for Patient Safety, discuss how the committee developed its new National Action Plan to Advance Patient Safety. Download the National Action Plan and related tools and resources at www.ihi.org/SafetyActionPlan Read more from this interview in PATIENT SAFETY: https://patientsafetyj.com/index.php/patientsaf/article/view/national-action-plan
In this video, staff at Mount Nittany Health share their robust process to ensure continuous #telemetry monitoring of a patient during interdepartmental transfers. Participants: Tiffany Cabibbo, DSc, MSN, RN - Executive Vice President, Patient Care Services, and CNO Denelle Weller, RN Jordan Robinson - Monitor Surveillance Clerk For more information and resources for telemetry monitoring, visit http://patientsafety.pa.gov/pst/Pages/Telemetry/hm.aspx #PatientSafetyMonitoring #ThoughtfulTelemetry
In this video, staff at Good Shepherd Penn Partners describe how they developed a shared mental model and approached alarm management from a multidisciplinary perspective, which resulted in a 40% decrease in alarms. Participants: Heather Cialello, RN Michelle Lockett, RN Gregory Mayro, MD - Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine Zygmunt Morawski - Manager, Respiratory Therapy Andrew Paris, MD - Pulmonary Medicine Anne Marie Pettit, MSN, RN - Nursing Professional Development Strategist Nina Renzi, BSN, RN - Manager, Patient Safety and Regulatory Affairs For more information and resources for telemetry monitoring, visit http://patientsafety.pa.gov/pst/Pages/Telemetry/hm.aspx #TelemetryMonitoring #AlarmFatigue
Dr. Tejal Gandhi, IHI Senior Fellow, and Dr. Jeffrey Brady, AHRQ, co-chairs of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement - IHI's National Steering Committee for Patient Safety, discuss why now is the time to release a new National Action Plan to Advance Patient Safety. Download the National Action Plan and related tools and resources at www.ihi.org/SafetyActionPlan Read more from this interview in PATIENT SAFETY: https://patientsafetyj.com/index.php/patientsaf/article/view/national-action-plan
In this video, national experts share how to strike a balance between leveraging #telemetry alerts without overloading staff, how to make alarms actionable, and what's next in this field. Participants: Kristin Sandau, PhD, RN - Professor of Nursing, Bethel University, Chair of the 2017 AHA Committee's "Update to Practice Standards for ECG Monitoring in the Hospital Setting" Marjorie Funk, PhD, RN - Professor Emerita, Yale University, Co-Chair of the 2017 AHA Committee's "Update to Practice Standards for ECG Monitoring in the Hospital Setting" Rakesh Gopinathannair, MD, MA - Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology Laboratories, Kansas City Heart Rhythm Institute Dan Cantillon, MD - Cardiovascular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Regina Hoffman, MBA, RN - Executive Director, Patient Safety Authority For more information and resources for telemetry monitoring, visit http://patientsafety.pa.gov/pst/Pages/Telemetry/hm.aspx #TelemetryMonitoring #AlarmFatigue
Have you been suffering #alarmfatigue? Clinicians rely on #TelemetryMonitoring every day to care for patients, but it can be a double-edged sword: With more ways to track every aspect of patients’ health, come more alerts—and the risk of becoming desensitized to them. We interviewed national experts and hospital staff about how they overcame patient safety challenges related to #telemetry. Our four-part video series, Telemetry Monitoring in Pennsylvania, highlights the need to review and improve processes, and presents best practices and lessons learned, which may help guide you in your own work. For more information and resources, visit http://patientsafety.pa.gov/pst/Pages/Telemetry/hm.aspx#
Penny Hoover, BSN, RN, nurse paralegal and Continue Service Readiness (CSR) nurse consultant for Joint Commission Resources describes how the lack of care coordination during handoff increases surgical patient safety events, helps healthcare providers recognize areas in the surgical department where a lack of care coordination poses the greatest threat, and discusses how to standardize care coordination during handoff with an evidence-based communication tool.
This short video explains why everyone should get the #FluShot every year, and why it's more important now than ever—to help protect you and your loved ones from getting #influenza alongside #COVID19. #KnockOutTheFluPA #vaccination
Last week the Institute for Healthcare Improvement - IHI's National Steering Committee for Patient Safety (NSC) released a new National Action Plan to help healthcare leaders, organizations, and associations make significant progress toward safer care and reduced harm for patients. Here, NSC co-chairs Dr. Tejal Gandhi and Dr. Jeff Brady describe the guiding document for clinicians and patients. Read more from their interview in the September 2020 issue of PATIENT SAFETY (https://patientsafetyj.com/index.php/patientsaf/article/view/national-action-plan) and download the National Action Plan at www.ihi.org/SafetyActionPlan.
Jeffrey Bomba, MBA, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patient care manager, AHN Jefferson, and Irma D’Antonio, MSN, manager of nursing quality and patient experience, AHN Jefferson, share their experience treating the first COVID-19-positive patient in Western Pennsylvania. As the world was still beginning to grapple with the new virus, the Jefferson Hospital ICU team dynamically shifted operations to overcome the pandemic-induced care gaps, including leveraging telemedicine to ensure consistent around-the-clock intensivist coverage. The team also incorporated strategies learned by other facilities treating COVID-19 patients. These interventions decreased length of stay and improved patient outcomes. In addition, their innovative use of mobile device technology allowed patients and families to connect safely, and a dedicated team of nurses provided comfort and support through the unprecedented times.
In this webinar, our presenters identify Pennsylvania trends and themes related to maternal morbidity and mortality as reported through PA-PSRS, describe the strategies implemented by California to decrease maternal mortality rates and how to work toward sustainability, discuss the initiatives being implemented by the Pennsylvania Perinatal Quality Collaborative (PAPQC), and identify value of participation in the collaboration.
Our own JoAnn Adkins, senior infection preventionist, recently talked with Amy Kehm at Good Day PA on ABC27 about the dangers of hand sanitizer products that contain #methanol. (Since this recording, the number of products on the FDA’s watch list have increased from nine to nearly 90.) JoAnn cautions people to read the label—safe and effective #handsanitizers must contain at least 60% ethyl alcohol (ethanol). You also should supervise kids when they use hand sanitizer to make sure they don’t ingest it. And although hand sanitizers are a good substitute in the absence of soap and water, #handwashing is the best way to prevent spreading germs: use soap, lather for 20 seconds, rinse with warm water, and dry with a paper towel.
Pneumonia is the second most common cause of infection in long-term care residents. It carries a high mortality rate among residents and is a major cause of hospital transfer. Aspiration and failure of the body’s defense mechanisms is the major risk factor for the development of pneumonia among residents. The Patient Safety Authority offers many valuable educational tools to assist you in preventing infection and promoting resident safety. This webinar focuses on the poster Preventing Non-ventilator Healthcare Acquired Pneumonia which highlights aspiration prevention and good pulmonary hygiene.
Tony Salvatore, MA, director of suicide prevention at Montgomery County Emergency Service (MCES), describes incidence and rates of suicide among elders in Pennsylvania, risk and protective factors for elder suicide, current concepts of suicide as applied to elders, and measures for reducing suicide risk of elders in healthcare settings.
Ann E. Miller, MSN, RN, senior patient safety specialist at UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside, describes the value a Culture of Safety Survey brings to a healthcare organization, discusses three successful initiatives that enhance the safety culture, and identifies an initiative that you can implement in your area to improve the safety culture
Improving quality and patient safety is hard work. In fact, at times the work can seem like drudgery or like we are pushing a boulder up a steep hill. The personal toll for those who are the “helpers” of healthcare (à la Fred Rogers) can be overwhelming, tiring, and depressing. You are a person first—before you are a health professional. In this webinar, Diane C. Frndak, PhD, MBA, and Holly Hampe, DSc, MHA, assistant professors of health services administration leadership at Robert Morris University, focus on the science of flourishing as a heart-centered journey creating a real-time community of like-minded people. They introduce key positive psychology skills for creating greater happiness and well-being, such as mindfulness, gratitude, strengths, flow, humor, positivity, stress management, and resilience. This session is a breath of fresh air and an act of self-care for the self-identified FRAZZLED.
SaraKay Smullens and Dr. Stanton Smullens will answer your questions about COVID-19 and the toll it has taken on our mental health, and how you can help yourself or a loved one get through these unprecedented times.
In this webinar from May 14, 2020, Carol VanZile, LCSW, director of behavioral health regulatory compliance accreditation at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital, identifies environmental risks of suicide and safety in hospitals, measures to mitigate ligature risk, and ways to increase staff confidence in treating behavioral health patients.
Members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community have long described experiencing stigma, and lack awareness and education about their needs in healthcare environments. Delay or lack of treatment for medical and psychiatric symptoms is a patient safety issue that can lead to poor patient outcomes. In this webinar, we invited Adrian Shanker, executive director of Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center and editor of recently published Bodies and Barriers: Queer Activists on Health (PM Press, March 2020), to discuss the importance of listening to LGBTQ patient experiences and steps healthcare facilities can take to provide a safe, inclusive environment.
With recent awareness of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) and other COVID-19–related health issues, many parents, healthcare workers, and daycare teachers are understandably concerned about how to keep kids and staff safe in childcare facilities. In this new webinar, PSA experts share some simple but important strategies to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, including how to screen children for symptoms, daily infection prevention actions for staff, and hand hygiene best practices.
As part of their ongoing support to Pennsylvania facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, PSA senior infection preventionists JoAnn Adkins and Terri Lee Roberts recently hosted a series of “Ask an Infection Preventionist” webinars. In this first installment, they address some common questions, such as “What are the differences between social distancing, quarantine, and isolation?” and “How do you clean/disinfect/sterilize a mask?” They also shared important COVID-19 and infection prevention resources to help keep you and your patients healthy.
This morning, Dr. Stanton Smullens, board chair of the Patient Safety Authority, spoke with PHL17 about clinician burnout, how it has been amplified by the #COVID19 pandemic, and four strategies everyone—especially frontline healthcare workers—can use to protect their mental health during this difficult time.
Invasive group A Streptococcus (iGAS) can cause severe, life-threatening illness among the elderly, particularly long-term care (LTC) residents. The incidence of iGAS infection is higher among long-term care residents than among community members of the same age, and residents who develop iGAS infections have significant morbidity and mortality risk due to advanced age, close living conditions, and comorbidities (e.g., diabetes, cardiovascular disease). Outbreaks of iGAS in LTC facilities in the United States and Canada have mortality rates of 8% to 40%. Because of the potential severity of illness, even a single case of iGAS requires public health action. In this webinar, JoAnn Adkins, BSN, RN, senior infection preventionist at the Patient Safety Authority, discusses the incidence of iGAS in Pennsylvania LTC facilities and ways to prevent the spread in a facility.
"What is the Patient Safety Authority doing about #COVID19 and are they still available to provide education?" Recorded 3/11/2020 #askpatientsafety
Should your employer consider remote working for its employees? Recorded 3/11/2020 #askpatientsafety #COVID19 #coronavirus
What can healthcare providers and systems do to prepare for and minimize the risk of #COVID19? #askpatientsafety Recorded 3/11
What are the symptoms of COVID-19 and should I go to the hospital if I have them? #askpatientsafety #coronavirus
The concept of "lean" is all about maximizing customer value while minimizing waste—creating more value for customers with fewer resources. But what does that have to do with healthcare? Find out in this webinar! Michael Hogan, lean master and lean design specialist for the Business Improvement Group, LLC., identifies lean design methods to improve process and flow for positive patient safety outcomes and satisfaction. And Wendy S. Fitts, MHA, BSN, director of quality at Penn Medicine–Lancaster General Health, discusses how lean management systems promote safe and reliable care, and how the use of data improves patient safety and quality investigations.
The Pennsylvania legislature established the Patient Safety Authority in 2002 to provide statewide guidance and support to protect the 47 million patients who entrust Pennsylvania healthcare facilities with their lives each year. Seventeen years later, the Authority still is the only independent state agency of its kind in the United States.
The Authority’s vision is “safe healthcare for all patients,” which it strives to achieve by collecting and analyzing patient safety information, developing solutions to patient safety issues, and sharing this information through education and collaboration.
Pennsylvania Act 13 of 2002, the Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error (MCARE) Act, requires all state hospitals, ambulatory surgical facilities, birthing centers, and certain abortion facilities to report all incidents of harm, real or potential, to the Authority via the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System (PA-PSRS), a confidential, online system—the largest event reporting database in the United States and one of the largest in the world.
The Authority analyzes and evaluates all reports submitted to PA-PSRS and makes recommendations for changes in healthcare practices and procedures which may improve patient safety in Pennsylvania facilities. The Authority's role is nonpunitive and is distinguished from the role of other state agencies involved in licensing healthcare facilities or individual providers.
The Authority operates from the Patient Safety Trust Fund, a dedicated Pennsylvania Treasury account, which is administered by the Authority and is independent of the Commonwealth General Fund. Patient Safety is fully supported by this fund.
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