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The Safety Blog

The Safety Blog serves to highlight patient safety news, stories, and initiatives aimed at upholding our mission: safe care for every patient, every time, everywhere.

If you would like to contribute to our blog posts, please contact Steve at slevy@qualityhealth.org

Three Reasons Not to Keep a Personal Medicine List
November 4, 2014

Three Reasons Not to Keep a Personal Medicine List

by Miriam Marcus-Smith, RN, MHA Program Director, Washington Patient Safety Coalition Keeping a personal medicine list is an activity that combines two of the Washington Patient Safety Coalition’s priorities: engaging patients and families in their care, and improving medication-related safety. Here’s what should be on a medicine list, at a minimum: the name of the…

Using Antibiotics Wisely: the best weapon in the fight against “Super Bugs”
September 26, 2014

Using Antibiotics Wisely: the best weapon in the fight against “Super Bugs”

Antibiotics are the only drug where use in one patient can affect the drug’s effectiveness in another. According to the Centers for Disease Control, each year in the United States at least two million people become infected with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics … Read More.

“Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.”
September 26, 2014

“Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.”

[two_third] by Sharon I. Eloranta, MD[br] Medical Director, Quality and Safety Initiatives[br] George W. Merck/Institute for Healthcare Improvement Fellow[br] Qualis Health [br][br] These were the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in a speech to the Medical Committee for Human Rights, 1966. Many of today’s health care providers were not even born then –…

Small Towns are Ripe for Team Training
September 19, 2014

Small Towns are Ripe for Team Training

[two_third] by Jennifer Bayersdorfer, MHA[br] System Director, Clinical Effectiveness & Quality[br] Providence Health & Services [br][br] I grew up in a small rural town in northwest Wisconsin. It was the kind of town where an unplanned visit to the emergency department is followed by three calls from people who spotted your car at the hospital,…

Informed Decision-making
August 14, 2014

Informed Decision-making

Informed decision-making is one of the best ways we can be engaged patients and advocates, and this is especially true when it comes to major decisions such as considering a move to a long-term care facility for yourself or a loved one. Among other helpful resources, the experts at … Read More.

Patient Safety: An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure
August 8, 2014

Patient Safety: An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure

Benjamin Franklin knew what he was talking about. As our healthcare system faces a number of challenges, the focus is appropriately shifting toward prevention of harm. Health care costs are rising and, as a result, health care reform is well underway. To date, cost containment mechanisms have been largely focused on limiting patient access to higher cost services and medications. However, this method often leads to preventable patient harm.

Lessons From Community Coalitions
July 24, 2014

Lessons From Community Coalitions

Here is a great little article from Qualis Health. The bullets of key learnings may seem fundamental but they are profound. Three years ago, there were only a few community-based efforts in our nation that focused on improving the safe and effective movement of patients … Read More.

Lessons About Patient and Family Involvement from the NPSF Congress
July 3, 2014

Lessons About Patient and Family Involvement from the NPSF Congress

Confession is so good for the soul! As I’ve told people recently, although the focus of the Washington Patient Safety Coalition has been on improving safety for patients since its inception in 2002 – after all, we are the Washington Patient Safety Coalition — until last year we were heavily provider-centric.

Safety on the Gun Range/Safety in Health Care
July 3, 2014

Safety on the Gun Range/Safety in Health Care

I will say right off that I am not a proponent of carrying a firearm. However, I recently was at a shooting range and observed some things that struck me as very applicable to safety. The group next to us was comprised of a mom, dad, and two girls (ages 10 and 11). … Read More.

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