Review of Peer's blog

I read Nettie’s blog and comments regarding 'alcoholic spectrum disorder'. I always wondered, why people become so irresponsible when it comes for their health, and especially pregnant women. It is sad but very true, these women just think about their pleasure and not about their babies. I have a friend and while she was pregnant; She drank, smoked, and did everything which will harm the baby. Well, when she had her daughter, she found out her baby does not have spine and she won’t be able to sit or move around like a normal person for rest of her life. Well, the silly friend of mine did not realize what she did, but she went and sued her doctor. Finally all I wanted to say, people do some weird stuff. Thanks Nettie for bringing up this topic.

QA # 5

This week I read an article about reducing “look alike and sound alike” error. Since drug errors had affected several people, it has become a common quality issue in healthcare field. Almost every healthcare organization is trying to improve this issue by adopting many different tools. According to the article, USP is offering “Drug Error Finder” database to healthcare organization. It will help reduce organizations to reduce error and clinicians will be able to provide better healthcare to patients. This database includes more than 1500 commonly used “sound alike or look alike” drugs. This database is updated by USP and available for free to organizations. I think it is good idea to adopt this database to improve quality of organization. It is good encouragement for healthcare organizations to improve patient care and quality.
The Quality tool for this week is “buying prescription medication online” I think it is very common trend these days. Most of the online medications do not required physician’s order. It made me think that how people are sure that they are getting is a right dose of the medications; because there is difference of “UNIT” in US and rest of the world. Then medication might not be authentic because these companies are not approved by FDA. It really concerns me that on one hand we are trying improve medical error, but on other hand people are risking their lives by getting medications, without making sure about the source.

Article can be found at : http://www.psqh.com/enews/0908f.html

Comment on peer's blog

I read Kim's blog and her comment about use of latex gloves. I think every healthcare should require their clinicians to wear gloves. By not using gloves the clinicians are not only risking their lives, also risking patients lives as well. Since the bloodborne infectious diseases are so common, everybody should use precautions.This summer I went to see a doctor, more than four times, and the nurse who drew my blood, she never wore gloves. A few days ago, I went to take a TB test and the nurse did not had gloves on. I think I would perfer clinician to wear gloves, it will make me feel little safer. Kim's comment 'using glove can improve quailty' I think its truth, using gloves oftenly in healthcare will provide better customer satisfation which will lead to better quailty healthcare.

QA # 4

The AHRQ‘s quality tool for this week is “Handoff and Transitions Learning Network.” “Handoff” is patient’s transition from one facility or one provider to another. It can be inside or outside the organization. It can be change in providers, change in shifts, and change in unit before or after procedures, and discharge. According to Joint Commission, lack of communication during handoff, causes almost 70% sentinel events. Every facility should improve their handoff process to provide better healthcare to their patients. Minimizing shift handoff, more communication between providers and clinicians, using standard forms are a few ways to avoid medical error and sentinel events in hospital.
The article I chose for this week is “Clean Beds, Less-Crowded.” I choose this article because last week in class we learned about customer service in healthcare. Bed turnover is important for the healthcare organization to improve business as well as quality of performance. If the facility is small with slow bed turnover rate, it can affect facility not only financially also the organization can lose business because of customers’ unsatisfaction. The slow turnover rate will affect t organization’s admission rate and so patient is waiting period will be longer. The unsatisfied customer will more likely to go to different facility next time. I thought it was something to think about, since it will affect us by being a part of healthcare or customer of healthcare.The article can be find: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/delivery?vid=5&hid=8&sid=959500c6-eecc-4161

Commenting on Peer's blog, week 3

I read Amanda’s blog and her comments on importance of “storyboard.” I think Storyboard is such an easy way to get people’s attention. But the only way, idea of storyboard can be successful, when the whole process of a storyboard makes sense to the reader. By organizing and following some simple rules, storyboard can attract audience. Storyboard can tell the whole story of research, development, changes, or an experience in a few steps. I think when people are too busy to notice something; storyboard is a good idea to get their attention.

QA # 3

The article I read for this week is “Taking Minutes.” I chose this article because I think I had completely missed the idea and importance of this topic, and missed this question on the quiz :) ,so I decided to read little more about it. Therefore in simple words, Minutes are just simple note taking technique used in business world. The person, who is taking the minutes, should summarize the activities of the whole meeting, besides trying to write down everything. Writer should include topic of decision, idea, mission and the conclusion, members came up with. Minutes should be taken at the meeting time and can be written as rough notes. Later minutes should be neatly typed and should be kept as record.
Then, the Quality tool I chose for this week is “Reducing errors in healthcare field.” Millions of people died everyday from medical errors. It cost more than five million dollars per patient to per hospital. Mostly error occurred by wrong medications; during, after or before surgery, misdiagnosis, and many more. These errors can be avoided to save lives. Computerized ADE, reminders, and computerized protocols (used for treatment) can help healthcare to save lives and reduces medical error. This tool makes me think about the importance the EHR. I think, EHR not only will make our life easier (save us from paper records), it will also help us to save many lives as well. The real life example was discussed in HIMSS meeting this summer, where a hospital in Texas has saved many lives with ADE and reminder system.
Article and quality tool can be find at : http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/errors.htm, http://www.resourcecentre.org.uk/information/events/info_pdf/Minutes.pdf

QA # 2

The Quality tool I read for this week is “Renal Artery Stenosis Treatment.” Renal Stenosis is disease of kidney and it causes arteries to shrink. The main function of kidney is to control blood pressure and with renal disorder person can have hypertension, cardio and renal disorders. The main reason of Renal Stenosis is plaque can build up and narrow the arteries. The scary part of the whole story is, there are no symptoms for this disorder, and most of the people would not know it till last stage of disorder. The most common way of treatment is using blood pressure pill or angioplasty, and both of the treatments have many side effects as well.

The article I was interesting in for this week is “Benchmarking in Business and Health Care Settings.” Benchmarking is very important tool for quality improvement in every business, but it has very high impact in health care business. Since customers are very concern about quality of healthcare organization, benchmarking has become a part of the business. Benchmarking is used to identify “Best Practice.” It can be perform internally or externally to improve or increase quality.
Also, I reviewed Tammi Worrell‘s blog. She discussed importance of quality improvement by reviewing the article “Quality Improvement projects….” I think quality improvement is very important in every business, but it is the most important part in healthcare. When people are dealing with other people’s lives, quality can become a matter of somebody’s life. Many clinicians think that they are not responsible for the quality, but quality only can be improved by working as a team. Giving training to the clinician about quality is very good idea, and I am completely agree on that.
Article can be find at http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/412648_2