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