Flu Season Arrived Early

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has stated that the flu season is officially under way about a month earlier than expected.

Towards the end of November, the percentage of visits to the doctor attributing to influenza-like illness (fever, sore throat, cough, or a combination) was 2.2 percent.  

This percentage matches the national baseline. Texas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama have reported high flu activity.

 This year marks the earliest flu season in almost a decade. The CDC is urging people to be vaccinated as soon as possible. It is also important to wash your hands, cover your mouth and stay home if you experience flu-like symptoms.  

Snyder and Wenner, P.C.

602-224-0005

Patient Safety Innovation

According to Becker’s Hospital Review, hospitals are being called upon to innovate and create patient safety protocols. Here are six tips that hospitals can take to drive innovation: 

1.      Create a Robust Patient Safety Program: Hospitals need to first create a structured program to encourage patient safety innovation so people can test and share ideas.

2.      Develop a Culture of Safety: The encouragement of innovation depends on a strong culture of safety in the organization.

3.      Hold People Accountable: If employees are held accountable for their actions, it will motivate them to find ways of overcoming challenges to meet goals.

4.      Pilot Programs: Piloting new projects can provide an opportunity for leaders to innovate, test new ideas and refine practices that can then be shared system-wide.

5.      Partner with Researchers: Researchers can test new theories and provide data to support new practices. 

6.      Participate in Outside Patient Safety Programs: Participating in other patient safety programs can create innovation by enabling different organizations to share their successes and failures.

Click here to learn more about how these six tips have helped one hospital.

Snyder and Wenner, P.C.

602-224-0005

 

Nurses Admitting Mistakes

Check out this article on a study that was done in Belgium:

Patient Safety Improves When Leaders Practice What They Preach

According to the research, a stronger commitment to safe practices and a reduction in the error rate takes place when nurses feel comfortable and safe admitting to their supervisors that they have made a mistake regarding a patient.  

It’s been said that United States hospitals kill at least 44,000 patients a year. Errors happen everywhere in the hospital; if nurses report the mistakes, it will ultimately lead to a reduced rate.

 

Snyder and Wenner, P.C.

602-224-0005