Personal Health Records

To keep track of all of your health information, make your own personal health record.

What should be included? Start here:

• Your name, date of birth, emergency contact information, and blood type
• Major illnesses and surgeries, with dates
• Date of last physical exam
• Dates and results of of tests and screenings
• All allergies
• Any chronic diseases
• Any history of illnesses in your family
• A list of your medications, with dosages and how long you've been taking them for

Drug Shortages

As the United States continues to face drug shortages, patient care and safety is put at risk.

Some of the most needed drugs are anesthesia medications, which are needed before, during, and sometimes after surgery.

According to the article, "In 2010, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) listed 140 medications in short supply. Even more alarming, shortages are also reported for alternative drugs in several categories."

To read the full article, click here.

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Snyder and Wenner, P.C.
602-224-0005


Photo: Flickr, Army Medicine

Perinatal Safety Initiative

According to a report made by the Journal for Healthcare Quality, a perinatal safety initiative (PSI) may be able to reduce the risk for adverse obstetric outcomes. With this, patient safety would increase, giving staff and patients a better experience.

From 2007-2009, Brian Wagner, M.D., from the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System in Great Neck, N.Y., and colleagues looked at whether implementation of a multistep, multicomponent PSI would decrease adverse outcomes. The initiatives the group took included: team training stressing communication, a program simulating high-risk obstetrical emergencies, evidence-based protocols, standardizing electronic fetal monitoring with requisite documentation of competence, and distribution of an integrated educational program among all health care providers.  

After examinations, it was found that the Adverse Outcome Index decreased from 2.0 to 0.8 percent within the first year. During the two year period, the number sustained. With this, birth trauma and rates of return to the operating room also decreased over time. Staff perceptions of safety, when it came to perinatal, dramatically improved as well.

At Snyder & Wenner we strive to keep the community safe when hospital care is involved. We have become patient safety advocates by representing patients who have been harmed from hospital error. If you know someone who has been seriously harmed from a hospital error please feel free to contact us. The Snyder & Wenner website can be accessed by clicking the "Patient Safety Advocates" tab above.

Snyder & Wenner, P.C.
602-224-0005

Speak Up

Your health and safety is important. While at the doctor's office, remember to ask questions to clarify confusion. To help prevent hospital errors, patients should remember these tips:

• Medications: always know what medications you're taking and why.
• Become educated on your diagnosis and treatment; you will most likely feel more confident about what is currently happening.
• Trusted friends or family members can serve as your advocate, making sure you are getting the correct care.
• Pay attention to the care and medication you are receiving, and that it is what your doctor talked with you about.
• If you don't understand anything that is happening or have questions, remember to speak up and talk with your health care team.

Pre-Procedure Evaluation Template

A downloadable, pre-procedure evaluation template for procedures that require moderate sedation has been made available for free by the VA National Center for Patient Safety.

The form includes areas on a patient's vital signs, past medical history, physical exam, and lab testing/consultations.

Click here to download it now!

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Snyder and Wenner, P.C.
602-224-0005

Patient Safety: Top Priority

For any health care official, patient safety should be one of their top priorities. However, it seems that patient safety remains a work-in-progess.

Here's a list of the most common patient safety risks:

•    Retained surgical items (or RSIs)
•    Surgical site infections
•    Wrong-site surgeries
•    Improper patient positioning and lifting
•    Chemical and radiological hazards
•    Improper medication labeling and administration
•    Operative and post-operative complications

It's also come to light that good communication needs to be present between officials in the operation room. Without that, as well as not following procedures and policies, patient safety is put in danger. I would venture to say that more people are harmed in hospitals because of inadequate or deficient communication than from any other cause.

For information regarding this article and patient safety, click here.

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At Snyder & Wenner we strive to keep the community safe when hospital care is involved. We have become patient safety advocates by representing patients who have been harmed from hospital error. If you know someone who has been seriously harmed from a hospital error please feel free to contact us. The Snyder & Wenner website can be accessed by clicking the "Patient Safety Advocates" tab above.

Snyder & Wenner, P.C.
602-224-0005

More Hospital Procedures = Better Patient Safety

A recent study in the journal Health Services Research found that hospitals with larger volumes of procedures have better patient safety.  

If you're scheduled for weight loss surgery or heart bypass surgery, you may want to check out how many procedures your hospital does on a yearly basis.

In the study, it was found that hospitals that have higher surgical procedures are less likely to cause unintentional injuries to patients compared to hospitals that perform them less frequently.
To find out how many procedures a hospital has done, consumers can consult with The Leapfrog Group, which is a national advocate of patient safety.

Source: Health Behavior News Service, part of the Center for Advancing Health

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At Snyder & Wenner we strive to keep the community safe when hospital care is involved. We have become patient safety advocates by representing patients who have been harmed from hospital error. If you know someone who has been seriously harmed from a hospital error please feel free to contact us. The Snyder & Wenner website can be accessed by clicking the "Patient Safety Advocates" tab above.

Snyder & Wenner, P.C.
602-224-0005