According to a recent RAND Corp. study, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facilities provide the same, if not better, care as non-VA hospitals. WBB Take: A common mistake by lay public, and even some healthcare workers, is to compare the highest-performing private sector medical facilities with the lowest-performing VA medical centers (VAMC). This […]
Successfully Implementing Safety Rounds
Implementation of senior executive Safety Rounds contributes to improved patient safety culture, higher employee engagement, and lower burnout in healthcare organizations. WBB Take: In today’s healthcare industry, senior executives rarely interact with front-line staff or experience the care environment. As a result, executives may lack a clear understanding of the risks, issues, and missed opportunities […]
Building a Healthcare Quality Measurement Framework
In order for Healthcare organizations to improve healthcare outcomes, and reduce risks and waste, they must develop, utilize, and manage measurement frameworks that include appropriate process, outcomes, and balancing metrics. WBB Take: To be successful and move towards becoming High Reliability Organizations (HRO), healthcare facilities should establish the necessary measurement protocols to develop and evaluate […]
Risk Factors of Leaving Against Medical Advice
According to a study published in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society, patients between the ages of 18-64 and African American and Hispanic elderly patients are at greater risk of hospital readmission due to their tendency to be discharged against medical advice (DAMA). WBB Take: While it is clear that further research is required for […]
Involving Patients in Quality Improvement
Study undertaken in 33 wards across three English NHS Trusts between May 2013 and September 2014 suggests that patients can provide insight into quality and safety, and found that 10% of patients identified a patient safety incident. Medication error was the most frequently reported incident category. WBB Take: Patients are nominally the primary intended beneficiary […]
Training Clinicians in Quality Improvement
A firm understanding of the fundamentals of Quality Improvement (QI) is necessary for physicians to play a role in strengthening the healthcare system, but medical training is already highly saturated. The Program for Improvement in Medical Education (PRIME) was used to introduce QI fundamentals to first-year medical students by guiding them to identify opportunities for […]
“Creating Efficiency in the Patient Journey”
The shift to value-based care prioritizes patient outcomes measures and emphasizes efficiency and effectiveness as measured by dimension of the patient experience. However, few healthcare organizations have sufficiently or effectively eliminated barriers to optimal patient flow and still use error-prone and inefficient paper-based systems. WBB Take: The shift to value-based care has an important and […]
Mixed Methods Research for Quality Improvement
Research data in healthcare operations is often less structured and clean than desirable, and access to healthcare workers for surveys, focus groups, and interviews is often constrained due to work environments, staff workload, and other restrictions. WBB Take: Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS) systems used in mixed methods approaches with Natural Language Processing […]
The Problem of Rare Human-Factor Quality and Safety Events
Quality and Safety issues that occur in hospitals include taking pictures of patients without their permission, homicide, and illicit drug use. These are rare events but have large impacts. WBB Take: The focus of quality management (QM) in healthcare is often on operational risks, such as variations in processes, medical errors, and low value care. […]