“We need help with our audit program”. “Our internal auditing is expensive and leadership wants it to show value”. And finally, “Our auditors will audit where they know they’ll find the known problems”.
These are quotes that we hear routinely with DNVGL hospitals. These statements are coming from the individuals who are in charge of the audit program, the internal auditors, and of course, leadership. Continue reading
“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”
―George Bernard Shaw
On January 13th, 1982, an Air Florida passenger jet crashed into the 14th Street Bridge after takeoff from Washington National Airport, killing 74 passengers on the plane and 4 people in their vehicles on the bridge. After reviewing the flight data recorder, it was discovered that the first officer had repeatedly told the captain that something wasn’t right at takeoff and was rebuffed. Instead of assertively repeating his concerns, the first officer finally agreed with the captain that everything was normal. Continue reading
This week I read in Forbes that a new study (published in October 2015 issue of Anesthesiology) finds that medication errors occur in one-half (50%) of all surgeries. This incorporates the perioperative, surgery and postoperative periods. The data continues to support the cold reality that as healthcare providers, we must change to protect our patients. Continue reading
Hospitals that conform or certify to ISO 9001 (specifically those in the DNV-GL Healthcare accreditation scheme) are aware of the recent revision to ISO 9001. This 2015 version introduces a new term, “risk-based thinking”, that is raising eyebrows and causing ire in some circles. The main source of this ire is the fact that risk-based thinking is not defined in ISO 9001:2015 or in the associated standard ISO 9000:2015, “Fundamentals and Vocabulary”. Continue reading
Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) are utilized extensively in our hospitals in an effort to mitigate risk and help create a safer environment for our patients. As discussed in my last article, the completion of the FMEA is often times a pencil-whipping exercise. Continue reading