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
Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) was developed in the late 1940’s by the U.S. military as a means of determining the effect of system and equipment failures. In the 1960’s, NASA refined the FMEA as a means to improve reliability of space hardware. FMEA was introduced into healthcare in the 1990’s. When properly completed, a FMEA identifies and mitigates potential risks. Continue reading
In our last article, I revealed some very unfortunate statistics- hospitals are not as safe for patients as we might have thought. As a pharmacist on the inside looking out, it is often hard to accept the facts as they are presented. These facts, unfortunately, are true. We have to change the way we think and the way we perform our work to begin changing those statistics. We also have to bring our colleagues along with us on this journey. Continue reading