This poster describes the specifics of the first year's progress in the multi-year effort to become the safest place to get medication in the U.S. The routine use of 16 best practices to prevent adverse drug events across the six CareGroup hospitals has increased more than eight-fold, as shown by a scorecard and a run chart of adoptions of best practices over time. Operational definitions of the 16 best practices are shown. Summaries of six of the first tangible, measured improvements in patient safety--one at each hospital--are portrayed.
One project doubled the fraction of heparinized inpatients who reached the therapeutic range of anti-coagulation within a day. Another reduced adverse events associated with paitent controlled analgesia (PCA) by 70%. A third greatly reduced look-alike/sound-alike errors. A forth prevents excessive dosages of high-risk drugs through computerized alerts. The fifth greatly reduced adverse events associated with coumadin. The sixth reports a variety of measured improvements.
Recommendations are made, based on a map of the speed of our implementation of best practices by type, to guide those who contemplate similiar efforts.
Learning Objectives: List 16 best practices to prevent adverse drug events. Demonstrate six tangible, measured improvements in patient safety in a hospital setting
Keywords: Health Care Quality, Drug Safety
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: CareGroup Hospitals
Melior Consulting Group
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Employment