Drs. Wachter and Shekelle and Battles agree that much of the difficulty with patient safety practices is rooted in healthcare system cultures. Each uses different terms to describe the roadblock, as Dr. Wachter discusses implementation science and Battles highlights the difference between the technical work of PSPs and their “social adoption.” But all concur that unless PSPs are committed for the long haul, implementation might be little more than lip service.
“It’s a responsibility of the CEO, the CMO, the CNO, and environmental services, all the way down,” Battles says. “You have to develop around these practices the shared ownership of the risk you’re trying to mitigate. Otherwise, this list of practices, OK, it’s a nice list. But you’ve got to say, ‘What are the risks and hazards to my organization, and how can I apply these evidence practices to the problem?’” TH
Richard Quinn is a freelance writer in New Jersey.
10 Recommendations for Hospitalists
The following patient-safety practices (PSPs) were dubbed “strongly encouraged” in the AHRQ evidence report:
- Preoperative checklists and anesthesia checklists to prevent operative and post-operative events.
- Bundles that include checklists to prevent central-line-associated bloodstream infections.
- Interventions to reduce urinary catheter use, including catheter reminders, stop orders, or nurse-initiated removal protocols.
- Bundles that include head-of-bed elevation, sedation vacations, oral care with chlorhexidine, and subglottic-suctioning endotracheal tubes to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia.
- Hand hygiene.
- “Do Not Use” list for hazardous abbreviations.
- Multicomponent interventions to reduce pressure ulcers.
- Barrier precautions to prevent healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).
- Use of real-time ultrasound for central line placement.
- Interventions to improve prophylaxis for VTE.