I-PASS Patient Safety Institute

Thanks to an amazing team of Patient Safety advocates!

Heather Riah, Christopher Landrigan, Barry Wolfield, and Manoj Kumar are providing an outstanding discussion on the impact of big data and MPL yielding insight into risk and improving at MPL Association Conference. Don't forget to stop by the Candello Booth to speak with the panelists starting at 3:15PM!

In an effort to prioritize patient safety, a coalition of stakeholders is recommending the formation of a national patient safety board to help reform patient safety within the nation’s hospitals. This coalition would aim to analyze national data, study potential solutions and make recommendations that integrate healthcare safety science into the daily work of institutions.

Patient safety advocates want new government agency to curb patient harms Revived efforts for a national patient safety board would build a stronger framework for reducing harm within hospitals, stakeholders hope.

When clinical teams aren’t effectively communicating, medical errors, patient injuries, and medical malpractice can occur. To combat these risks, hospitals like Englewood Community Hospital have set their focus on handoff communication and implemented specific communication requirements for department to department or clinician to clinician patient handoffs. The result? Englewood has received 18 consecutive “A” ratings from Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades.

Huddles, Handoffs, and Heedfulness are Key to Preventing Harm to Patients Careful communication is the top tool for creating a culture of patient safety, CNO Andrea Truex says.

In 2018, the quality and safety team at Riley Children's Health identified communication as an area for improvement after finding that 72% of serious safety events were caused by poor communication. Enlisting the help of the I-PASS team to implement a multidisciplinary approach to handoffs throughout the hospital, Riley Children's Hospital saw a 27% decrease in handoff errors. From improving the efficiency of their handoffs to standardizing clinician communication, the I-PASS methodology had a positive impact on patient care.

Standardize Responsibility Transfers to Improve Efficiency and Reliability It is no secret that poor communication contributes to errors in health care.  According to the Child Health Patient Safety Organization (Child Health PSO) more than half of participating hospitals reported failures in communication (e.g., handoffs/handovers, diagnostic timeouts, escalation plans)....

In recognition of National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ)'s Healthcare Quality Week, we’re celebrating the positive impact healthcare quality professionals have on the industry. At I-PASS, we understand that better patient outcomes and enhanced patient care has a direct correlation with quality care transitions. As healthcare quality professionals, we take great pride in advancing patient care. Learn more about our path to zero patient harm: https://hubs.la/H0ZWrZr0

Currently and post-pandemic, handoffs and transitions in care are foundational to patient safety. That’s why we’re recognizing NICU nurses and health systems leaders at Hawaii Pacific Health (HPH) who worked with I-PASS to transform the healthcare network’s quality and safety behaviors while improving clinical outcomes in the process. Read our latest blog to see how the I-PASS method delivered significant reductions in minor harm and major harm numbers, medication errors related to communication, and overtime at HPH:

Hawaii Pacific Health Case Study: Five Key Takeaways to a Successful I-PASS Implementation Five Key Takeaways to a Successful I-PASS Implementation

We’re excited to be attending the 2021 ASHRM Conference in San Antonio, TX. At the conference, Dr. Chris Landrigan, Co-Founder of the I-PASS Institute and Chief of General Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital, will be presenting on the topic of “Tackling the Harm and High Malpractice Costs of Handoffs: Effective Implementation of the I-PASS Program." If you’re attending the conference, stop by our booth to learn more about how I-PASS’s high-reliability handoff solution can improve patient safety and reduce medical malpractice expenses at your organization. Hope to see you there!

This week, our team had the opportunity to connect in person. It was great to brainstorm, collaborate and enjoy each other's company beyond the virtual environment. Already looking forward to our next gathering!

While the pandemic has magnified the underlying mental health crisis in healthcare, industry executives hope that COVID-19 has positively impacted discourse around the importance of mental health of clinicians. Taking it a step further, healthcare executives should prioritize wellness programs to lower the risk of adverse outcomes linked to medical errors related to burnout.

Healthcare workers are humans first, employees second COVID-19 has made an indelible mark on healthcare employees, personally and professionally, and health systems need to adapt accordingly, experts said.

As the largest segment of the healthcare workforce, nurses shoulder some of the most significant industry challenges such as high stress work environments, inadequate staffing, and burnout. Technology can play a significant role in managing workloads, therefore alleviating burnout, creating better work environments, and enhancing patient care.

Nurses Positioned to be the Drivers of the Healthcare Industry's Evolution Specialization, new staffing models, and more are creating care teams that look different than ever before.

I-PASS is proud to celebrate World Patient Safety Day.

As a clinical leader in patient safety, we focus on improving miscommunication caused by unstructured handoffs which often lead to adverse patient events. Through our proven methodology and technology, we hope to advance our mission in improving patient safety throughout all medical settings.

The NAHQ NEXT 2021 virtual conference is quickly approaching. If you plan to attend the conference, check out a session featuring I-PASS, “Improving Emergency Department Change-of-Shift Transitions Using a Standardized Communication Tool.” Hear from William G. Fernandez at Health San Antonio about the case for improving and standardizing handoff communications using the I-PASS methodology.

Event - My NAHQ NAHQ NEXT is the NEXT conference you need to attend! It's the only event designed exclusively for the healthcare quality profession. Whether you're new to healthcare or a seasoned pro, attending NAHQ NEXT will help you remain current on quality topics. It'll also give you a strategic advantage as yo...