“Sepsis is the body’s overwhelming response to an infection. It can occur in virtually anyone with an infection, though it’s more likely to appear among elderly individuals and those who have undergone surgery. While health care providers are broadly aware of the condition and its symptoms, it can be difficult to identify early. Sepsis can
As you may have figured out by now I follow information about the health care industry pretty closely. As a hospital CEO for seventeen years, the New York Times, Newark Star Ledger and Jersey Journal were on my desk every morning when I walked in the door. Then as an adjunct professor in two graduate
She was triaged and escorted to a treatment room. Then sat there for 45 minutes because the desk never told the doctor she was waiting, even though the ER had a computerized patient tracking system. A COMMUNICATIONS FAILURE. While standing at the treatment room door, trying to remind the staff she was there, she overheard
Recently after a doctor’s appointment I went to a nearby lab to have blood drawn for routine tests. I asked the phlebotomist to wash her hands to which she replied she already had. She had washed her hands in another room after the last patient, done some other work, come into the room, put gloves
About twenty years ago as President of LibertyHealth each of our hospitals (a medical school affiliated teaching hospital and two community hospitals) had an ICU. I was always concerned that sometimes patient acuity in one of the community hospital ICUs might have exceeded its capability and pushed for clear clinical threshholds for patient transfer to
Everyone knows, including our physicians, that proper hand washing is the most effective patient safety measure right? Your physician and other clinicians (e.g. nurses, PTs, lab techs drawing blood) should wash their hands before and after each patient, and when beforehand wash in front of the patient. Do you ask “Doctor, Did You Wash your