March 10, 2010 - An article by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) reminds healthcare practitioners how dangerous it can be to misread the letters and numbers on prescriptions, drug orders and medical records. Unfortunately, these mistakes are easy to make because some of the alphanumeric symbols we use look so similar.
March 9, 2010 - Events are taking place all around the country during March to raise awareness of colorectal cancer, which is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in the U.S. The American Cancer Society estimates that about 146,970 new cases and 49,920 deaths expected in 2009.
March 2, 2010 - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health has unveiled an initiative designed to accelerate the process from scientific breakthrough to the availability of new, innovative medical therapies for patients.
March 4, 2010 - The American Nurses Association (ANA), the largest nursing organization in the U.S., urges all members to lead by example in a national campaign April 16, 2010 to build awareness of the importance of completing “advance directives” for personal health care. ANA joins dozens of national, state, and community organizations in its strong support of the 3rd annual National Healthcare Decisions Day.
March 5, 2010 - A study published today in the Archives of Internal Medicine estimates that sepsis and pneumonia infections contribute to 48,000 deaths and $8.1 billion in additional hospital costs annually. Based on a national sample of hospital discharge records from 1998-2006, the study found that surgery patients who develop sepsis on average stay 11 days longer in the hospital, cost $33,000 more to treat and have a mortality rate of 19.5%, while those who develop pneumonia stay 14 days longer, cost $46,000 more to treat and have a mortality rate of 11.4%. Nancy Foster, AHA vice president for quality and patient safety, said, “This study reinforces the need for hospitals to work together to adopt successful strategies to reduce infections, such as those included in the ‘On the CUSP – Stop Bloodstream Infections’ project being led by the AHA’s Health Research & Educational Trust affiliate, the Michigan Health & Hospital Association, and researchers at Johns Hopkins.”
March 8, 2010 - The Joint Commission is marking National Patient Safety Awareness Week from March 7-13 by helping patients and their families become better informed and more involved in their health care with a patient safety quiz.
March 8, 2010 - Starting March 8, 2010, The World’s Leading Authorities on Women’s Health and Wellness will converge online for 10 days to tackle the most pressing issues facing women today.