Dear Colleagues,
This issue of Patient Safety Link is based on the theme of Nurses and Patient Safety, and for good reason: Nurses represent the largest segment of caregivers in the health care system. In the United States alone, there are over two million registered nurses, representing more than 13 percent of American health care and social assistance workers, according to May 2005 figures from the U.S. Department of Labor.
“Using a Computerized Sign-Out System to Improve Physician–Nurse Communication” explores the incorporation of a housestaff electronic sign-out system into nursing daily workflow at Jacobi Medical Center (Bronx, NY), where 19 of 20 nurses surveyed agreed that using the resident sign-out program positively affected their ability to care for their patients. In addition, the intervention improved nurses’ understanding of the patients’ reason for admission, helped to improve communication between physicians and nurses, and raised nursing morale.
The American Pain Society estimates that 50 million Americans are partially or totally disabled by pain, and 45% of all Americans will seek treatment for persistent pain at some point in their lives. “A Nurse’s Role in Pain Assessment and Management,” discusses how organizations’ compliance with Joint Commission standards PC.8.10 (Provision of Care) and RI.2.160 (Ethics, Rights and Responsibilities)—which address pain assessment and management, respectively—is crucial to providing safe, high-quality care.
Nurses' hands-on role in the delivery of care gives them a unique opportunity and responsibility to identify the potential for sentinel events. Our monthly book excerpt—a portion of Chapter One from Front Line of Defense: The Role of Nurses in Preventing Sentinel Events, Second Edition—deals with the fundamental concepts of a nurse’s role in recognizing and avoiding sentinel events in all health care settings.
The World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Patient Safety (Solutions), the World Alliance for Patient Safety, and the Commonwealth Fund have announced its High 5s program—a seven-country collaborative project that will leverage the implementation of five standardized patient safety solutions to prevent avoidable catastrophic events in hospitals. Read more about the WHO Collaborating Centre—led by The Joint Commission and its affiliate, Joint Commission International—and High 5s later in this issue.
Does your organization have recent positive experiences with nurses and safety that you would like to share? Let us know about your success! Send an email to patientsafetylink@jcrinc.com.
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Peter B. Angood, M.D., FRCS(C), FACS, FCCM
Vice President & Chief Patient Safety Officer, The Joint Commission
Co-Director, Joint Commission International Center for Patient Safety | Laura Botwinick
Co-Director
Vice President, Joint Commission Resources
Joint Commission International Center for Patient Safety |
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