Commenting on Allison!

I Think Allison had a very good point that you should not try to begin another QI project until the one you are working on is complete. It seems that you would not be able to focus as much time and actually improve the quality of whatever project you are working in if your focus is in other areas. I also think that we should continue using the root cause analysis. The process is easy to figure out and the little dealing I’ve had with one seemed like it would work if followed through.

Blog 5

Infection Control Programs Get Executive Attention

HAI’s are something every hospital will face at some point in time. As we all know HAI’s can be very dangerous many times they can lead to a patient death. I found this article interesting because it lists ten steps that hospitals have taken to help with the prevention of HAI’s. One of the ten tips that really stood out to me was the last one listed in the article. The last tip was to use “antibiotic-impregnated central venous catheters to prevent catheter related infections”. This stood out to me because as we have all learned, UTI’s are one of the most common HAI’s.

http://www.hhnmag.com/hhnmag_app/jsp/articledisplay.jsp?dcrpath=HHNMAG/Article/data/08AUG2008/0808HHN_Scope_DataPage&domain=HHNMAG

Blog 5 Quality Tool

Healthy Schools, Healthy People

I thought this was a neat tool for school. It has a three step plan to get students excited and aware of the need to keed their hands clean to keep down the risk of spreading germs. This three step plan that was mentioned in the article is (1) Integrate standards-based hand cleaning activities into your curriculum (2) Have students create clean hands awareness campaigns/projects and (3) Submit projects for national recognition. I think that if student know they have to submit their project for a nation completion, they will be more focused and more apt to get involved. I thought that was a really good way to get student on board and help fight germs.

http://itsasnap.org/snap/pdfs/SNAP%20Toolkit%20FINAL%204.pdf

Commenting on Nettie

I thouth that was very intersting what Nettie had to say about the moblie hand sanitizers. That is a good way of helping to prevent germs in helahtcare as well as any other setting. Since your hands cary so many germs that can cause diseases it is a good idea to santize them as much as possible.

Blog 4 Quality Tool

Your Medicine Play It Safe

I thought this was a neat tool that someone taking a lot of medications would find handy. There is a form that has a place to list your doctors and their phone numbers, your nurse’s name and phone number, your pharmacist name and phone number, and a 24 hour Pharmacy and its phone number. This list is to be kept with you meds in case you a question concerning a certain medication. This tool also has a list of questions that should be asked before some medications are taken. The last thing I thought was interesting was the tips. Tools such as this, is just another attempt to better the quality of healthcare. This article listed 7 tips for people that take a lot of medications. If you have to take a lot of prescribed medications feel free to click on the link below. You are sure to find some helpful hint.

http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/safemeds/safemeds.htm

Blog 4

WorkSmart
Tips For Success – The Interview

I think that this is an excellent website for people to use for interview tips. This site includes: Tips for Success, Questions to Expect (What the Employer May Ask You), Questions to Ask the Employer, Pitfalls, Closing, and Thanks You Notes. For someone that is not familiar with interviewing, I think this is a good website to get on to help you with your interviewing skills. Since an interview is a very important role in an individual getting hire, I feel that is necessary to be prepare and know the ins and outs of the interview process.

http://www.worksmart.ca.gov/tips_interview.html

Commenting on Tammi!

I agree with Tammi, sharing data electronically is a risky issue. I feel that we as future HIM professionals should be willing to help find a way to secure date that is being transmitted electronically. The very data that may be stolen in the future could likely be our own PHI. I strongly agree that we need to do what it takes to make a change!

Blog Week 3-Quality Tool

This tool is a database that was designed to find publications from literature on the topic of Health Information Technology. I thought this was a great tool because it provides some very educational material that will help improve the quality and safety of healthcare in the United States. Another point on this website that was of interest to me is that it has answers to possible question that may arise while implanting new technology. I think tools such as this are very informative and greatly needed in that fast growing world of technology.

Health Information Technology

http://healthit.ahrq.gov/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=5562&mode=2&holderDisplayURL=http://prodportallb.ahrq.gov:7087/publishedcontent/publish/communities/a_e/ahrq_funded_projects/healthit_cost___benefits/home.html

Blog Week 3

This article made a good point about storyboards. Many times facilities are always making improvements that some people are too busy to notice. This facility used story boards to point out the changes and improvements that were made throughout their hospital. Although most people are busy, some of them will notice these storyboards because they are eye catching. I thought this was interesting that they chose storyboards to attract the attention of the employees. With storyboards more people will notice the improvements being made; not only the employees, but customer’s as well. I also thought it was very impressive that their storyboards were put on display at the JCAHO fair.

JCAHO storyboards document improvements, reflect culture

http://www2.kumc.edu/publications/inthecenter/pdf/061099.pdf

Commenting on Kim!

I would just like to say that I agree with Kim about the performance improvment ideas. Reading her blog about Pragmatic Problem-Solving reminded me of the "Fish" book that we had to read in our Human Resource class our first semester. The large banking group applied the same principles to their workday as the fish market did. The outcome showed the same results in the bank as it did for the fish market even though these two businesses had two completely different environments. I agree that performance improvement ideas can come from other industries other than healthcare.

Blog 2 9/5/08 Quality Tool

Act in Time to Heart Attack Signs

Tool Kit

The quality tool I chose is about knowing the signs of a heart attack. This is a very important tool that provides resources to inform people of the dangers and signs of heart attacks. Availability of tools such as this will increase better outcomes for patients with severe heart problems. This website consists of the definition of a heart attack, the warning signs and ways to survive a heart attack. It also provides answers to frequently asked questions dealing with heart attacks. Healthcare providers should take advantage of websites such as this by making them available to their patients. Often times, if a heart attack victim would have been aware of the signs and symptoms he or she could have possibly prevented having a heart attack. One of the biggest problems is not the lack of information available, but a lack of the use of that information. When a patient does not wait too late to be treated the outcome of their disease will be much better. I think when healthcare facilities take advantage of these educational tools, they are showing their desire to improve the quality of care given to their patients.



QualityTool:
Act in Time to Heart Attack Signs

http://www.innovations.ahrq.gov/content.aspx?id=338

Blog 2 9/5/08

The article I chose is about the growing concerns of inadequate healthcare in the United States. I find it very interesting that there has been a forum created for various people involved in health care to share ideas and help improve the downfalls in health care. This forum is called the National Quality Forum (NQF). I want to share with you the mission statement of this organization: “The mission of the National Quality Forum is to improve the quality of American healthcare by setting national priorities and goals for performance improvement, endorsing national consensus standards for measuring and publicly reporting on performance, and promoting the attainment of national goals through education and outreach programs.” (http://www.qualityforum.org/)
According to the article, there are many types of people that take advantage of the NQF including: consumer groups, healthcare purchasers, healthcare providers and health plans, and research and quality improvement organizations. I feel that this is a great way for organizations to compare their performance measures against other organizations. As the NQF website states, “Providers […] need comparative data to design improvement programs and compare their performance against regional and national benchmarks.” That statement is undoubtedly true. I feel that the NQF is a great tool to help accomplish that goal.



Nursing-Sensitive Quality Performance Measures: A Key to Health Care Improvement?

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4022/is_200503/ai_n13632951/print?tag=artBody;col1