Providers that have been confused about how to handle patients’ requests to access their medical records have a new tool: a model records request form, courtesy of the American Health Informat...

A patient handoff (also known as transitioning) is both the act of passing a patient between caregivers and the information exchanged between the sender (the provider giving away the patient) and the ...

Editor's Note: Click the PDF button above for a full edition of the December 2017 edition of Patient Safety Monitor Journal Patient handoffs: The gap where mistakes are made A patient handoff (also kn...

The U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) has announced it intends to push back the compliance deadline for USP Chapter <800> “Hazardous Drugs; Handling in Healthcare Settings” from Ju...

How patients assess their own pain is a key component to how hospitals are expected to manage pain medications. But what about patients who can’t communicate their level of pain?...

The NotPetya computer hack that hit healthcare facilities last summer is a warning to get creative about tightening up security. In the last week of June 2017, foreign-born computer malware attacked t...

This past summer, a spotlight was shone on the risks posed by Legionella. The bacterium is frequently found in healthcare settings, and the diseases it causes (Legionnaire’s disease and Pontiac fever)...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched a campaign to help bring attention to the dangers of sepsis, a condition that is fast becoming the number one cause of death in U.S. h...

In 2017, a Missouri hospital found out the hard way that when not addressed quickly, restraint and seclusion deficiencies can spiral out of control. Twice in one year, CMS ruled that Mercy Hospital Sp...

In the last week of June 2017, foreign-born computer malware attacked the systems of several U.S. companies—including Princeton Community Hospital in Princeton, West Virginia, and Heritage Valle...