Anticoagulants are the No. 2 top medication involved in adverse drug events leading to death or serious harm. Risks to patients on Direct Oral Anticoagulants (DOACs) can be avoided with timely and appropriate treatment. The Joint Commission has released a Sentinel Event Alert to help manage these risks. While DOACs offer ease-of-use to patients, stopping... Read More >>
The Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) is pleased to announce that the standardized isolation precaution signage has been updated at the request of hospitals in Washington State; the new signage will be discussed in a webinar on Sep. 10. Representatives from large and small hospitals across the state, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control... Read More >>
In recognition of outstanding improvement in the safety and quality of rural health care, the 2019 “Rural Quality ~ Everyday Extraordinary” award has been awarded to Kittitas Valley Healthcare. During the submission process, rural facilities wishing to be considered submitted answers to 10 essay questions. Submissions were blinded and evaluated by a panel of judges.... Read More >>
Drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in Washington –in 2017, there were at least 742 opioid-involved overdose deaths. To provide an important lifeline to patients at risk of opioid overdose, hospitals in Washington are implementing protocols to administer medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in the emergency department (ED). EDs are essential health care access... Read More >>
Did you know sepsis takes more lives than opioids, breast cancer and prostate cancer combined? Every September, health care providers, the public and organizations big and small come together to raise awareness of sepsis, the leading cause of death in U.S. hospitals. September has been designated as Sepsis Awareness Month by the Sepsis Alliance, the... Read More >>
Many of you are aware that the opioid epidemic has continued to increase in recent years, with devastating impacts on communities across the nation. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 130 people die every day from an opioid overdose in the United States. We at WSHA are committed to increasing opioid stewardship... Read More >>
Situation Medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States. By sharing our safety events, other hospitals don’t have to experience an event to learn about risk in our systems and can instead proactively take steps to mitigate potential problems. Background WSHA is uniquely positioned to provide a confidential forum to... Read More >>
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has developed a wealth of materials to prevent HAIs, including Catheter-associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI). AHRQ’s CAUTI Event Report Template is a valuable tool to help you and your team identify how an event took place. Once identified, you can then find out how to interpret the... Read More >>
Antibiotic stewardship continues to be an essential component of safety and quality patient care in our hospital settings. Annually, at least 700,000 people die from drug-resistant diseases, and that number is expected to increase to 10 million deaths per year by 2050 if nothing is done. Because of this growing emergency, the United Nations created... Read More >>
