February 2020

UP FRONT

Collaborate and use all available data to improve patient safety

At UMass Memorial Health Care, the directors of risk and claims share data, benchmark to national metrics, and advocate together to improve care. 

five questions

Writing about an adverse event, doctor heals himself and helps others

"Speaking and writing about this event is a big part of how I continue to heal, even 13 years later." – Peter Smulowitz, M.D., M.P.H., Chair of Emergency Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Needham  

SAFETY NEWS

New pediatric sepsis guidance backed by top pediatric and critical care organizations

Evidence-based recommendations for pediatric sepsis describe best practices for acute care settings and can be adapted for other environments.  

Safety Snapshot

New national analysis of safety events available from AHRQ

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has released the first chart book based on data compiled nationally from Patient Safety Organizations.  

Upcoming events

Sherman Award for Excellence in Patient Engagement  

When: Nominations are due March 6, 2020
What: The annual Sherman Award for Excellence in Patient Engagement is co-sponsored by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's Lucian Leape Institute and Taylor Healthcare and presented at IHI’s Patient Safety Congress in May.
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Patient Safety Awareness Week

When: March 8 – 14, 2020
What: Annual effort by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement to raise further awareness about patient safety and recognize the work of health care professionals and organizations engaged in safety improvement.
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National Compassionate Caregiver of the Year

When: Nominations are due March 23, 2020
What: This award is sponsored by the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Care and will be presented to an individual or team members who display “extraordinary devotion and compassion in caring for patients and families” in December.
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Collaborating to Promote Safe Patient-Care Practices — Diverse Settings, Common Goals

When:  8:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., March 27, 2020
Where: Albert Sherman Center Auditorium, UMass Medical Center, Worcester, MA
What: The Board of Registration in Medicine’s Quality & Patient Safety Division Spring Program is free and includes presentations about pediatric emergency medicine, cardiovascular disease in pregnancy, and transforming patient care through culture change. Physicians can earn 4 hours Category 1 CME; Nurses, 4 hours CEU (pending approval).
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Patient Safety Beat is published monthly by the Betsy Lehman Center, a state agency that uses communications, research, and data to catalyze the efforts of providers, policymakers, and consumers working toward safer health care in Massachusetts.