November 2017

Up Front

Persistence can pay off to improve staff flu vaccine rates in patient care settings

Here's what some nursing homes, surgery centers and other health care facilities are doing to prompt their staff to get the flu shot this year. 

Five Questions

Dr. Al DeMaria talks about why health care workers should get annual flu shots

"It takes an inordinate amount of effort. I appreciate that. But it can be done. It has been done."

- Dr. Al DeMaria, Massachusetts State Epidemiologist 

Safety News Topic

Boosting health literacy is a team effort

It takes leadership and champions at every level of an organization to make communications more accessible to patients. 

Safety Snapshot

A 'patient safety net' is woven into the fabric of care at Beverly Hospital

Staff at Beverly Hospital signed their names to inter-connected bands to show their personal and collective commitment to patient safety. 

One Last Thing

Checklists can guide a patient emergency after office-based surgery

Developed by anesthesiologists, use these new checklists when managing any one of 26 post-surgical medical emergency in a medical office setting. 

Upcoming event

Nurse Burnout: That Ain’t just Smoke, that’s YOU! How to Avoid Becoming the Human Flashpoint

When: Thursday, November 30, 2017
What: The Massachusetts Nurses Association presents this program to help nurses prevent, identify and manage compassion fatigue.
Click for more information and to register

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.