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Hospitals Receive New Checklists in 10 Patient Safety Areas
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The federal government's Partnership for Patients Hospital Engagement Networks (HENs), which work to improve patient care through implementation and dissemination of best practices in clinical quality, have released checklists for 10 areas of patient care.
The federal government’s Partnership for Patients Hospital Engagement Networks (HENs), which work to improve patient care through implementation and dissemination of best practices in clinical quality, have released checklists for 10 areas of care.
The overall goal of the HEN initiative is to reduce patient harm by 40 percent and readmissions by 20 percent over a two-year period. There are nearly 1,500 hospitals and 31 state hospital associations participating in the initiative.
Each checklist records whether a process is in place, was not established, or will be adopted, and it notes who is responsible for the process, as well as when it has been or will be completed.
The checklists aim to prevent the following 10 issues:
1. Adverse drug events
2. Catheter-associated urinary tract infections
3. Central line-associated bloodstream infections
4. Early elective deliveries
5. Injuries from falls and immobility
6. Hospital-acquired pressure ulcers
7. Preventable readmissions
8. Surgical site infections
9. Ventilator-associated pneumonias and events
10. Venous thromboembolisms
Each checklist identifies the top 10 evidence-based interventions that can be implemented, along with steps and process maps for incorporating best practices.
