You might think that the stress of family responsibilities and relationships could cause problems for a patient trying to recover from illness, but it’s actually the opposite. In my
Patient safety reporting is often depersonalized to provide distance and objectivity during an investigation and to help the team see opportunities clearly. But if we lean on system issues because we
Over the past few weeks, I have wrestled with the idea of safety culture. Safety culture is itself a symptom of something that is difficult to pin down: virtue.
I heard about some fantastic solutions implemented by Advocate Health to improve the Nurse Manager role and the results make me feel hopeful. The problem they identified is that
After creating a flawless, foolproof plan, NASA launched Apollo 13 on another mission to the moon in 1970. But they didn’t just sign off and watch the trip. They
Did you know that pharmaceutical companies spend $6 billion on drug advertising in the U.S.?[1] Why do you think they spend so much money advertising products that Americans are already
“You’re supposed to be dead!” the professor stammered. “I know. I heard. Sorry to disappoint!” During our recent road trip, my husband recalled how an error in paperwork resulted
Have you noticed that our culture has become increasingly reactionary? I mean, there is an entire genre on YouTube for Reaction Videos. People sit and watch other people react
Have you ever really considered the leap from one technology to another? Have you ever wondered what the future of healthcare will be? Will Jarvis report my cholesterol to
I have exciting news if you are a Texas healthcare nerd whose heart skips a beat at the words “infectious disease.” I love studying things like how to measure
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Have you ever wondered if your facility is especially good or bad at taking care of certain patients? You’re not alone. I’ve talked to professionals across the nation, and
The other day, I attempted to ship a gift to my niece. She loves tea and I had found an adorable four-cup teapot that I knew she would just
Our whole family was packed into a booth at our favorite pizza shop, laughing, teasing, and having a good time. Suddenly, my mom grabbed my dad’s hand and said,
After fending off a cold, I was looking forward to tasting my food again, leaving the tissues at home, and hosting dinner nights with friends. Instead, our whole family
“It’s such a beautiful day today!” My preceptor brisked into the room with a huge smile and a cheery greeting. “Really? I wouldn’t know.” The patient turned away, despondent.
“It’s not as though we can give life or death to our patients,” I sighed. “Some things are out of our control.” “Of course we can! What do you
The patient had undergone an elective surgery to reduce “noisy breathing.” Post-op, she never got off the ventilator because of a lifelong neuromuscular disease. Who, in their right mind,
The patient’s transfer and medication reconciliation had been done twice – once by the attending physician and once by the specialist ordering an upgrade in acuity. As the nurses
Have you ever noticed how rare it is to have proactive information security? For urgent incidents, there is a 24/7 toll free phone number. For data breaches, there are
January can be a challenging time as we return from a holiday break to discover that December was not particularly productive. As I enter my office, I feel full
We talk a lot about focusing on patients, patient engagement, and patient-centered care, but then we turn around and recommend designer vitamins and expensive wearables for our Medicaid participants.
I recently visited a big box store to buy groceries while I host our family from out of town. The best part of this trip was that I was
We had the unlucky privilege of going to the Emergency Department last week and were surprised by some of the developments in local emergency care: First, there was a
It was a big moment. For the first time in my nursing career, I was wearing slacks, a sweater, and professional shoes instead of scrubs and sneakers. I missed
Robust error reporting has done wonders for the health industry. We no longer need to guess when a problem could occur. Most clinical staff carry a mental list of
I see a lot of recommendations to enhance workplace empowerment and build nurse leaders to improve healthcare. And that’s good. But not for the reasons you might think. Let
“Oh my, are you bleeding?” The nurse stood with her hands on her hips, assessing the situation. “Well, yes. I think so,” the patient replied. “I tried pressing the
One of the first moments I knew that my husband was “the one” was during a game of Balderdash. In this game, an unfamiliar word is read aloud, and
We often talk about burnout like it’s something that can be cured with a little self-care. Take a day off, get a massage, listen to nature sounds during your
Have you ever noticed that the persistent problems affecting our patients today are the self-same problems that we were facing 20 years ago? Back in 1999, To Err is
As a nurse, she took children from their families and smuggled them in boxes and tool chests, placing them in a safe place until the end of the war.
As the Baby Boomers retire, many are facing decreased social connections, scattered family support and economic challenges.[1] Out of this situation, many seniors find themselves living alone at home.
“We’re failing our perinatal exclusive breastfeeding measures,[1] but I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do about it.” This belief is surprisingly common among hospital quality managers - and I
I love having lunch with my nurse colleagues. Whenever we fuel our minds over salads and sandwiches, we also solve problems in healthcare, identifying what we believe is the
Thomas Edison had 1,093 patents for his inventions. The successful ones like the lightbulb, the phonograph, and the motion picture camera changed the world, but who has heard of
I gasped as the image became clear: A young ballerina with six fingers, backwards ears, and teeth like a carnivorous piranha. I was trying to use an Artificial Intelligence
I’ve realized that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is only as good as the data it consumes. If the data pipeline is weak, the AI program withers like a city in
Have you heard of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) program that was trained to be a psychopath? A group of MIT researchers [1]found out that AI algorithms get pretty dark
With so many data resources, how do I pull it together and make sense of it? What is the compass that will guide me through the forest of information?
I learned in school that it helps to have someone check my work before I submit embarrassing spelling errors about “Bare Activity in the Forest” to my biology teacher.
My father used to complain that he had “tired ears.” I didn’t understand what he meant until I became a parent: When I took a walk with my two-year-old
The first time I watched the film, The Matrix, I remember looking at the ones and zeroes on Neo’s screen and wondering, “What is the story? Where is the
I once had a supervisor call to discuss our mortality rates for a particular diagnosis, and I honestly thought I was getting congratulated because only two people died that
The library is one of my favorite places. And why shouldn’t it be? There are centuries of knowledge in those dusty books. It was at the library that Sister
Last week’s article talked about how Vital Signs can represent the three types of data we use in quality improvement analytics. This week we explore what happens if we
As a nurse, I have a love-hate relationship with data. Sometimes, data can be the silver bullet that reveals the source of a complex problem, and other times, it
I recently learned that the NIH is questioning 16 years of Alzheimer’s research after indications of falsified imaging were identified in one of the seminal studies. Apparently, the images
What is the purpose of Healthcare Quality Improvement (QI) exactly? And what does it mean to have quality “for the rest of us”? At the most basic level, Healthcare
We have an accessibility problem in healthcare. Translation services are difficult to obtain and utilize, and for patients who are illiterate, or whose primary language is, for example, Mexican
Nurses are on the frontline of violence. And patients, already vulnerable from disease and disability, are at particular risk to the volatile environment of a healthcare organization. The current
Some of my fondest memories from being a nurse were the times that I end of life care. It is a critical moment for the patient, but it’s also
