Tuesday, May 18, 2004
Wichita hospitals to cooperate
[Phyllis Jacobs Griekspoor, "Matching heart records could mean better care," The Wichita Eagle, 18 May 2004.]
Wichita-area hospitals will implement a plan to streamline and make uniform the paperwork for cardiac patients. Along with barcoding prescriptions, this move seems to signal a growing trend toward improving an "information gap" that has developed in the health care industry. By coordinating information, potential accidents may be avoided and the quality of care may improve:
Cardiac care providers in Wichita soon are all going to be on the same page.
At least as far as their paperwork is concerned.
The Wichita Citywide Cardiac Collaborative, a nurse-led initiative, has been working since November to develop standard doctor's-order forms, discharge forms and patient-education materials for use at all five of the Wichita hospitals that offer cardiac care.
On Thursday they will launch the program they have developed, rolling out uniform paperwork for use at every hospital in town.
The goal is to improve the quality of patient care by making it easier to follow national guidelines.
Darrell Youngman, a cardiovascular disease specialist with Cardiovascular Consultants of Kansas, said the program demonstrates an unprecedented level of cooperation among institutions.
"As far as I know, Wichita may be the only city in the nation where hospitals in competition with each other are cooperating in an effort like this," he said.
Specifically, the program provides a checklist to help doctors and nurses make sure that guidelines, including the administration of recommended cardiac drugs such as aspirin, beta blockers and ACE inhibitors, are followed.
"It's easy for something to get overlooked in the flurry of activity that is often going on at the time a patient is first admitted," said Susan Hendrickson, a registered nurse and leader in the collaborative effort.
The new procedures will lessen the chances of that happening, she said.
[Phyllis Jacobs Griekspoor, "Matching heart records could mean better care," The Wichita Eagle, 18 May 2004.]
Wichita-area hospitals will implement a plan to streamline and make uniform the paperwork for cardiac patients. Along with barcoding prescriptions, this move seems to signal a growing trend toward improving an "information gap" that has developed in the health care industry. By coordinating information, potential accidents may be avoided and the quality of care may improve:
Cardiac care providers in Wichita soon are all going to be on the same page.
At least as far as their paperwork is concerned.
The Wichita Citywide Cardiac Collaborative, a nurse-led initiative, has been working since November to develop standard doctor's-order forms, discharge forms and patient-education materials for use at all five of the Wichita hospitals that offer cardiac care.
On Thursday they will launch the program they have developed, rolling out uniform paperwork for use at every hospital in town.
The goal is to improve the quality of patient care by making it easier to follow national guidelines.
Darrell Youngman, a cardiovascular disease specialist with Cardiovascular Consultants of Kansas, said the program demonstrates an unprecedented level of cooperation among institutions.
"As far as I know, Wichita may be the only city in the nation where hospitals in competition with each other are cooperating in an effort like this," he said.
Specifically, the program provides a checklist to help doctors and nurses make sure that guidelines, including the administration of recommended cardiac drugs such as aspirin, beta blockers and ACE inhibitors, are followed.
"It's easy for something to get overlooked in the flurry of activity that is often going on at the time a patient is first admitted," said Susan Hendrickson, a registered nurse and leader in the collaborative effort.
The new procedures will lessen the chances of that happening, she said.
Comments:
Post a Comment
