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The Problem Inapproprate inductions of labor, defined as elective iductions less than 39 weeks gestation or whent he cervix is not readily inducible, have a negative impact on patient safety. It increases the risk of admission intot he NICU for the infant. The Solution An obstetrical task force was…
The Problem While all facitilites aspire to limit the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia, doing so within the confines of a spinal cord injury population presents unique challenges. In April of 2008, we had several patients, some of whom had spinal cord injuries and were on ventilators,…
Urinary tract infections are the most common hospital-acquired infection with 80 percent of these infections attributable to an indwelling urinary catheter (Foley). Logic follows if one can decrease the use and length of time Foley catheters remain in place, hospital-acquired urinary tract…
The Problem
Antimicrobial resistance is a growing problem nationwide, caused, in part, by injudicious use of antibiotics. At Hunterdon Medical Center, some antibiotics were losing their ability to cure infections present in patients coming to the hospital. For example, the effectiveness of the…
Health care acquired infections in U.S. hospitals account for 1.7 million infections and 99,000 assocated deaths each year, according the the CDC. Of these, 32 percent are UTIs. At Health Central, CAUTIs were less than the national average yet the infection control committee thought one CAUTI was…
The Problem Hazleton General Hospital is committed to providing compassionate, patient-centered, quality health care services and to the ongoing development of healthier communities. We decided to focus on the care of our stroke patients, utilizing evidence-based standards of care to provide the…
The Problem Hazleton General Hospital officials were unhappy with their performance on a number of core measures, many of which are on posted on the Hospital Compare Web site. Previous quality improvements efforts didn't always involve teamwork among affected departments, data would be…
The ProblemFlowers wanted to improve its performance on the 28 quality measures that are featured on the Hospital Compare Web site. The hospital's CEO, Keith Granger, made it an organizational goal to get performance 'as close to perfection as we can get.'The Solution
The Problem
In 2004, Faxton Hospital and St. Luke's-Memorial Hospital merged. The leaders of the new system were concerned about integrating the clinical cultures of two formerly independent hospitals while improving staff morale. That year, only 2 percent of respondents to the company's employee…