Management of leaded PPE in the healthcare environment

Management of a quality assurance program for leaded personal protective equipment (PPE) can be a challenge for large healthcare organizations. A program has been developed to effectively manage hundreds of pieces of leaded PPE at a large health system in North Carolina. Physical identification of pieces is accomplished using a combination of durable serialized labels for identification of individual pieces, and a color-coded tagging system for instant visual identification of inspection status. This process, coupled with maintaining routine quality assurance records using standard spreadsheet software, resulted in an effective leaded PPE management program with minimal capital overhead.

Set up to succeed

You've found the new CEO; onboarding will help you keep her.

Hospital operations management: improving organizational efficiency

Reducing operational inefficiencies represents one of the most promising sources of potential savings in hospitals today. Health Forum convened a panel of hospital executives and industry experts to discuss the daunting challenges and big opportunities that lie ahead.

Comparing nurses' perceptions of governance related to hospitals' journeys to excellence status the Middle East

The interest in the Magnet Journey extends to the Middle East. The results of this study revealed nurses in hospitals that are on the Journey to Magnet perceive that decision making is shared between nursing management/administration and staff nurses. Nurses in these hospitals positively attribute their involvement and engagement in every aspect of the nursing profession. This scheme of shared governance promotes professional accountability and enhances individual autonomy, authority, and control. The growth of health care in the Middle East region with rising expectations for patient care outcomes will challenge the nursing profession in the future. Shared governance will certainly help nurses take ownership in making decisions for patient care and as a result achieve better patient outcomes.

[Transferability of patient safety indicators to the German hospital setting: results of a Delphi survey]

AIM

To assess the transferability of 14 evidence-based patient safety indicators (PSI) to the German hospital system.

METHODS

A two-staged modified multidisciplinary Delphi process was used, applying the scientific criteria of the QUALIFY instrument.

RESULTS

Eleven of the 14 PSI were judged to be transferable to and feasible in the German hospital setting.

CONCLUSIONS

The consented PSI are potentially suitable for German quality assurance measurement. Prior to implementation, further operationalisation and empirical validation is recommended.

Value-based leadership. Is your hospital management team prepared for the future?

This foldout section looks at the seven steps to a value-structured hospital, 10 must-do strategies for thriving in the new health care era, and what new skills management, physicians and trustees should have.

Discrete event simulation for healthcare organizations: a tool for decision making

Healthcare organizations face challenges in efficiently accommodating increased patient demand with limited resources and capacity. The modern reimbursement environment prioritizes the maximization of operational efficiency and the reduction of unnecessary costs (i.e., waste) while maintaining or improving quality. As healthcare organizations adapt, significant pressures are placed on leaders to make difficult operational and budgetary decisions. In lieu of hard data, decision makers often base these decisions on subjective information. Discrete event simulation (DES), a computerized method of imitating the operation of a real-world system (e.g., healthcare delivery facility) over time, can provide decision makers with an evidence-based tool to develop and objectively vet operational solutions prior to implementation. DES in healthcare commonly focuses on (1) improving patient flow, (2) managing bed capacity, (3) scheduling staff, (4) managing patient admission and scheduling procedures, and (5) using ancillary resources (e.g., labs, pharmacies). This article describes applicable scenarios, outlines DES concepts, and describes the steps required for development. An original DES model developed to examine crowding and patient flow for staffing decision making at an urban academic emergency department serves as a practical example.

Playing it safe with the CoPs

CMS keeps an eye on the board with the Conditions of Participation.

Hospital security: "protecting the business"

Implementing management science into security isn't hard and is more necessary than ever according to the author who presents and illustrates a five point plan that he says will get the security job done easier and with more commitment from the Board.