Hospital Changes Keep Patients Safer

Using a checklist to make sure that catheters are put in and maintained properly can dramatically reduce bloodstream infections. New research shows it can also reduce mortality. The checklist was developed at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and covers five essential steps to prevent infection. When the checklist was implemented in intensive care units throughout the state of Michigan, serious hospital-acquired bloodstream infections fell nearly to zero.
Comparing the Michigan data to that from 11 neighboring states showed patient safety experts that elderly patients in Michigan were 10 percent more likely to survive their time in the hospital. In addition to the checklist, the Keystone program, as it is known, also focuses on promoting a culture of safety. It encourages nurses to speak up if the proper steps are not followed. Providers are also trained to identify potential safety problems and develop evidence-based solutions. Measuring the effects of these changes is critical to keeping patients safer during their hospital stays.
[BMJ, online Jan. 31, 2011]