Search Results for:

Showing 1 - 10 of 459 results

Reducing Harm, Restoring Trust: The Vital Role of CHWs in Healthcare

Community Health Workers (CHWs) are at the forefront of transforming healthcare by reducing harm, addressing disparities, and empowering communities. Join us for an insightful webinar as we delve into the critical role CHWs play in bridging gaps, fostering trust, and improving patient outcomes. Through compelling discussions and practical insights, we’ll explore harm reduction strategies, real-world successes, and best practices for integrating CHWs into healthcare teams.

They Put A What in my What?!:Preventing Harm to Patients with Limited English Proficiency (LEP)

In the high-stakes world of acute care, communication barriers with patients who have limited English proficiency can lead to mistakes that are hard to believe if they didn’t happen to you. Join our upcoming Safe Table forum “ They Put A What in my What?! : Preventing Harm to Patients with Limited English Proficiency (LEP),” and share your story of tackling these challenges head-on. Through real-world examples and practical solutions, we’ll discuss how to navigate language barriers and reduce harm, even when things get lost in translation.

Anaphylactic Shock Highlights the Crisis in Medication Safety

Key Takeaways 

  • Cases of anaphylaxis have risen by 33% 
  • Anaphylaxis is especially dangerous in perioperative settings where sterile drapes hide visible skin reactions, and sedated patients cannot report their symptoms 
  • Chlorhexidine has emerged as an increasingly frequent trigger 

    • The Relationship Between Hospital Sepsis Bundle Compliance and Sepsis Mortality

    Key Points 

  • Statewide SEP-1 Sepsis Bundle compliance has increased over time. Sepsis mortality declined overall but spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, indicating challenges in sustaining improvements. 
  • Higher hospital SEP-1 Sepsis Bundle compliance is associated with lower mortality rates, but the correlation weakened over time (from r = -.31 in 2017 to r = -.17 in 2022) and varied significantly by hospital characteristics such as ownership type and transfer volume. 
  • Investor-owned hospitals and those with smaller sample sizes exhibited weaker or negligible relationships between compliance and mortality, highlighting the role of contextual factors and the need for hospital-specific strategies. 

    • Ozempic and Wegovy: Are These Popular Diabetes and Weight Loss Drugs Associated with Increases in Serious Side Effects?

  • Prescriptions for semaglutide, marketed under the names Ozempic and Wegovy, surged almost 3,000% in the U.S. from 2018 to 2022. 
  • Encounters of gallbladder inflammation in California hospitals surged by 492% during the study period, potentially linked to the slowed digestion caused by long-term semaglutide use. 
  • Hospital encounters in California related to acute kidney injuries rose by 18% and cases of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) increased by 27%, suggesting these may be emerging areas of concern for semaglutide users. 

    • End of 2024 HQIP Hospital Enrollment, Enhancements, and Utilization Trends 

    Key Takeaways 

  • 243 of 476 California hospitals have signed participation agreements for the Hospital Quality Improvement Platform (HQIP). 
  • The reports with the highest number of visits in Q3 2024 were: CMS Hospital Compare Measures over Time Quality Transparency Dashboard (308 visits), Sepsis Incidence, Case Mortality, & Length of Stay (216 visits), and Inland Empire Health Plan 2024 Pay for Performance Program (183 visits). 
  • New reports include Inpatient Psychiatric Readmission, Pediatric All-Cause Readmission, and Surgical Operative Procedures. Future updates will feature exportable equity reports for Assembly Bill (AB) 1204 compliance and procedure-specific readmission measures. 

    • HQI Supports Hospitals in Their Quest for Patient Safety Excellence

    We here at HQI are excited about the year ahead and continuing the collaborative work of enhancing patient safety and fostering a culture of excellence within hospitals. Our role is to support our members’ efforts toward providing the safest and highest quality care possible through education and the sharing of information and resources.