A few years ago, I had a patient who was admitted with minor blunt trauma following a motor vehicle crash. A couple of days later, while preparing her for discharge, I noticed a cough. The patient mentioned that she had had a persistent cough, which ...
Americans from the Silent or Greatest Generation (born roughly before 1945) have, until recently, made up a disproportionate number of healthcare patients as they age. These seniors tend to listen to their doctors, obediently follow their healthcare ...
Last weekend, I watched a college soccer team compete against a professional team. The college team didn’t fare badly, but the professional team was clearly better. The difference in performance showed in the most basic activity in playing soccer &...
What does Big Data have to do with patient safety? You might be surprised. Our electronic hand hygiene reminder system captures tens of millions of data points. To use another buzzword, we’ve turned formerly “dumb” hand sanitizer and soap dispe...
As of Jan. 1, if a Joint Commission surveyor sees one clinician fail to clean their hands one time, your hospital will be cited. Just one time – let that sink in. With this new standard, the Joint Commission takes a giant step toward recognizing th...
In order for a technology implementation to be successful in healthcare, it must account for socio-adaptive behavior. Too often, high-tech manufacturers only consider the quantitative aspects of problem solving. But industry executives should re...
Written by Dr. Chris Hermann, Founder and CEO, Clean Hands – Safe Hands March 07, 2018 – The Joint Commission’s mission is to “improve healthcare for the public…by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providin...
Patient Safety Awareness Week starts this Sunday, March 11. What’s your hospital planning to do to get involved? If you don’t know, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and the National Patient Safety Foundation offer a wealth of ideas on the...
Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis is frequently referenced as the “Father of Hand Hygiene.” In 1846, he was faced with a clinic that had maternal mortality rates 250% higher than a similar clinic. Patients resisted being admitted to the clinic with higher mor...
As we’ve noted before, simply installing technology into a complex healthcare organization and walking away does not translate into success. The best technology implementations address the human factor implicit in behavior change by smoothly guidin...
