Let’s start out 2009 with an emergency response question!
Question: Explain your role in responding to a Malignant Hypertherma crisis.
Answer: Multiple tasks should take place when the anouncement of MH is heard. It is important for everyone to know who is to respond and how to respond. JDJ Consulting performs MH drills annually to all clients. If you have questions or need additional assistance please contact us at: john@jdjconsulting.net.
Medication reconciliation remains one of The Joint Commission’s 2009 National Patient Safety Goals, but the elements of performance that will apply beginning in 2009 were revised to reflect some of the challenges that ASCs and other small entities encountered in complying with the goal. After ASC Association Treasurer Jerry Henderson, CASC, of Lifebridge shared the concerns of ASCs with this National Patient Safety Goal with The Joint Commission at a summit it held last year, The Joint Commission reconsidered its performance criteria. The goal—to accurately and completely reconcile medications across the continuum of care—remains the same. To address situations “where medications are used minimally, or prescribed for a short duration,” however, The Joint Commission created a modified reconciliation process that ASCs and others can use. The modified process still requires that the organization obtain an accurate list of the patient’s current medications and known allergies so that any prescriptions written during the visit are appropriate. But in situations where only short-term medications are used, the patient needs to be provided only the list of the short-term medications that he or she needs to take after leaving the facility. In such situations, the original list does not need to be provided to the patient. If the patient is confused or unable to comprehend adequately, however, the patient’s family needs to be provided with the original medication list as well as the short-term medication list. This new process can not be used if any new long-term medications are prescribed, if there is a change in any current long-term medications or if the patient is admitted to a facility for ongoing care. Pages 44–49 of the January/February 2008 issue of ASC Focus contain an article on ASC compliance with medication reconciliation. The article is also available at www.ascassociation.org/medrecarticle.pdf. Microsoft Word® versions of the forms featured in the article, which users can download and complete electronically, are available at www.ascassociation.org/medrec.doc.
This completes the first year for the “Question of the Month.” We have received alot of wonderful feedback and look forward to keeping the questions coming. Patient safety is the foundation for the “Question of the Month” and I hope you are learning while enjoying it. If you have suggestions, please send them to us.
Happy New Year!
Question: Name the official “DO NOT USE” abbreviation list?
(hint: there are 5 items)
Answer: 1. U for unit
2. IU for international unit
3. QD, QOD for daily, every other day
4. trailing zero and lack of leading zero
5. MS, MSO4, MgSO4 for morphine and magnesuim sulfate.