Why White Coats Should Be Optional
Would my white lab coat be better put to use when I carve the Christmas roast than when seeing patients? After all, we know that… Read More »Why White Coats Should Be Optional
Preventing Patient Harm
Potential Bias in U.S. News Patient Safety Scores
In this post, I present the case that U.S. News & World Report’s patient safety score, a component of its annual Best Hospitals rankings, has… Read More »Potential Bias in U.S. News Patient Safety Scores
Weighing the Need for Surgical Volume Thresholds
In May, three academic medical systems turned up the heat on a long-simmering debate about the link between surgical volumes and quality of care. Leaders… Read More »Weighing the Need for Surgical Volume Thresholds
The Surgeon Scorecard and the Need for Measurement Standards
Most of us would agree that there aren't enough valid and meaningful health care quality measures to guide patients' choices of hospitals and physicians. While… Read More »The Surgeon Scorecard and the Need for Measurement Standards
Walking in Another Caregiver’s Shoes
How many of our conflicts could be handled better or averted if we had the opportunity to spend some time in the shoes of the… Read More »Walking in Another Caregiver’s Shoes
Patient Safety Perils at 36,000 Feet
There are more than 50 in-flight medical emergencies a day on commercial airlines — or one for every 604 flights, according to a study published in… Read More »Patient Safety Perils at 36,000 Feet
Blood Clots Show Limits of Quality Care Penalties
In the world of medicine, blood clots during hospitalization have become synonymous with imperfect care. As many as 600,000 patients per year experience a blood… Read More »Blood Clots Show Limits of Quality Care Penalties
What Any Caregiver Can Do to Support a ‘Second Victim’
Let's say that you're a nurse on a hospital unit, and a colleague has recently been involved in a medication error. It was a mistake… Read More »What Any Caregiver Can Do to Support a ‘Second Victim’
Supporting ‘Second Victims’ with Emotional First Aid
She was a newly minted Johns Hopkins Hospital pediatric nurse — let's call her Mary — but she was already unsure if she had chosen the right… Read More »Supporting ‘Second Victims’ with Emotional First Aid
Blood Clots: The Least-Appreciated Complication of Hospital Care?
If you were undergoing a surgical procedure, would you ever think to refuse the antibiotics your physician had ordered to prevent an infection? For most… Read More »Blood Clots: The Least-Appreciated Complication of Hospital Care?