“[People] cannot eliminate the errors simply by telling themselves to do better and deciding not to commit them.”  Perhaps not a surprising statement, but one whose implications can be pretty far-reaching.  The statement comes from a document entitled “Mistake-Proofing the Design of Health Care Processes.”  The logical argument is that if you’re in an environment Read More

If you’re involved in medical diagnostic work, you should study the CDC’s Guidelines for Safe Work Practices, which summarizes the recommendations of a blue ribbon biosafety committee.  The document presents sample handling procedures, personal protective equipment recommendations, and cleaning protocols.  It contains both general recommendations and guidelines for specific facilities.  For example, if you’ve got Read More

Blood bank refrigerators and equipment to keep them running are critical elements to establishing a safe emergency blood supply.  That’s why volunteers with the BloodSource project in Northern California and the Carmel Valley Rotary Club brought that equipment to Nigeria—a country that currently only meets 2 percent of its blood needs.  After bringing the supplies, Read More

It’s difficult for us to imagine the barriers to effective healthcare in some of the poorer regions of poor nations.  For example, Northern Nigeria has some of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world.  To address the underlying problems, there has to be some mechanism that can track and classify individual deaths.  Correction can Read More

Hospitals and related institutions have a strong moral responsibility for providing optimum patient care and treatment for the populations they serve.” Hard to disagree with that statement, opening the “Rules and Regulations for Critical Access Hospitals in Arkansas.”  If you ever wanted to know what it takes to run a hospital, start here.  It covers Read More