Most senior healthcare executives agreed that a healthcare system that embraces transparency will produce safer care and better outcomes, but a minority are happy with the current degree of transparency in their organization.
Most senior healthcare executives (93%) agreed that a healthcare system that embraces transparency will produce safer care and better outcomes, according to the poll results of the National Patient Safety Foundation’s (NPSF) annual Patient Safety Congress. However, only 22% said they were satisfied with the degree of transparency in their organization.
According to the NPSF, making transparency part of routine practice starts with focusing on the relationship between clinicians and patients, and it has developed a series of best practice approaches and educational opportunities specific to Communication and Resolution Programs.
“Transparency is essential if professionals and organizations are to learn from mistakes and implement practices to keep them from recurring,” note Tejal K. Gandhi, MD, MPH, CPPS, and Patricia McTiernan, MS, of the NPSF, writing in “A Necessary Step to Safer Care,” published online in Inside Medical Liability.
The domains where transparency must become part of routine practice include:
NPSF acknowledges there are barriers that prevent greater openness, such as the fear of litigation and concerns about damage to a provider’s or organization’s reputation when something goes wrong. However, the report points out that these fears are unfounded, according to organizations that have pursued greater transparency.
“While clinical care is an important focus for expanding openness, it is only one area of healthcare where greater transparency is needed,” the authors concluded. “If we really want to lead through learning, we must move toward greater transparency among clinicians through peer review or other mechanisms; among organizations through regional or national collaboratives; and with the public, through reporting of useful quality and safety metrics.”
Lack of Mutations Associated With Favorable Prognosis in MPN-U
April 25th 2024While the Dynamic International Prognostic Scoring System and bone marrow blasts may predict overall survival, the lack of certain mutations is also associated with a better prognosis for myeloproliferative neoplasm, unclassifiable (MPN-U).
Read More
HOPE-CAT Can Identify Maternal Cardiovascular Risk 2 Months Earlier Than Doctors, Study Says
April 25th 2024In a retrospective study, the machine learning tool was able to screen for potential risks of cardiovascular disease nearly 60 days before the patient's medical record showed any signs of a related condition or before they were officially diagnosed or treated for it.
Read More
Data Back Neoadjuvant Combo vs Chemo Alone for Early-Stage NSCLC
April 24th 2024For patients with early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), combining neoadjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitors and platinum-based chemotherapy improves 2-year outcomes over chemotherapy alone, suggest findings of an extensive literature review and meta-analysis.
Read More