Radisphere announces availability of next 'Quality Update' piece

Mar 17 2012

Radisphere (www.radisphere.net), the only radiology provider offering proven accessibility and accountability to community hospitals, today announced availability of its next "Quality Update" piece as part of its "The Final Read on Quality" initiative. In the piece entitled "Preventing Wrong Events in Radiology," now available at www.radisphere.net/FinalReadonQuality, the case is made for utilizing the Universal Protocol in radiology to help prevent errors.

The Joint Commission has stated that correct patient identification is critical to patient safety, and established "accurate patient identification" as its first National Patient Safety Goal in 2003. It required implementation of the Universal Protocol for Preventing Wrong Site, Wrong Procedure, and Wrong Person Surgery™ in 2004. Originally developed to prevent errors in surgery, the Universal Protocol is useful in other areas, including radiology.

Why errors in radiology occur

Since radiology orders are often entered by administrative personnel, there can be a higher incidence of wrong events. These can include scheduling errors, scanning errors, or inappropriate use of contrast agents. Communication problems with patients and technologists (e.g., dementia or cognitive problems, illegible handwriting or language barriers) also can increase error risks.

Below are three scenarios that illustrate these issues in detail:

"Regardless of the medical specialty or setting, specific training is required to prevent wrong events," said Radisphere's Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer Frank Seidelmann, D.O. "Our Quality Management department works with hospital safety leaders to identify and mitigate risks associated with wrong events in radiology. The objective is to provide clients with support on important drivers of patient safety and performance improvement that can reduce errors over time."

The aim of "The Final Read on Quality" initiative is to help hospitals improve patient care and radiology performance through ongoing quality efforts.