Minnesota Hospital Association

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Entries for January 2013

St. Cloud Hospital nurses use creative alternatives to prevent immobile patient from developing pressure ulcers

January 2013
Patients in the hospital are at risk of developing pressure ulcers, or bedsores, if their skin is exposed to long periods of unrelieved pressure. And for patients who are immobile, the risk is especially high. The injuries to the skin and underlying tissue are painful and increase risk for infection or other complications. Because of the critical thinking of staff at St. Cloud Hospital, a patient who spent 23 days in the hospital with severely limited mobility was able to avoid developing pressure ulcers.

Phillips Eye Institute verification process eliminates incorrect IOL implants

January 2013
In 2011, close to 40 percent of all wrong site surgeries/procedures in Minnesota were related to wrong implants, and the most common wrong site procedures in the state involved intraocular lens (IOL) implants often used in cataract surgery. The potential for confusion with IOL implants is high due to variation in the number and types of lenses available for implant combined with varied patient needs. Yet Phillips Eye Institute in Minneapolis, part of Allina Health, has implemented a verification process that has essentially eliminated incorrect placement of IOL implants.

EMTs Help make Transitions to Home Safer

January 2013

Easing the transition to home is one of the five key areas known to reduce avoidable readmissions and is critical to ensuring that patients spend more nights at home in their own beds. Among the challenges patients face are multiple medications, uncertainty about follow-up care, and coordination with multiple providers, all while trying to recover from an illness or procedure.

MHA Newsline

January 2013