In ECRI Institute's third annual "Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns for Healthcare Organizations" rankings, healthcare organizations cited patient ID errors as its number two concern, according to ctwatchdog.com.
Here are five takeaways:
1. Following patient ID errors, organizations cited inadequate management of behavioral health issues in non-behavioral health settings as its next biggest concern.
2. Robert Gianni, patient safety analyst at ECRI, said when healthcare organizations first implement a health IT system, they tailor it to their workflow. However, following implementation, people do not adjust to the health IT system or their workflow, and often go back to their old patterns.
3. In their report, ECRI found patient ID problems were both "frequent" and "serious."
4. Some safety experts argue organizations should be patient-centered, not patient-focused. The latter entails providing care to the patient, while patient-centered care requires working with the patient on their care.
5. To become patient-centered, organizations may need to undergo a culture shift, which will take sufficient time. However, this approach may drive down costs and improve patient outcomes.
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