Discharge is a critical transition period for patients and a process that calls for education, assessment, follow-up, organization, confirmation, and review.

Hypothermia may occur in any patient and may result in serious complications affecting the cardiovascular system, coagulation, and wound infection and healing.

Sterile water is hypotonic. Serious patient harm, including hemolysis, can result when it is administered by direct intravenous infusion.

Identifying modifiable risk factors associated with colon perforation during colonoscopy could lead to fewer perforations.

Blood containing maltose, galactose, or xylose can falsely elevate the results obtained from point-of-care glucose meters using a particular enzyme/indicator test method.

Abington Memorial Hospital's patient safety staff members have been conducting patient safety walkrounds for several years and have witnessed an increasing level of popularity in the exercise from trustees and executives.

Hospitals and nursing homes are required by 2007 legislation to report healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) to the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority. Ongoing collection and analysis of HAI-related data from more than 250 hospitals and 800 nursing homes will assist the Authority in identifying trends, patterns, and potential process or system failures.

The patient safety analysts suggest a system solution to avoid medication overdoses, rather than asking a healthcare provider to recall one policy among many.

What does bubble gum have to do with patient safety? By the end of this article, we hope you'll see how they're connected.

As recent national news has illustrated, multidose vial use in any patient care area is risky, with an ever-present danger for iatrogenic cross-contamination.

Previous wrong-site surgery data has been updated according to information submitted during the last quarter (Q1-2008).

This article contained statements in error on pages 16 and 17 that need correction about the 33,882 falls reported in 2006 to PA-PSRS.