Healthcare Safety Toolkit Library

Johns-Hopkins Hospital describes their organization's successful continuous patient monitoring project. The organization’s philosophy was that no patient should suffer a failure-to-rescue event and they set out to implement processes to achieve that goal. This article describes how they used technology to improve patient outcomes and failure-to-rescue events related to over-sedation.

Resources are provided to assist healthcare practitioners, families and patients understand the potential misuses of opioids and techniques to limit misuse.

These are the recommended practices from the CDC for prescribing opioids for the treatment of chronic pain in the clinical setting. These recommendations are not intended for the use of opioids in treating active cancer, palliative care or end-o- life care.

By following these recommendations, you and your healthcare team may reduce risks associated with long-term opioid therapy.

Healthcare facilities can use this assessment for practitioners who prescribe, dispense and/or administer opioid products. The assessment tool addresses selection, dosing and patient monitoring when using opioid products. This tool was developed by the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Medical Society.

Aggregating and analyzing the results of practitioner assessments can help healthcare facilities identify opportunities for improvement and aid in the development of targeted, high-leverage strategies to improve the safe use of opioids.

This is a sample policy that provides guidelines for the appropriate actions needed when a patient, suspected of abusing drugs, requests a prescription for a controlled substance from an emergency practitioner. This resource aims to provide practitioners with an outlined method for handling prescribing concerns related to individuals who chronically use opioids.

These clinical practice guidelines have been developed to provide recommendations for prescribing opioid pain medications in the primary care setting while establishing safer, more effective treatment of chronic pain.

Active shooter training is vital for all staff in a healthcare organization as they are the eyes and ears of the facility. These resources help ensure staff are trained and prepared to address violent/aggressive behavior/situations.

Prioritizing our Healthcare Workers: The importance of Addressing the Intersection of Workplace Violence and Mental Health and Wellbeing

It is essential to understand a security program. These resources help build and sustain a security program in healthcare. Sources delve further into risk considerations of law enforcement's presence in the emergency room and guidance to infant abductions.

Although it is healthcare's goal to maintain a safe environment at all times, violence remains a significant concern today. It is vital to implement processes to prevent workplace violence. Security practices can include an array of methods. The following documents provide best practices and alternative approaches that may be applied when handling violent encounters.