Patient Safety
Better Together.Adverse Drug Events (ADEs) and infections are among the most common adverse patient safety events. Many of these events and deaths are preventable.
Medication errors, drug reactions, overdoses and allergic reactions are all types of ADEs. Fortunately, many ADEs are preventable, can impact positive health outcomes and decrease healthcare costs.
- 6 percent of American adults, 65 years and older, take at least one medication and 40.7 percent of those have five or more prescriptions
- Insulin, anticoagulants and opioids are considered ‘high alert’ medications for ADEs
- 52 percent of ADEs for outpatient settings were preventable and 45 percent of ADEs for inpatient settings were preventable
Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) Infection is a major health threat and causes life-threatening diarrhea that is usually a side-effect of taking antibiotics. In addition:
- C. diff causes almost half a million illnesses in the United States each year
- People on antibiotics are 7 to 10 times more likely to get C. diff while on medication and during the month after
- 1 in 6 patients who get C. diff will get it again in the subsequent 2-8 weeks
- 1 in 11 people over age 65 died within a month of diagnosis of a healthcare- associated C. diff infection
Patient Safety Training Events
North Dakota Resources
Patient Safety News
News
Community Health Workers: Bridging the Gap
Screen, Test, Refer to Prevent Diabetes
Recommendation to Reality for Chronic Disease Prevention
Community Health Workers Impact Quality Improvement
South Dakota Resources
Adverse Drug Events
Adverse Drug Event Resources
Antipsychotic Alternatives
American Geriatrics Society Updated Beers Criteria® for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults
Deprescribing.org
US Deprescribing Research Tools
Anticoagulation Forum
CDC Anticoag Manager
Anticoagulation Toolkit
Core Elements of Anticoagulation Stewardship Programs
ADEs: Diabetes Agents Course
2020 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes
Medications at Transitions and Clinical Handoffs (MATCH) Toolkit
Multi-Center Medication Reconciliation Quality Improvement Study (MARQUIS) Toolkit
Antibiotic Stewardship/C.diff Reduction
Infection Prevention
Opioids
Pain & Opioid Best Practices
AHA-Stem the Tide Opioid reduction toolkit
CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain
Opioid Misuse Resources
Pain: Considering Complementary Approaches (eBook)
Prevention & Treatment of Substance Use Disorders in Rural Communities Toolkit
Help.Org [a voice for consumer wellness and advocacy]
- PDF Documents: Get Adobe® Reader®
Great Plains Quality Care Coalition
Our mission is to make healthcare in the Dakotas the best in the nation. We have partnered with committed nursing homes, community leaders and healthcare organizations to improve the care in our communities. Better together.