QIO News Posts
Antibiotic Stewardship: A Community Effort
If you search the term, “stewardship” online, you will find a definition that states, “the job of supervising or taking care of something, such as an organization or property”. When we think of antibiotic stewardship, we often assume the obligation is in the hands of...
CDC Launches New Opioid Awareness Campaign
"Nearly half of all opioid overdose deaths in the United States (U.S.) involve a prescription opioid. Overdose deaths involving prescription opioids have tripled since 1999 and so have sales of these prescription drugs. From 1999 to 2015, more than 183,000 people have...
Patient and Physician Education Boosts Anticoagulant Adherence Rates
A recent global study has shown that educating patients about the anticoagulants they take results in a small reduced risk of stroke, coupled with an increased use of anticoagulation medications. Only 58 percent of patients with atrial fibrillation worldwide take oral...
My Cardiac Coach: A Tool for Post Heart Attack Care
Recovering from a heart attack? The American Heart Association has an app for that. After a heart attack, an individual is told to focus on recovery. Then he or she is left to figure it out. What are the next steps? Where should he or she be directed for reliable...
Be an Informed Patient about Antibiotic Use
Healthcare was revolutionized by the discovery of antibiotics in the early 20th century. While antibiotics save millions of lives each year, the rise of antibiotic resistant bacterial strains is posing a serious threat and has become a national healthcare priority. It...
Trends in Hospital Admissions Shift with Observation Stays and Emergency Department Visits on the Rise
Over half of the 35.4 million annual inpatient admissions in the United States begin in the emergency department (ED), yet more than 5 times as many ED visits are treated and released from the ED as are admitted to the same hospital. ED visits have outpaced population...
People with Diabetes Urged to Get the Flu Shot
Medical Xpress recently reported that doctors are urging people with diabetes to get their flu vaccination, particularly this year, with predictions calling for a potentially bad flu season. Many people with diabetes do not get a seasonal flu shot, according to...
Study Finds Low Health Literacy Leads to Longer Hospital Stays
Clinical Advisor recently reported that patients with low health literacy were linked to longer hospital stays, according to a study published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine. The study included 5,983 participants who were admitted or transferred to the general...
Recommend the Best Diabetes Education Program
Healthcare professionals have a variety of self-management education programs to choose from for individuals struggling to manage or prevent diabetes. Understanding the purpose for each program and using the power of provider referral to recommend the best option may...
Long-Term Application of Interventions to Reduce Inappropriate Antibiotic Prescribing May be Needed
A follow-up study recently released in JAMA suggests stopping behavioral interventions aimed at reducing inappropriate antibiotic prescribing may actually cause a rebound in prescribing rates. Two interventions — accountable justification and peer comparison — were...