Concurrence between Complaints Procedures in the Dutch Healthcare System

2011 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.J.M. Frederiks ◽  
F.Y. Alhafaji ◽  
J. Legemaate

AbstractThere are various ways in which complaints about healthcare providers’ performance can be handled in the Netherlands. In practice, situations occur relatively frequently in which one and the same treatment by a provider results in various different complaints procedures being instigated or, in other words, in concurrence between complaints procedures. Dutch periodicals published information on a total of 42 cases of concurrence between 1997 and 2007. Concurrence between complaints procedures prompts a series of questions about how it arises, its legal implications, the possible consequences for those involved and whether it has any added value. This article examines these various issues.

2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (10) ◽  
pp. 1017-1023
Author(s):  
Peter M. Schneeberger ◽  
Annemarie E. Meiberg ◽  
Janet Warmelts ◽  
Sander C. A. P. Leenders ◽  
Paul T. L. van Wijk

Objective.Healthcare providers and other employees, especially those who do not work in a hospital, may not easily find help after the occurrence of a blood exposure accident. In 2006, a national call center was established in the Netherlands to fill this gap.Methods.All occupational blood exposure accidents reported to the 24-hours-per-day, 7-days-per-week call center from 2007, 2008, and 2009 were analyzed retrospectively for incidence rates, risk assessment, handling, and preventive measures taken.Results.A total of 2,927 accidents were reported. The highest incidence rates were reported for private clinics and hospitals (68.5 and 54.3 accidents per 1,000 person-years, respectively). Dental practices started reporting incidents frequently after the arrangement of a collective financial agreement with the call center. Employees of ambulance services, midwife practices, and private clinics reported mostly high-risk accidents, whereas penitentiaries frequently reported low-risk accidents. Employees in mental healthcare facilities, private clinics, and midwife practices reported accidents relatively late. The extent of hepatitis B vaccination in mental healthcare facilities, penitentiaries, occupational health services, and cleaning services was low (<70%).Conclusions.The national call center successfully organized the national registration and handling of blood exposure accidents. The risk of blood exposure accidents could be estimated on the basis of this information for several occupational branches. Targeted preventive measures for healthcare providers and other employees at risk can next be developed.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2012;33(10):1017-1023


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s321-s321
Author(s):  
Stephanie Shealy ◽  
Joseph Kohn ◽  
Emily Yongue ◽  
Casey Troficanto ◽  
Brandon Bookstaver ◽  
...  

Background: Hospitals in the United States have been encouraged to report antimicrobial use (AU) to the CDC NHSN since 2011. Through the NHSN Antimicrobial Use Option module, health systems may compare standardized antimicrobial administration ratios (SAARs) across specific facilities, patient care locations, time periods, and antimicrobial categories. To date, participation in the NHSN Antimicrobial Use Option remains voluntary and the value of reporting antimicrobial use and receiving monthly SAARs to multihospital healthcare systems has not been clearly demonstrated. In this cohort study. we examined potential applications of SAAR within a healthcare system comprising multiple local hospitals. Methods: Three hospitals within Prisma Health-Midlands (hospitals A, B, and C) became participants in the NHSN Antimicrobial Use Option in July 2017. SAAR reports were presented initially in October 2017 and regularly (every 3–4 months) thereafter during interprofessional antimicrobial stewardship system-wide meetings until end of study in June 2019. Through interfacility comparisons and by analyzing SAAR categories in specific patient-care locations, primary healthcare providers and pharmacists were advised to incorporate results into focused antimicrobial stewardship initiatives within their facility. Specific alerts were designed to promote early de-escalation of antipseudomonal β-lactams and vancomycin. The Student t test was used to compare mean SAAR in the preintervention period (July through October 2017) to the postintervention period (November 2017 through June 2019) for all antimicrobials and specific categories and locations within each hospital. Results: During the preintervention period, mean SAAR for all antimicrobials in hospitals A, B, and C were 0.69, 1.09, and 0.60, respectively. Notably, mean SAARs at hospitals A, B, and C in intensive care units (ICU) during the preintervention period were 0.67, 1.36, and 0.83 for broad-spectrum agents used for hospital-onset infections and 0.59, 1.27, and 0.68, respectively, for agents used for resistant gram-positive infections. After antimicrobial stewardship interventions, mean SAARs for all antimicrobials in hospital B decreased from 1.09 to 0.83 in the postintervention period (P < .001). Mean SAARs decreased from 1.36 to 0.81 for broad-spectrum agents used for hospital-onset infections and from 1.27 to 0.72 for agents used for resistant gram-positive infections in ICU at hospital B (P = .03 and P = .01, respectively). No significant changes were noted in hospitals A and C. Conclusions: Reporting AU to the CDC NHSN and the assessment of SAARs across hospitals in a healthcare system had motivational effects on antimicrobial stewardship practices. Enhancement and customization of antimicrobial stewardship interventions was associated with significant and sustained reductions in SAARs for all antimicrobials and specific antimicrobial categories at those locations.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel Schreinemachers ◽  
Wiebe Strick

<p>Should a bridge always be functional and accessible? Should it always fulfil its purpose? This seemingly self- evident question is a key question in footbridge design that is oriented towards creating experiences.</p><p>Footbridges are able to successfully enriches our experience of a certain context or landscape, it cannot be functional all the time, under all environmental conditions, weather and seasons. A good example is the Zalige bridge designed as part of the Room for the River, a large-scale national program for inland flood- protection in the Netherlands. Build upon the floodplains within a newly created river-park by the city of Nijmegen, the Zalige bridge’s curved shape stands in direct relationship to the fluctuating water levels of the river. When water levels rise, the bridge partially submerges, becoming only accessible through steppingstones. At peak heights, the bridge disappears completely, becoming a metaphor for our relationship to the water.</p><p>“Building a bridge that fails to fulfil its sole purpose of containing the water; this can only be pulled off in the Netherlands.” – jury Dutch Design Awards about the Zalige bridge.</p><p>The loss of functionality is directly related to the creation of an experience. When the water levels rose in January 2018, the bridge became the prime location to experience the changing landscape. It shows that engineering a bridge is not solely focussed on the most efficient engineering, but for the purpose it fulfils as for society. For most pedestrian bridges where the perception of the user is on a different level as for a highway bridge, functionality provides more than just cost driven or efficiency driven parameters. It is more related to the added value for the community. When design not solemnly derives from the sheer taste and predilection of the designer but is based on the user’s experience, it generates a durable relation with a feeling of ownership of its users. The key is to create this experience in an elegant and natural way and not forced or dictated. It should be people's own unique discovery and should not be imposed.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 310-315
Author(s):  
Francesca Spranzi

Surgical swabs are routinely used by obstetricians and midwives to absorb blood during caesarean sections or perineal repairs following a vaginal birth. On rare occasions, a surgical swab can be left behind by mistake inside the patient's body. When an incident involving a retained swab occurs, this is declared a ‘never event’. Although a rare occurrence, a retained surgical swab is the source of high morbidity (infection, pain, secondary postpartum haemorrhage and psychological harm). It is also important to mention the financial burden and the legal implications affecting healthcare providers worldwide. Over the years, several strategies have been implemented in clinical practice to reduce such risk. However, none of these seem to provide a definitive answer. Having offered a brief overview of the evidence surrounding retained surgical swabs, this article presents an innovative approach based on creating a physical barrier by introducing an anchoring point linking the swabs together, making it physically impossible to leave one behind. At present, these modified swabs are undergoing development and testing.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 28-45
Author(s):  
Young B. Choi ◽  
Christopher E. Williams

Data breaches have a profound effect on businesses associated with industries like the US healthcare system. This task extends more pressure on healthcare providers as they continue to gain unprecedented access to patient data, as the US healthcare system integrates further into the digital realm. Pressure has also led to the creation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, Omnibus Rule, and Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health laws. The Defense Information Systems Agency also develops and maintains security technical implementation guides that are consistent with DoD cybersecurity policies, standards, architectures, security controls, and validation procedures. The objective is to design a network (physician's office) in order to meet the complexity standards and unpredictable measures posed by attackers. Additionally, the network must adhere to HIPAA security and privacy requirements required by law. Successful implantation of network design will articulate comprehension requirements of information assurance security and control.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mart van Dijk ◽  
John B. F. de Wit ◽  
Rebecca Kamps ◽  
Thomas E. Guadamuz ◽  
Joel E. Martinez ◽  
...  

AbstractThe aim of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of informal PrEP users regarding access to PrEP and PrEP-related healthcare, community responses, sexual behavior and well-being. We interviewed 30 men who have sex with men (MSM) in semi-structured online interviews between March and August 2018. Interviews were analyzed using interpretive description. Informal PrEP users were well informed about the use of PrEP, but sometimes did not make use of renal testing. Participants reported a lack of PrEP knowledge among healthcare providers, which limited their access to PrEP and put them at risk, as they received incorrect information. Although some participants reported negative reactions from potential sex partners, most received positive reactions and were sometimes seen as more desirable sex partners. PrEP healthcare services should not only be accessible to formal PrEP users, but also to PrEP users who procure PrEP informally.


Author(s):  
Kara S. Evans ◽  
Elizabeth Baoying Wang

Healthcare providers treat a plethora of conditions associated with the human body for a patient to achieve optimal healthiness. However, aspects of a patients' entire wellbeing can often be overlooked, which leads to issues such as drug interactions, missed diagnoses, and other gaps in care. Healthcare can benefit from implementing better data management and integration to improve data analysis, which could bridge gaps in care. This chapter will explain data analysis and data integration, why they are pertinent in the healthcare system, and their associated rewards and challenges. After analyzing these healthcare facets, this chapter will conclude with a proposal for healthcare providers to leverage technology for patients' general wellbeing and a healthier population.


Author(s):  
Stéfane M. Kabene ◽  
Melody Wolfe ◽  
Raymond Leduc

The Canadian healthcare system strives to serve a population altered by ever-changing demographics, cultural shifts, and diverse societal populations, and to serve those in rural communities with remote access to health care. The following chapter examines Canada’s current healthcare system and the effects on demand for services and the supply of healthcare providers created by the need to service rural populations, by limited access to medical schools, and by the introduction of foreign medical/health professionals. More specifically, the chapter reviews the symptoms of a strained medical system plagued by “brain waste” due to the non-use of qualified immigrant healthcare professionals, long wait times as a result of inadequate staffing and resources, and a school system that hinders the development of aspiring medical care professionals from rural and international areas. If Canada is to face these challenges with efficacy and vigour, effective human resources management techniques and competent human resources professionals are a necessary prologue. Medical knowledge and skill must be valued; healthcare professionals should be utilized more efficiently to improve healthcare access and minimize brain waste.


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