Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

Preventing Adverse Drug Events

“Small changes can make a big difference.” So say health care professionals working to prevent adverse drug events at Labette Health in Parsons, Kan. The 99-bed rural hospital joined the AHA/HRET Hospital Engagement Network in 2012, working to reduce all ADEs by 40 percent by year-end 2015. The hospital began data collection to establish a baseline and ensure data transparency. A secondary aim focused on naloxone use. The hospital created a performance improvement team with an anesthesia champion, led by the pharmacy director. As a parallel intervention, orthopedic protocols were updated, including administering intravenous acetaminophen pre-op and post-op and adding gabapentin pre-op. As a result, the number of patients receiving opioids decreased, and HCAHPS scores on pain management increased. To ensure compliance with ADE reporting and provide support for staff juggling multiple responsibilities, Labette Health focuses on face-to-face education in staff meetings—reviewing policies, forms and reporting procedures—and uses a team-oriented approach. In one year, Labette Health recorded a 51 percent reduction in naloxone use. Hospital staff continue to proactively research and implement evidence-based practices and multimodal pain management initiatives.
 
For more information, contact Tereasa DeMeritt, director of quality and performance improvement, at tdemeritt@labettehealth.com. For more information about the AHA/HRET HEN 2.0 and resources on reducing ADEs, visit www.hret-hen.org.