Welch Allyn just introduced its new Welch Allyn Connex electronic vitals documentation system that converges all aspects of vital signs documentation into one system to help eliminate vital signs documentation errors from acute care settings.

The release said that studies have shown that 10,000 omission and/or transcription errors can occur per year for a typical 200-bed facility; 8,000 hours were wasted with manual vital sign documentation; and more than $250,000 was lost in productivity due to lack of access to vitals. It went on to say the availability of an automated system that captures and wirelessly transmits patient data minimizes all of these issues.

When you hear about a new product that can save time and money and improve patient safety, how do you let your administration know about it? Do you file it away until a similar device needs replacement, or does your department proactively share innovative technologies?

Share your best practices here and if you have a best practice on a different topic, e-mail me at jkirst@allied360.com and I’ll post it on your behalf. Thanks for participating!

In the course of doing some research on the currently in-development standard IEC 80001-1:2010, regarding IT networks and medical devices, I learned about the hazy status of some standards. Regulatory bodies like The Joint Commission do not adopt all international standards, even though they may create a solid framework for streamlining hospital practices.

If a particular standard is not mandated by a regulatory body, how does your hospital determine whether or not to adopt the standard themselves?

If implementation is decided upon, do you look for specific guidance documents to help implantation or do you rely on training or perhaps another means of interpretation?

We’re certainly curious to hear about any experiences you might have had with implementing standards, so feel free leave a comment and share.

In our August Up Front column I shared information from a recent seminar I attended about reinventing yourself within your career. In the seminar Pamela Mitchell, founder of The Reinvention Institute, said reinvention is about changing how you work and changing how you see your work—in other words, doing what you already do, but doing it differently. It could entail a change in your attitude and approach to your work, or it could mean getting some new skills that help you do your job better.

Have you reinvented yourself within your work? If you have a great idea about how to do that, blog about it with us and comment here. Also, don't forget to take our Annual Compensation Survey, now available at www.24x7mag.com/survey - Thanks!

“If you don't like something change it; if you can’t change it, change the way you think about it.” Mary Engelbreit

Every year, we post our Annual Compensation Survey to assess salaries and satisfaction across the United States. The short survey is completely confidential and only takes a few minutes to complete. We publish the results in the December issue, and while the results mostly consist of comments and charts, the comments in the article yield insight into how departments overcome and cope with challenges. For instance, in the 2009 survey here are some comments regarding workloads:

A CBET at a hospital in Oregon said, “Our workload is managed by keeping teamwork in our shop as a top priority. Our workflow is maintained by keeping communication open within our department and between directors and managers of critical departments. Cross training is also an essential part of our completing all tasks in a timely manner.”

A female CE underscored the understanding of her director as a key factor in keeping workloads among her colleagues manageable. “There are always projects waiting in the wings for us to work on when we are ready,” she said, “but they are not assigned to us unless we have the time to take them on.”

One BMET III said, “The workload is actually lower now that we have adopted a more risk-based program.”

As you can see, the survey provides solid information that your colleagues can use each day, so please take a few minutes to complete the survey (www.24x7mag.com/survey) to further spread ideas that can make a difference. Thank you in advance.