Friday, March 02, 2001

By ROGER MEZGER
PLAIN DEALER REPORTER

When the Institute of Medicine yesterday recommended better use of technology and more patient control as ways to improve the quality of health care, Pam Falasco knew just what the prestigious group had in mind.

As senior director of nursing at Parma Community General Hospital, Falasco oversees ways her hospital can raise the standard of care by reducing medical errors.

Some recent initiatives are in sync with the reforms that the institute says are needed to overcome what it called a "quality chasm" in health care.

Last year, for example, the 339- bed hospital began moving to an automated, computerized system of dispensing medication for patients. The technology greatly reduces the number of human steps involved in filling a patient’s prescription.

"If you can decrease the number of steps in a procedure, you are more likely to have less risk of error," Falasco said.

The hospital has put pharmacists on each floor, where they

help nurses understand the medications that doctors have ordered for their patients. Doctors doing rounds can consult the floor pharmacists about the best drugs and dosages.

The Institute of Medicine report also emphasized meeting patient needs by giving patients control over health care decisions that affect them.

At the Parma hospital, Falasco said, "There’s a huge shift in including our patients in the process of making sure that they are getting the appropriate care."

Starting next week, patients entering the hospital will be read their rights - and the right to remain silent definitely is not one of them.

The hospital wants patients to speak up if they think any of the medications, tests or treatments they receive are not what their doctor ordered.

"Most errors are not made by individuals that are negligent," Falasco said. "Most errors are made by systems issues and processes."

The Plains Dealer

-- Anonymous, March 03, 2001