MedStaff Update: August 2016

Featured Guest Contributor
A Message from New President & CEO David Entwistle
As I begin my new role at Stanford Health Care, I cannot imagine a more exciting time to be engaging with physicians to further our mission and build upon the accomplishments of this world-renowned institution.

Crisis Communications 101
An old-fashioned, landline telephone. A family emergency plan. Updated email, pager and cell numbers. These are the essential components of a physician’s emergency response arsenal.

Design Thinking Guides Patient Improvement Efforts
Stanford Health Care has begun employing a new problem-solving methodology to improve the patient experience, to create new products and services and to enhance patient safety. Design thinking works in parallel with other improvement efforts; but sits alone in its ability to empathize with end users, advocate on their behalf and develop new offerings to address unmet needs.

Patient Safety: Lessons Learned
The practice of copy and paste has become the norm for documenting in the EMR. Although it can save time, there are risks associated with its use: copying and pasting inaccurate or outdated information; redundant information in the EMR, which makes it difficult to locate current information; and the inability to identify the source of the information, to name a few. In short, copy and paste can lead clinicians to inadvertently convey misinformation if they do not review it for accuracy. These copy and paste errors have been a factor in unnecessary treatments and/or procedures, and delays in diagnosis or appropriate treatment.