Confessions: Even though I have been a maternal-newborn nurse for more than 20 years, I have little knowledge about the process of improvement and creating change. I have the passion, but not the know-how. The word “improvement” was never uttered when I went to school. Every day, I see how evidence-based practice does not reach our patients. Every conference continues to highlight the evidence, but the conversation ends there. It seems as if the research sits in books and journals waiting for us ... read full post

Recently, I joined my family in remembering Harriet Berman. At Harriet’s funeral, her children celebrated her life in many ways. Among the many stories and reflections, one message stood out to me Harriet deeply disliked the language used to describe the experience of being a cancer patient — being a victim of cancer. Fighting a Battle with cancer. Living as a Survivor of cancer. Harriet did not like the implications of the language. Battling something implies there is a winner and a loser. It ... read full post

The 5th Annual SC Patient Safety Symposium, held April 25 in Columbia, SC, proved to be a valuable experience for both of us! We learned a lot about patient safety and had the opportunity to her many leading experts in the field.   (We would first like to thank the South Carolina Hospital Association (SCHA) for sponsoring our attendance and for its constant support of the IHI Open School Chapters in the state of South Carolina.)   Here’s a rundown of our experience: We kicked things off ... read full post

What if every citizen’s end-of-live wishes could be expressed and respected in a way that was simple and transformative? Would you have the conversation about your views on a “good death” if you knew it would bring peace, security, and calm to your loved ones? We are all mortal, yet as a society we have been painfully slow in recognizing and acknowledging how many of the people we love are not dying in a manner of their choosing: in comfort, among people who care about them, and engaged in what ... read full post

The University of Colorado IHI Open School Chapter, in collaboration with the Patient Safety Education Partnership, was proud last week to host Paul F. Levy, author and former CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Levy related stories about reducing patient harm, transparency of clinical outcomes, and leadership in medicine. The 80 attendees included students and faculty from the schools of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Dental Medicine, and Public Health, as well as residents and staff ... read full post