4 Stories You Need But May Have Missed This Week

We know you’re busy, but we don’t want you to miss important healthcare quality and patient safety news. Below is a roundup of stories you may have missed but need to take a look at before calling it a week. (Sign up on the right if you’d like these news alerts delivered to you.)

1.  Is Meaningful Use Losing Momentum?
   CMS and ONC announced this week that only 1 percent of eligible providers and 3 percent of eligible hospitals have attested to Stage 2 to date.  Although it may be early still to draw any conclusions, such low numbers may call for concern.
2. Program Teaches Nurses to Manage, Apply Emotions
   The Four Habits model has been used time and again to improve physician-patient communication, and research shows it can be just as beneficial in helping nurses practice the use of empathy while interacting with patients in their care.
3. The Rise of mHealth: 10 Trends
   The extent to which clinicians and consumers are adopting mobile health tools and apps continues to strengthen. This top-trends list illustrates the immediate effects of the digital onset and points to the possible impact that continued growth and innovation could have on the healthcare industry’s future.
4. New Primer Provides Guidance for Appropriate Error Disclosure
   While healthcare providers typically have tended to steer away from discussing medical errors with patients primarily in an effort to avoid lawsuits or embarrassment, the tables are starting to turn in regard to what most physicians feel is appropriate behavior when a mistake is made. Thus, the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality has posted a new Patient Safety Primer that supports a shift toward full disclosure.