New Recommendations From AACE To Improve Patient Care

More than 195,000 avoidable deaths occur in the United States each year and that one out of every eight American adults will experience at least one medical error in their life.

Panel urged improved coordination of care and the use of electronic health records.
The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists recently released a new set of recommendations designed to improve overall patient care. The guidelines call for increased coordination in treatment and a greater use of computer systems to reduce medical errors.

Committee chair, Richard Hellman, MD and committee members felt the need to address the challenges that endocrinologists face in treating patients as improvements and innovations in patient care have been developed.

Dr. Hellman stated that, “we needed to take a fresh look at the care of patients because increased complexity is a driver that is stressing the health care system.”

The committee members said medical errors are a particular issue for patients with diabetes because the complexity of their care increases the risk of errors. Patients with diabetes have higher rates of hospitalization and are at an even higher risk of experiencing a medical error.

Medical errors are also an important factor in causing poorer outcomes in diabetes care. One study estimated that the percent of patients with diabetes who died and who experienced a significant medical error was 20%.

One of the most important recommendations the committee made called for improved teamwork among health care providers. The committee members said health care providers should “create a culture of safety.” They also recommended taking steps to improve coordination of care between various health care providers and ancillary services.

“Some common medical errors occur because of a lack of teamwork,” Hellman said. “These errors are often not because of a defect in care but an error in the execution of care.” The committee members said improved cooperation can be accomplished by greater communication and the implementation of more back-up checks in medical settings.

The call for an increased use of computers is also a part of the new guidelines. AACE committee members favored the implementation of electronic patient records and information-sharing systems. “Computers are often not being used the way they should be,” Hellman said. He said that computer systems can help to better coordinate prescriptions and orders from various medical professionals who may be treating the same patient. He stressed that information-sharing systems can help reduce medical errors.

Finally, the committee members recommended improved education for both patients and medical professionals. “More individualized, ongoing, evidence-based education strategies are needed to ensure that patients can safely and effectively follow their treatment plan,” the committee wrote. “Maintaining personal health records will empower diabetic patients to document their health status and glycemic control and may allow them to interact with their electronic health records.”
Source: www.aace.com

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