We can check serum lithium levels less often without compromising patient safety: evidence from a multi-centre study

Lower extremity burns and Unna paste: can we decrease health care costs without compromising patient care?

OBJECTIVE To compare an alternative treatment for lower extremity burns with the standard in-hospital treatment, in an attempt to shorten hospital stay. DESIGN A case-control series. SETTING A university-affiliated hospital. PATIENTS All patients with a burn isolated to a lower extremity were treated over an 8-month period with split-thickness skin grafting (STSG), Unna paste dressing, im...

Can We Improve Patient Safety?

Despite greater awareness of patient safety issues especially in the operating room and the widespread implementation of surgical time out World Health Organization (WHO), errors, especially wrong site surgery, continue. Most such errors are due to lapses in communication where decision makers fail to consult or confirm operative findings but worryingly where parental concerns over the planned ...

Can we have a culture of patient safety without one of staff safety?

Ward round documentation in a major trauma centre: can we improve patient safety?

Our objective was to improve documentation and patient safety in a major trauma centre. A retrospective audit was undertaken in March 2014. Ward round entries for each orthopaedic patients on three dates were assessed against standards and analysed. The audit was repeated in April 2014, and again in August 2014. Thorough documentation is paramount in a major trauma centre. It forms a useful rec...

Clinical inquiries. Which medications can be split without compromising efficacy and safety?

Split tablets of lisinopril are as effective as whole tablets of the same dose for hypertension (strength of recommendation [SOR]: B, based on small randomized crossover study). Similarly, split tablets of atorvastatin, lovastatin, and simvastatin are no less effective for lowering cholesterol (SOR: B, based on retrospective cohort studies). Extended-release, enteric-coated, or tablets that can...