Improving Timely Administration of Essential Outpatient Medications in a Pediatric ED.

Background And Objectives: The complexity of pediatric patients' outpatient medication regimens is increasing, and risk for medication errors is compounded in a busy emergency department (ED). As ED length of stay (LOS) increases, timely and accurate administration of essential outpatient medications has become increasingly challenging. Our objective was to increase the frequency of ordering of essential outpatient medications for patients with ED LOS >4 hours from 56% to 80% by June 2023.

Reducing false-positive peripheral blood cultures in a pediatric emergency department.

Introduction: False-positive peripheral blood cultures due to contamination pose clinical and financial consequences for patients, families, and hospitals. Educating staff who draw peripheral blood cultures about hospital policy, using a blood culture-drawing kit, having a dedicated team obtaining peripheral blood cultures, and following up with staff who draw a contaminated peripheral blood cultures have been shown to reduce the rate of false-positive peripheral blood cultures. The objective of this study was to reduce the rate of false-positive peripheral blood cultures in a pediatric emergency department using the previously mentioned measures.

Complying with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard: implementing needleless systems and intravenous safety devices.

Preventing the transmission of bloodborne pathogens to healthcare workers has been a mission and a challenge of the healthcare industry for over 20 years. The development of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Bloodborne Pathogens Standard in 1991 and the passing of the Needlestick Safety Act in 2000 mandated hospitals to develop an Exposure Control Plan to protect workers from these pathogens. Children's Hospital Boston began implementation of a needleless system in 1993.