Northside Hospital in Atlanta has won first place for a project that
improved patient safety at the hospital. Georgia’s Partnership for
Health and Accountability (PHA) recently presented its prestigious
Quality and Patient Safety Award to Northside, which took the top spot
in the Hospital/Health Systems category.
The annual awards recognize Georgia health care organizations for
achievement in reducing the risk of medical errors and improving patient
safety and medical outcomes.
“Throughout Northside Hospital, our physicians and employees are committed to
balancing clinical excellence with safe, high-quality, compassionate care for
our patients,” said Janis Dubow, MSN, RN, vice president of patient care and
chief nursing officer at Northside Hospital. “This recognition is further
proof of their hard work and I couldn’t be more proud.”
Northside’s project introduced a new protocol, aimed at streamlining the process
by which nurses assess each patient’s functional and mobility status in order to
better ensure proper care when the patient needed to be moved. As a result
of the new protocol, the incidence of patient falls, readmission rates and
length of stay at Northside decreased significantly over a six-month period.
“By reducing falls, readmissions and length of stay, Northside Hospital has
taken important steps in ensuring high quality care for its patients,” said
Georgia Hospital Association Chief Medical Officer Doug Patten, M.D. “We applaud
the hospital and its staff for providing the best and safest care possible to
its patients.”