Failure to rescue has been defined as deaths per 1,000 patients ...

[Mollykgkg]

Failure to rescue has been defined as deaths per 1,000 patients having developed specified complications of care during hospitalization (AHRQ, 2007). A hospital that wishes to reduce the rate of failure to rescue should prioritize what measure?
 
  A) Encouraging nurses to spend a greater amount of time at the bedside.
  B) Implementing mandatory continuing education programs.
  C) Improving the communication between members of different health disciplines.
  D) Reducing distractions to nurses while they are providing care.

Question 2

Alana is a registered nurse with an ADN degree who floats between several different medical and surgical units of a hospital.
 
  Today was Alana's fifth 12-hour shift in a row and she
  committed a medication error while providing care for one of the four patients to whom she
  was assigned. What factor is most likely to have contributed to this adverse event?
 
  A) The fact that Alana has an ADN degree
  B) The fact that Alana floats between several units
  C) The fact that Alana was working overtime
  D) The fact that Alana was responsible for four patients

[aruss1303]

Answer to Question 1

Ans: A
Failure to rescue has been tied to the amount of time that the nurse spends at the
bedside with incidence of failure to rescue decreasing when nurses spend more time at the
bedside and less on other activities. Being present at the bedside influences failure to rescue
more than continuing education, improving communication, or reducing distractions, even
though each of these measures has the potential to improve safety.

Answer to Question 2

Ans: C
While it is not possible to establish causative factors without knowing more details
of this situation, there is known to be a close correlation between overtime and adverse events.
Adverse events are not typically linked to having an ADN degree or providing care for four
patients. Unfamiliarity with a unit is a safety risk, but overtime is a more likely cause of an
error.