WIHI - A Podcast from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement

Date: December 1, 2011  Featuring: David Gozzard, FRCP, FRCPath, MBA, Consultant in Quality Improvement, North Wales, UK; Former Consultant Haematologist Christine White, MD, MAT, Assistant Professor, Division of General and Community Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center Win Whitcomb, MD, MHM, Medical Director of Healthcare Quality, Baystate Health   Although most hospitals are open for business 24/7, patients are well aware that days, nights, weekends, and holidays are not created equally in hospitals. There’s a history of assigning fewer medical and nursing staff during these times, creating a host of challenges for improvement leaders seeking to ensure safe and reliable care regardless of what the clock says. And there are real consequences: a study published in JAMA in 2008 found that patients who had heart attacks in the hospital at night and on weekends were less likely to survive than if they’d arrested during “normal business hours.” Innovative solutions to close this gap i