Editor’s Note: In late 2020, the Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety asked four healthcare leaders how the pandemic had affected their organization’s approach to an overarching issue in patient safety. Patricia McGaffigan, vice president of safety programs at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in Boston, Massachusetts, was asked to reflect on how the pandemic had […]
Editor’s Note: Looking back over 2020, it’s easy to see that the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has touched nearly every aspect of daily life around the world, and in heath care the impact has been profound. What a year! In addition to the extent and depth of change the pandemic has triggered, I’m struck by the pandemic’s […]
Patient engagement has taken a hit from the novel coronavirus outbreak. Since early March when “lockdown” upended normal life across the country, many patients have disengaged from healthcare—missed care they needed either because appointments had been cancelled or because they felt the risk of catching COVID-19 outweighed the risk of delayed care. Even highly activated […]
“Honestly, I think we’re all trying to figure out how worried to be.” – Dr. William Dale, quoted by Judith Graham Editor’s note: From washing canned goods to disinfecting our cellphones, leaving packing boxes on the porch, self-quarantining and wondering if all 60 year olds are at “high risk,” the novel coronavirus has us all […]