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Standard Operating Procedures for Clinical Trials: A set of standard operating procedures for clinical trials is absolutely vital for ensuring the effectiveness of the study for a number of reasons. Standard operating procedures for clinical trials are a very potent means to help researchers, principals or sponsors ensure the accuracy and consistency of the procedures needed for the clinical trial. What are standard operating procedures for clinical trials? Standard operating procedures for clinical trials are written instructions that are detailed to provide information about every aspect of the trial. With this set of standard operating procedures for clinical trials, principals seek to bring about a level of uniformity in a particular task of the clinical trial. Consistency in these standard operating procedures for clinical trials has to be ensured so that the clinical trial meets local, state and federal government and global guidelines and requirements. Equally importantly, standard operating procedures for clinical trials have to also meet regulatory guidelines set out by bodies such as the FDA. The purpose of standard operating procedures for clinical trials should be to help the trial achieve consistency in the quality control and quality assurance. In addition, standard operating procedures for clinical trials should be designed to help the trial achieve the quality of auditability. This is because any clinical trial goes through audits from regulatory bodies, making the role of standard operating procedures for clinical trials all the more important. Factors to bear in mind while establishing standard operating procedures for clinical trials: Standard operating procedures for clinical trials should thoroughly document these among other elements: Event Reporting Safety Monitoring Laboratory Management Pharmacy Management Development of Protocols Informed Consent Operations at the site of the clinical trial While these may be considered the core asp

Clinical information: Clinical informatics is the new exciting kid on the block. With the right mix of aptitude and attitude, professionals can look forward to many opportunities and challenges in the field. An understanding of the coining of the term "clinical informatics" gives an idea of what it is. Clinical informatics is a combination of two words, "clinical" and "informatics". Together, these relate to the knowledge of how information technology works in the healthcare sector. It is very important for clinicians to understand the functioning of IT into its domain, because with the advent of IT; there has been a major need to integrate clinical practices with it. A clinician who understands the way IT impacts the workings on in her industry is a better equipped professional when it comes to handling IT-related issues in the clinical setting. A clinical informatics professional should have a clear idea of the following approaches to IT: Analysis Design Implementation Assessment of information and communication that enhance the quality of clinical informatics Single approach to multiple health areas: One important element that needs to be understood about clinical informatics is that given the scope and breadth of the area of clinical informatics; professionals from any discipline of health -be it pathology, pharmacy, dentistry, radiology, dermatology, etc. -apply the same principles of clinical informatics to optimize the use of IT in healthcare. This requires constant coordination and cooperation with professionals and practitioners of all these areas. Clinical informatics is thus an area which is interspersed with all these other specializations and can be used and applied in any of these areas. What should a clinical informatics professional ensure? The aim of clinical informatics is to use this discipline to coordinate with nearly all the areas of medicine to provide optimal outcomes in patient care that delivers and ens

Quality Management in Healthcare: Quality management in healthcare is a critical requirement for healthcare organizations. Making quality management patient-centric comes first. Adapting and implementing standards and tools is the next step towards this. Quality management in healthcare is of critical importance to the healthcare industry and the patient. Everyone in the loop -from physicians to practitioners to support staff -needs to be aware of the importance of quality management in healthcare. The most basic purpose of imparting high quality management in healthcare is to make sure that the patient is well taken care of. For this to happen, the healthcare setting has to implement systems and processes. Quality management centers on process management. If organizations have to ensure that meaningful quality management in healthcare is being implemented; they have to adhere to processes. Adapting standards and instilling processes into the healthcare system is how healthcare providers can assure quality in healthcare. Patient is at the center of quality management in healthcare Obviously, the first step in the direction of implementing quality management in healthcare is to make the healthcare setting's care and processes patient-oriented and patient-centric. Quality management in healthcare begins with the patient and should be fully tuned to her needs. As patients' requirements and expectations vary over time; quality management has to keep upgrading itself to keep up with the changing needs and demands. In line with this, the following means can go a long way in ensuring quality management in healthcare: The healthcare setting has to identify goals for ensuring quality management in healthcare. Each department has to be given measurable goals to reach. Implementing quality standards goes a long way in ensuring that quality management in healthcare is imparted in the organization. Six Sigma, ISO 9001 and ANOVA are some of the popular standards a

Quality Management in Healthcare: Quality management in healthcare is a critical requirement for healthcare organizations. Making quality management patient-centric comes first. Adapting and implementing standards and tools is the next step towards this. Quality management in healthcare is of critical importance to the healthcare industry and the patient. Everyone in the loop -from physicians to practitioners to support staff -needs to be aware of the importance of quality management in healthcare. The most basic purpose of imparting high quality management in healthcare is to make sure that the patient is well taken care of. For this to happen, the healthcare setting has to implement systems and processes. Quality management centers on process management. If organizations have to ensure that meaningful quality management in healthcare is being implemented; they have to adhere to processes. Adapting standards and instilling processes into the healthcare system is how healthcare providers can assure quality in healthcare. Patient is at the center of quality management in healthcare Obviously, the first step in the direction of implementing quality management in healthcare is to make the healthcare setting's care and processes patient-oriented and patient-centric. Quality management in healthcare begins with the patient and should be fully tuned to her needs. As patients' requirements and expectations vary over time; quality management has to keep upgrading itself to keep up with the changing needs and demands. In line with this, the following means can go a long way in ensuring quality management in healthcare: The healthcare setting has to identify goals for ensuring quality management in healthcare. Each department has to be given measurable goals to reach. Implementing quality standards goes a long way in ensuring that quality management in healthcare is imparted in the organization. Six Sigma, ISO 9001 and ANOVA are some of the popular standards a

Health Information Security Compliance: Health information security compliance requirements from HIPAA keep risk management at the core. These requirements also have other guidelines. Health information security compliance is a vital requirement for healthcare providers. Healthcare professionals have to ensure security and privacy of Protected Health Information (PHI) and Electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI), which are part of Electronic Health Records (EHR). The guidelines, rules and requirements are mandated by HIPAA, which is in charge of ensuring that there is privacy and security of health information. Challenges associated with health information security compliance The very fact that a lot of health information is stored in electronic records makes health information security compliance all the more challenging. The way in which information flows between various players in the sector is also a factor: shared computers and information sharing with third party associates like laboratories and billers. If a healthcare organization is not compliant with health information security, it could be held indirectly responsible for issues arising out of these. HIPAA has regulations and guidelines on how providers can keep PHI and ePHI. It suggests and strongly recommends risk analysis as the basis for health information security compliance. These are set out in the Meaningful Use requirements. Some of risk analysis methods include or relate to the following: The provider's EHR software and hardware Assessment of whether the provider's practice protocols are adequate Risk assessment of the provider's physical setting and environment Risk assessment relating to staff education and training A thorough examination of EHR access controls Risk management relating to contracts with the provider's Business Associates The healthcare provider's practices in relation to patient relations and communications Physical measures for ensuring health information security c