News and Media

Welcome to Quality Buzz. Quality Buzz is dedicated to bringing you all the latest news and information to help you improve the quality of your health care. We update this section weekly and hope that it will become an important resource for you.

May 12, 2009 — New tool: Create your own list of questions

This week's Partnership video focuses on ways to prevent infection. Dr. Ronald Goodspeed, President of the Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors, explains that there are several simple ways that you and your loved ones can stay safe from infection. The easiest is washing your hands, and making sure that all members of your health care team do the same. Learn more of his tips by clicking here to watch the video and checking out the Partnership's fact sheet on how to prevent infection. It can be hard to remind a busy nurse or physician to wash their hands, but it is a tremendously important preventive step.

The federal government agency responsible for improving the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care launched a new campaign to encourage Americans to ask questions of their health care providers. The campaign includes a series of light-hearted public service announcements which play on the fact that people who are normally confident and well-spoken can clam up in their doctor's office. The campaign features a website that lets consumers create and print a set of personalized questions to bring to medical appointments.

Last week in an op-ed in the Boston Globe, Ellen Goodman continued a public discussion on end of life care that has included President Obama. As Ms. Goodman noted, close to 80 percent of elderly Americans are spending their final days in a hospital, yet the majority would rather pass away "peacefully" at home. She argues that more expensive care may not be better care. On the other hand, Mr. Obama told a New York Times reporter how he would have personally paid for his grandmother's hip replacement surgery even if it meant improving her quality of life for what proved to be only a few more days of life. This public dialog provides a poignant reminder of personal discussions we should be having with our loved ones.
 

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