The Patient Safety Task Force has provided the following publications as a benefit of KMA membership. Most files are available in MS Word format only. Please feel free to download these documents and modify the policies based on the needs of your practice. To download, click on the link. The file will open in MS Word in a new window. On the File menu, select Save As. Find the location on your computer where you wish to save the document and click Save.

KMA Report on Electronic Medical Records:

The KMA Patient Safety Task Force conducted two surveys in 2005 to gauge the use of EMR in this state by physicians, including how such systems are implemented, why they are used, and what benefits have been achieved by their adoption. The surveys also asked about potential problems encountered in adopting EMR, along with comments on what others might do when looking at purchasing such a system. This report summarizes the results of those surveys and provides helpful information for those practices still researching EMR systems.

Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital surveyed 262 primary care physicians affiliated with Brigham and with Massachusetts General Hospital and found delays in reviewing patient test results. According to the study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine , 83 percent of physicians reported at least one delay in reviewing test results during the previous two months. Despite reporting that they spent on average 74 minutes per clinical day managing test results, only 41 percent of physicians reported being satisfied with how they managed test results. The KMA Patient Safety Task Force drafted a paper with suggestions on how physicians might better track test results in their offices.

Correct Site Surgery:
Although there is no indication that wrong-site surgery occurs often in Kentucky, the Patient Safety Task Force decided to address this issue since it can have such devastating consequences for a patient. The Task Force developed a sample policy that can be adapted to a facilities own policies to help avoid wrong site surgery. Included in the sample policy is additional information and citations to other resources regarding this issue.

Prescription Primer:

The use of prescription medicine as a treatment option has increased significantly over the past few years. With this increase comes an increase in the likelihood of problems resulting from prescriptions. This flyer was designed to help physicians and other medical providers who have prescriptive authority avoid common prescription practices that may lead to errors.

Model Disaster Plan for a Physician Practice:

This informational paper was developed by the KMA Managed Care Committee and Medical Manager Advisory Group to provide sample working procedures for a physician's office during a catastrophic event that disables the medical and business functions of a medical practice.

Patient Satisfaction:

This informational paper was developed by the KMA Managed Care Committee and Medical Manager Advisory Group to assist offices in ensuring patient satisfaction. The packet includes general information and suggestions, along with sample forms and checklists you may want to adapt to your practice.

Hand Hygiene:

This flyer was developed to remind healthcare providers of the importance of proper hand hygiene in a clinical setting.

Diabetes Care Tool:

This tool was developed by the KMA Community and Rural Health Committee in conjuction with the Kentucky Diabetes Network for physicians to use in the care of adults with diabetes.