The Covid-19 pandemic made it harder for medical students to receive proper training once schools switched to virtual learning and students couldn’t access needed hands-on training.

Now, the problem of inexperienced clinicians entering the workforce is the top patient safety concern for 2024, according to a report released on Monday from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) and ECRI, the largest nonprofit patient-safety organization in the US.

Clinicians who trained during the pandemic missed “significant learning experiences,” and up to 30% of nurses with fewer than two years of experience said they don’t feel well prepared to practice medicine on their own, according to the report. That lack of confidence, combined with burnout, insufficient training, and a lack of support, could lead to “preventable harm” for patients, the ECRI stated.

Keep reading here.—MA

Do you work in healthcare or have information about the industry that we should know? Email Maia at [email protected]. For confidential conversations, ask Maia for her number on Signal.

Breakthroughs in healthcare are happening now. GE HealthCare experts anticipate three key areas where we can expect positive change from the industry.

Thanks in part to the increased use of telehealth and virtual care, democratized healthcare is on the list.

This shift can happen as more healthcare administrators embrace technology to deliver more accessible, cost-effective models of care. Coupled with advancements in connected devices, AI, and cloud solutions, we’re seeing continued change in how and where patients receive care.

Diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment are no longer confined to a single hospital or health system. New tech is helping decentralize access to advanced imaging and diagnostic equipment, and it's expanding care services to more remote and underserved communities.

Over the next decade, these influences could transform access to healthcare. Learn more about healthcare’s next big breakthroughs.

“Don’t panic!” is a great line, but only on two occasions: when you’re reading The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and also…no, that’s it.

It’s far easier to be told not to panic than to find solutions for panicking, as many hospitals across the US have found out: Hospital executives are rushing to alleviate the growing problem of workplace violence for their workers through a myriad of techniques, from installing metal detectors to giving staff panic buttons.

To help hospitals address this danger, Cognosos, an Atlanta-based software company specializing in real-time location systems and asset intelligence, introduced a new safety product for healthcare workers, designed with subtlety and accuracy in mind.

Keep reading here.—QS

Do you work in healthcare or have information about the industry that we should know? Email Quinn at [email protected]. For confidential conversations, ask Quinn for their number on Signal.

On Fridays, we schedule our rounds with Healthcare Brew readers. Want to be featured in an upcoming edition? Click here to introduce yourself.

This week’s Making Rounds spotlights Portia Newman, associate partner and AVP of education and engagement at the Chartis Center for Health Equity and Belonging, which is part of healthcare advisory firm Chartis.

Newman helps healthcare systems attain health equity goals, such as improving healthcare access for patients and overcoming systemic social and economic disparities. To accomplish that, she consults with managers to help them understand the goals through system assessments, trainings, and discussions.

Newman discussed how abstract ideas turn into action, and why healthcare policy changes give her optimism.

Keep reading here.—WP

Do you work in healthcare or have information about the industry that we should know? Email Will at [email protected]. For confidential conversations, ask Will for his number on Signal.

Identify gaps, save $$$ on solutions. HealthStream’s jane AI helps clinical educators objectively identify competency gaps to personalize development, which saves time and $$$. Simply indicate how many nurses you staff and the average annual development they receive—and see how much money jane can save you on competency development.