Mapping Healthcare: Healthcare improvement lessons from around the world

Mapping Healthcare: Healthcare improvement lessons from around the world

por Dr. Ulfat Shaikh
Temporada 2
35. Healthcare in the Air: Retrieval Medicine in Remote Australia
How would you survive a critical emergency hundreds of miles from civilization? Retrieval medicine is a high-stakes flying ICU that brings medical expertise directly to a patient’s side. In this episode we trace the evolution of care in the air, from 1870s mail balloons to modern jets that fight the laws of physics. Shannon Nott from the Royal Flying Doctor Service tells us about delivering lifesaving care across vast distances in the Australian Outback. From the hidden danger of expanding gases at altitude and how aviation-style safety checklists keep teams and patients alive, we hear why your geography shouldn't be your destiny. References: Shirley PJ, Hearns S. Retrieval medicine: a review and guide for UK practitioners. Part 1: Clinical guidelines and evidence base. Emerg Med J. 2006;23(12):937-942. doi:10.1136/emj.2006.036897 Hearns S, Shirley PJ. Retrieval medicine: a review and guide for UK practitioners. Part 2: safety in patient retrieval systems. Emerg Med J. 2006;23(12):943-947. doi:10.1136/emj.2006.038075 Laverty C, Tien H, Beckett A, et al. Primary aeromedical retrieval crew composition: Do different teams impact clinical outcomes? A descriptive systematic review. CJEM. 2020;22(S2):S89-S103. doi:10.1017/cem.2020.404 Muyambi K, Gardiner F, Sollid S, et al. Aeromedical retrieval services characteristics globally: a scoping review. Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med. 2022;30(1):71. doi:10.1186/s13049-022-01053-x Parrino C, Galvagno SM Jr. Aeromedical transport for critically ill patients. Crit Care Clin. 2024;40(3):481-495. doi:10.1016/j.ccc.2024.03.004
34. Preventing Maternal Deaths During Childbirth in Ethiopia
A mother dies from preventable causes related to pregnancy or childbirth every two minutes. We have the medical knowledge about what works to prevent these avoidable deaths. So why do they still occur? Explore the global maternal mortality crisis and the three delays that turn a joyful event into a tragedy. Abebe Alene tells us how Dessie Hospital in Ethiopia halved its maternal deaths. We talk about simplifying birthing workflows in hospitals, standardizing lifesaving medical procedures, the life-saving power of midwives, and the role of paid maternity leave policies. References: Gunja MZ, et al. Insights into the U.S. Maternal Mortality Crisis: An International Comparison. Commonwealth Fund. June 4, 2024. doi:10.26099/cthn-st75 Davidson KW, Terry MB, Braveman P, et al. Maternal mortality: a National Institutes of Health Pathways to Prevention panel report. Obstet Gynecol. 2024;143(3):e78-e85. doi:10.1097/AOG.0000000000005488 Ekwuazi EK, Chigbu CO, Ngene NC. Reducing maternal mortality in low- and middle-income countries. Case Rep Womens Health. 2023;39:e00542. doi:10.1016/j.crwh.2023.e00542 Langlois EV, Reid A, Khosla R. Mothers deserve better: evidence-based strategies to address maternal mortality. Lancet Glob Health*. Published online April 8, 2025. doi:10.1016/S2214-109X(25)00149-4 Nassar AH, Usta I. Factors contributing to the reduction of the global maternal mortality ratio. Lancet Glob Health. 2026. World Health Organization. Maternal mortality. 2025. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/maternal-mortality
33. The Rural Community Pharmacy: A Lifeline on Catalina Island
In rural counties most pharmacies are independently owned. When these rural pharmacies close, they don’t just leave a gap in healthcare, they affect a region's economy. Because who wants to move to a town where you can’t get a prescription filled for 40 miles? Hear the audio story that I created at the Transom Story Workshop on Catalina Island about Sue Ponce, the sole pharmacist on Catalina Island’s only drug store for three decades. When I arrived at the workshop I thought I was there to learn some audio technical skills. What I didn’t expect was to also rethink how stories work and their place in healthcare. References: Berenbrok LA, Tang S, Gabriel N, et al. Access to community pharmacies: A nationwide geographic information systems cross-sectional analysis.J Am Pharm Assoc. 2022;62(6):1816-1822.e2. Catalano G, Khan MMM, Chatzipanagiotou OP, Pawlik TM. Pharmacy Accessibility and Social Vulnerability.JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(8):e2429755. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.29755. DiStefano MJ, Chen NC, Asche CV, Anderson KE, Mattingly II TJ.“The crux of the community”: A qualitative focus group study of the impact of community pharmacy closures in Colorado and Utah.J Am Pharm Assoc. 2026;66:102940. doi:10.1016/j.japh.2025.102940. Gravlee E, Ramachandran S, Qato D.Critical Access Pharmacy Designations Could Strengthen Access. Health Affairs Forefront. December 19, 2025. doi:10.1377/forefront.20251216.325474. Kono M, Deller S. Rural Pharmacies an Overlooked Piece of the Rural Health Care Milieu.Choices. 2023;34(4). Luchen GG, Hall KK, Hough KR. The Role of Community Pharmacists in Patient Safety.PSNet. October 25, 2021. Accessed May 7, 2026. https://psnet.ahrq.gov/perspective/role-community-pharmacists-patient-safety. Moodley S. Rethinking Community Pharmacy: A Path To A Sustainable Model.Health Affairs Forefront. July 28, 2025. doi:10.1377/forefront.20250724.565622.
32. What Matters to You: A Simple Question That Transforms Care in Switzerland
In healthcare, we’re trained to move fast, to diagnose, treat, and fix. But what happens when we slow down just enough to ask a different question: What matters to you? In this episode, we reflect on how one simple question can transform not just clinical decisions, but relationships, trust, and meaning for patients, families, and clinicians. Christian von Plessen shares what happens when we stop asking “What’s the matter?” and start asking “What matters to you?”. Whether you're wearing a stethoscope or the hospital gown, this seemingly simple question is a reminder of why connection matters. References: von Plessen C, Vasserot K, Bonnevie L, Coelho V, Dell'Eva E, Piazza V, Staines A. “What matters to you ?” From campaign to daily practice. Rev Med Suisse. 2025 Jun 4;21(921):1192-1196. French. doi: 10.53738/REVMED.2025.21.921.47318. Barry MJ, Edgman-Levitan S. Shared decision making — the pinnacle of patient-centered care. N Engl J Med. 2012;366(9):780-781. doi:10.1056/NEJMp1109283. Staines A, Laroussi-Libeault L, Coelho V, Pomey MP. “What matters to you?”: a powerful question to unlocking partnership in care. Int J Qual Health Care. 2025;37(1):mzaf007. doi:10.1093/intqhc/mzaf007. Barry M. Ask “what matters to you?” when it matters most. Institute for Healthcare Improvement Blog. September 17, 2019. Accessed April 11, 2026. Janerka C, Hooper AR, Sanders B, Gallagher O. How has ‘what matters to you’ been used for patient care? A scoping review. Health Expect. 2025;28:e14300. doi:10.1111/hex.14300. Kebede S. Ask patients “what matters to you?” rather than “what’s the matter?”. BMJ. 2016;354:i4045. doi:10.1136/bmj.i4045.
31. A Voice from the Village: Primary Care in Rural Ireland
Today we’re in a place where everybody knows your name, but also where the nearest specialist may be a three hour drive away. In a city, your physician is someone you may see a couple of times a year. In a rural area you see them in the grocery store or at the Friday night football game. This creates a whole new level of social connection. John Brennan tells us about his experience providing primary care to people in County Kilkenny, Ireland. Join us as we explore the rugged landscape of rural healthcare and hear why this lifeline that depends heavily on committed primary care physicians, is becoming increasingly fragile. References: Arredondo K, Bay K, Witte L, et al. Rural practice made attractive: a scoping review of rural primary care physician recruitment and retention incentives. J Gen Intern Med. Published online January 26, 2026. doi:10.1007/s11606-026-10218-8. Kaboli P, Blaine A, Mares J, Fortney J, Ono S, O’Shea AMJ. Health care access from the rural perspective: a narrative review. J Rural Health. 2026;42:e70119. doi:10.1111/jrh.70119. Maganty A, Byrnes ME, Hamm M, et al. Barriers to rural health care from the provider perspective. Rural Remote Health. 2023;23(2):7769. doi:10.22605/RRH7769. Huffstetler AN, Greiner A, Kempski A, Park J, Filippi MK, Langa M. Closing the Distance in Rural Primary Care: Primary Care Collaborative 2025 Evidence Report. Washington, DC: Primary Care Collaborative/Robert Graham Center; 2025. Serchen J, Johnson D, Cline K, et al. Improving health and health care in rural communities: a position paper from the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2025;178:701-704. doi:10.7326/ANNALS-24-03577.
30. Smart Risks in High-Stakes Health Systems from the Netherlands
Healthcare faces urgent challenges. Rising complexity, widening inequities, burned-out clinical teams, and health systems stretched to their limits. But what if the biggest risk is playing it safe? Behind every breakthrough in healthcare, there is a moment when someone chose to take a thoughtful, informed risk. Ellen Joan van Vliet tells us how to question the status quo, experiment responsibly, and push forward when it matters most. Hear what it really takes to make smart bets that improve patient care, strengthen communities, and accelerate meaningful change – one intelligent risk at a time. References: Edmondson AC. Learning from failure in health care: frequent opportunities, pervasive barriers. BMJ Qual Saf. 2004;13(Suppl 2):ii3‑ii9. doi:10.1136/qshc.2003.009597 Macrae C, Vincent C. Learning from failure: the need for independent safety investigation in healthcare. J R Soc Med. 2014;107(11):439‑443. doi:10.1177/0141076814555939 Hibbert PD, Stewart S, Wiles LK, et al. Improving patient safety governance and systems through learning from successes and failures: qualitative surveys and interviews with international experts. Int J Qual Health Care. 2023;35(4):mzad088. doi:10.1093/intqhc/mzad088 Bates DW, Singh H. Two decades since To Err Is Human: an assessment of progress and emerging priorities in patient safety. Health Aff (Millwood). 2018;37(11):1736‑1743. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2018.0738 Ramar K, Oxentenko AS, Dowdy SC. Transforming health care through quality and safety. Mayo Clin Proc. 2025;100(8):1385‑1401. doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2025.03.021
29. Improving Clinical Environments for Nurses from South Africa
About 40% of nurses say they plan to leave nursing in the next five years because of unmanageable stress, workload, and understaffing. There are scales to measure the health of a workplace that look at staffing, leadership support, nurse-physician relationships, participation in hospital affairs, and the quality of care delivered. Sabelile Tenza tells us about her research on the relationship between nurses' practice environments and the quality and safety of healthcare. Hear how we can create clinical environments where nurses don’t just survive their 12-hour shifts, but where they are empowered to thrive. References: Leary KB, Lee M, Mossburg S. Patient Safety Amid Nursing Workforce Challenges. PSNet. April 24, 2024. Chiminelli-Tomás V, Tutte-Vallarino V, Ferreira-Umpiérrez A, Hernández-Morante JJ, Reche-García C. Impact of Nursing Practice Environments in Work Engagement and Burnout: A Systematic Review. Healthcare. 2025;13(7):779. Leone S, Rosato I, Poli E, Canova C, Danielis M. Factors Related to Turnover Intention Among OR Nurses: A Systematic Review. AORN J. 2025;121(5) Mabona JF, Van Rooyen DRM, Ten Ham-Baloyi W. Best practice recommendations for healthy work environments for nurses: An integrative literature review. Health SA Gesondheid. 2022;27:a1788. Martinez E, Cartwright T, McKenzie L, Faulkner B. Cultivating Healthy Work Environments Through the Lens of Nursing’s Code of Ethics. Nursing Administration Quarterly. 2026;50:25–30.
28. Pharmacists Preventing Medication Mix‑Ups from Melbourne
Transitions of care from hospital to home are some of the riskiest moments in a person’s healthcare journey. Medication lists change, high‑risk medications require careful monitoring, and patients often deal with overwhelming amounts of instructions. Linda Graudins tells us how pharmacists play crucial roles in helping people on complex medication regimens navigate these challenges safely. We’ll look at a process called medication reconciliation which is a bit like medication detective work and helps pharmacists keep those potentially dangerous transitions from home to hospital, and back to your home, smooth and safe. References: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Medication Reconciliation. Patient Safety Network (PSNet). Published September 2019. Updated December 15, 2024. McNab D, Bowie P, Ross A, MacWalter G, Ryan M, Morrison J. Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of pharmacist-led medication reconciliation in the community after hospital discharge. BMJ Qual Saf. 2018;27(4):308–320. doi:10.1136/bmjqs-2017-007087. International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP). Medicines reconciliation: A toolkit for pharmacists. The Hague: International Pharmaceutical Federation; 2021. Cheema E, Alhomoud FK, Kinsara ASAL-D, et al. The impact of pharmacists-led medicines reconciliation on healthcare outcomes in secondary care: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. PLOS ONE. 2018;13(3):e0193510. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0193510. Patel E, Pevnick JM, Kennelty KA. Pharmacists and medication reconciliation: a review of recent literature. Integr Pharm Res Pract. 2019;8:39–45. doi:10.2147/IPRP.S154388. Schnipper JL. Medication reconciliation—too much or not enough? JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(9):e2125272. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.25272.
27. Bringing the Hospital to Your Home in Australia
Ever wish you could skip noisy hospitals and heal in your own bed? We explore Hospital at Home, a game-changing model that brings acute care—from IV meds to 24/7 monitoring—directly to your living room. We trace how this 1990s pilot became a global trend, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and new government payment models. Michael Montalto shares how Hospital at Home prevents unnecessary hospital admissions and emergency department visits and reduces healthcare costs in Australia. We also weigh the downsides, including caregiver stress and lack of integration with primary care. References: Levine DM, Souza J, Schnipper JL, et al. Acute Hospital Care at Home in the United States: The Early National Experience. Ann Intern Med. 2024;177(2):238-241. doi:10.7326/M23-2264 Edgar K, Iliffe S, Doll HA, et al. Admission avoidance hospital at home. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2024;(3):CD007491. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD007491.pub3 Patient Safety Network. Hospital at Home? Care Reduces Costs, Readmissions, and Complications and Enhances Satisfaction for Elderly Patients. PSNet. April 7, 2021. Montalto M, McElduff P, Hardy K. Home ward bound: features of hospital in the home use by major Australian hospitals, 2011–2017. Med J Aust. 2020;213(1):22-27. doi:10.5694/mja2.50599 Pandit JA, Pawelek JB, Leff B, Topol EJ. The hospital at home in the USA: current status and future prospects. NPJ Digit Med. 2024;7:49. doi:10.1038/s41746-024-01040-9 Patel HY, West DJ Jr. Hospital at Home: An Evolving Model for Comprehensive Healthcare. Glob J Qual Saf Healthc. 2021;4(4):141-146. doi:10.36401/JQSH-21-4 Wallis JA, Shepperd S, Makela P, et al. Factors influencing the implementation of early discharge hospital at home and admission avoidance hospital at home: a qualitative evidence synthesis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2024;(3):CD014765. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD014765.pub2 Truong TT, Siu AL. The Evolving Practice of Hospital at Home in the United States. Annu Rev Med. 2024;75:391-399. doi:10.1146/annurev-med-051022-042210 Arsenault-Lapierre G, Henein M, Gaid D, et al. Hospital-at-Home Interventions vs In-Hospital Stay for Patients With Chronic Disease Who Present to the Emergency Department: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(6):e2111568. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.11568
26. Spelling Out Who's Who in the Hospital from South Carolina
You're in a hospital. There’s a whirlwind of people in scrubs and white coats. It can be confusing trying to figure out who's who. Is that person a nurse, a respiratory therapist, a resident physician, a senior doctor? Who's actually in charge? It sounds simple but can be quite complicated – knowing who is actually treating you in a hospital. It is a real problem because while those in the medical field understand the hierarchy, for patients these roles are often totally opaque. This is not just an identity crisis. Helen Haskell tells us why this is a serious patient safety concern and what we can do about it. References: Turner DA, Rehder KJ, Nagler A, Aucoin J, Edwards P, Kuhn C. What’s in a name? Role clarity goes well beyond a simple title. J Patient Exp. 2019;6(4):325-328. doi:10.1177/2374373518803615. Wray A, Feldman M, Toohey S, et al. Patient perception of providers: do patients understand who their doctor is? J Patient Exp. 2020;7(5):788-795. doi:10.1177/2374373519892780. Solomon HV, Kim BS, Rajagopalan AK, Funk MC. “Doctor” badge promotes accurate role identification and reduces gender-based aggressions in female resident physicians. Acad Psychiatry. 2022;46(5):611-615. doi:10.1007/s40596-022-01641-0. Olson EM, Dines VA, Ryan SM, et al. Physician identification badges: a multispecialty quality improvement study to address professional misidentification and bias. Mayo Clin Proc. 2022;97(4):658-667. doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2022.01.007. Tsai J. Who is my doctor? Some hospital patients never know. Scientific American. Published online December 4, 2020. Foote MB, Jain N, Rome BN, DeFilippis EM, Powe CE, Yialamas MA.Association of perceived role misidentification with use of role identity badges among resident physicians. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(7):e2224236. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.24236.
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