The 2022 Medical Staff Engagement Survey opens in November. Many of Harris Health System’s accomplishments are only possible with your feedback, and we value our partnership with our physicians and providers. Active medical staff will receive an email from NRC Health to access the survey and provide input anonymously.
Quality Digest: New Sepsis DefinitionHarris Health System has adopted SEP-3 criteria as a diagnostic definition for Sepsis and Septic Shock patients. All clinicians should utilize the following definitions when evaluating patients.
Sepsis: A life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection.
Septic Shock: Shall be defined as a subset of sepsis in which particularly profound circulatory, cellular, and metabolic abnormalities are associated with a greater risk of mortality than with sepsis alone. Patients with septic shock can be clinically identified by a vasopressor requirement to maintain a mean arterial pressure of 65 mm Hg or greater and serum lactate level greater than 2 mmol/L (>18 mg/dL) in the absence of hypovolemia.
Other Sepsis News:
Sepsis Predictive Model Education Sessions will be scheduled during October and November 2022.
The tentatively scheduled Go-Live for the Sepsis Predictive Model is Sunday, Dec. 4.
Pet Therapy and Music Therapy Return to Harris Health System
Harris Health Volunteer Services is thrilled to announce the return of pet therapy and music therapy volunteers! Both services will resume in November.
Pet therapy is provided by both individuals and groups, such as our partner organization, Caring Critters. Caring Critters visits are regularly scheduled at LBJ Hospital on the first and third Saturdays of each month, and at Ben Taub Hospital on the second and fourth Saturdays, all including holidays). Visits are at both locations from 10–11 a.m. There are no scheduled visits on the fifth Saturday of a given month. Individual pet therapy volunteers are scheduled per volunteer availability, and may occur on weekdays, evenings or weekends. To request pet therapy for a patient, please email the patient name and bed/unit location to PetTherapy@harrishealth.org.
Contacts:
At Ben Taub Hospital, email Courtney Hoyt, or call 713-873-2203.
At LBJ Hospital, email JerMarkus Booker, or call 713-566-2113.
Music therapy is available at Ben Taub Hospital via volunteers from MusicMDs at Rice University, and the Art and Music in Practice (AMP) at Baylor College of Medicine. Performance spaces include inpatient rooms, ICUs and waiting areas. Visits will be scheduled on a recurring basis, currently planned on Friday and Sunday afternoons. To request music therapy for a patient, please email the patient name and bed/unit location to
Courtney.Hoyt@harrishealth.org.