Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/961245
134 CMO / CARE DELIVERY San Francisco to open nation's first safe injection sites in July: 5 things to know By Brian Zimmerman S an Francisco health officials are mov- ing forward with a plan to launch two safe injection sites for intravenous drug users in July without the blessing of state offi- cials, according to a report the San Francisco Chronicle. Here are five things to know. 1. e injection sites could open shortly aer July 1 when the city's new fiscal year begins. Barbara Garcia, director of San Francisco's Department of Public Health, told the Chron- icle she's working with six to eight nonprofits that already operate needle exchanges. e de- partment will select two of these organizations to operate the safe injection sites in the new fiscal year. 2. As federal and state law prohibit illicit in- travenous drug use, the safe injection sites will be privately funded to help the city avoid liability for the sites. Ms. Garcia would not disclose the source of the private funds. 3. While officials in cities like Baltimore, Se- attle and Philadelphia are considering safe injection sites as a possible harm reduction technique to save lives and reduce the spread of disease, the San Francisco sites could be the first established in the U.S., according to the Chronicle. Similar sites have already been established in Canada, Australia and Europe. 4. An estimated 22,000 intravenous drug us- ers live in San Francisco. Public health offi- cials project 85 percent of these individuals would utilize the sites, which would result in an estimated $3.5 million in annual savings for the city due to reduced medical costs. 5. On Feb. 8, e Los Angeles Times published an opinion piece composed by the paper's ed- itorial board in support of the San Francisco safe injection sites. "In addition to the lives we hope will be saved, the payoff from San Francisco's efforts will be the data," wrote the LA Times editorial board. "If the results mirror the very well-ex- amined experiences of the first safe injection center in North America — the Insite clinic in Vancouver — they should quell fears once and for all that these injection centers will just be modern day opium dens. e sooner the effort begins, the better." n How 'Grey's Anatomy' distorts patient expectations By Megan Knowles A s medical dramas immerse viewers in tales of hos- pital-based heroism and tragedy, the line between fact and fiction can often be blurred for real-life pa- tients, resulting in skewed expectations and satisfaction, according to a study published in The BMJ. To determine whether these TV shows were distorting pa- tients' views of healthcare, the study authors screened 269 episodes of "Grey's Anatomy," one of the country's most popular medical dramas. The study authors compared how "Grey's Anatomy" por- trayed 290 fictional trauma patients with injuries sustained by 4,812 real-life patients across the U.S., using data from the 2012 National Trauma Databank. Here are four findings from the study. 1. The study found patients were three times more likely to die in "Grey's Anatomy" than in real life — 22 percent compared to 7 percent. 2. Most "Grey's Anatomy" patients — 71 percent — went straight from the emergency department to the operating room, compared to only 25 percent of real-life patients. Additionally, the fictional trauma survivors typically re- turned home. The researchers suggested this portrayal of quicker recovery time for trauma patients could "cultivate false expectations" for real-life patients. 3. A significantly smaller number of fictional patients — 6 percent — were transferred to a long-term care facility, whereas 22 percent of real-life patients were transferred to a long-term care facility. 4. Although the study authors acknowledge it is unclear whether these TV dramas are clearly linked to patients' misperceptions, the findings offer important insights for exploring patient expectations. "Patient's expectations af- ter injury in general remain relatively unclear, and explora- tion of this area may offer insight that could lead to both improved patient satisfaction and engagement in the re- covery process," the study authors wrote. n Most 'Grey's Anatomy' patients — 71 percent — went straight from the ED to the OR, compared to only 25 percent of real-life patients.