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Innovations
The PSNet Innovations page highlights pioneering advances that can improve patient safety. PSNet innovations are defined as “new or updated interventions, approaches, systems, tools, policies, organizational structures or business models implemented to improve or enhance quality of care and reduce harm.” The PSNet Innovations page includes innovations developed, tested, and sustained within the past five years, updates to existing innovations that were featured in AHRQ’s Health Care Innovations Exchange, as well as “emerging innovations,” which are new, novel approaches to patient safety improvement recently published in the peer-reviewed literature.
Latest Innovations
Seeking a sustainable process to enhance their hospitals’ response to sepsis, a multidisciplinary team at WellSpan Health oversaw the development and implementation of a system that uses customized electronic health... Read More
Patient falls in hospitals are common and debilitating adverse events that persist despite decades of effort to minimize them. Improving communication across the assessing nurse, care team, patient, and... Read More
With increasing recognition that health is linked to the conditions in which a patient lives, health systems are looking for innovative ways to support recently discharged patients in their lives... Read More
During a time of unprecedented patient volume and clinical uncertainty, a diverse team of health system administrators and... Read More
Emerging Innovations
Although wrong-site surgeries are rare, they can be devastating to patients. One otolaryngology (ENT) clinic developed a surgical marking procedure deemed practicable and useful by both providers and patients.
Cognitively impaired patients may be at increased risk of adverse events, such as falls, and assessment of cognitive status and implementation of appropriate supports is needed to improve their safety.
Minoritized patients continue to experience disproportionately high rates of maternal morbidity and mortality. This hospital developed a health-equity checklist to identify if bias and/or social determinants of health played a role in preventable... Read More
Medication reconciliation is a common strategy to improve patient safety but is complex and time consuming. Three academic medical centers developed and implemented a risk stratification tool so limited pharmacist resources could be allocated to... Read More
Situational awareness during complex care events, such as clinical deterioration, medication administration, or the admission process, is an important component of teamwork and high reliability. This Canadian hospital used technology and human... Read More
All Innovations (51)
Studies show that home visits to patients recently discharged from the hospital can help prevent unnecessary readmission.1 Providing continuing care instructions to patients in their homes—where they may be less overwhelmed than in the hospital—may also be a key mechanism for preventing readmission.2 Home visit clinicians and technicians can note any health concerns in the home environment and help patients understand their care plan in the context of that environment.2
Social worker/nurse practitioner teams collaborate with a larger interdisciplinary team and primary care physicians to develop and implement individualized care plans for seniors and other high-risk patients. The social worker/nurse practitioner team also proactively manages and coordinates the patient's care on an ongoing basis through regular telephone and in-person contact with both patients and providers.
Formerly known as the Antenatal and Neonatal Guidelines, Education and Learning System (ANGELS), the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) High-Risk Pregnancy Program links clinicians and patients across the state with UAMS, where the vast majority of the state's high-risk pregnancy services, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, and prenatal genetic counselors are located.
The Support and Services at Home (SASH®) program provides onsite assistance to help senior citizens (and other Medicare beneficiaries) remain in their homes as they age. Using evidence-based practices, a multidisciplinary, onsite team conducts an initial health assessment, creates an individualized care plan based on each participant’s self-identified goals, provides onsite nursing and care coordination with local partners, and schedules community activities to support health and wellness.
