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May 18, 2022 Weekly Issue
PSNet highlights the latest patient safety literature, news, and expert commentary, including Weekly Updates, WebM&M, and Perspectives on Safety. The current issue highlights what's new this week in patient safety literature, news, conferences, reports, and more. Past issues of the PSNet Weekly Update are available to browse. WebM&M presents current and past monthly issues of Cases & Commentaries and Perspectives on Safety.
This Week’s Featured Articles
Baartmans MC, Hooftman J, Zwaan L, et al. J Patient Saf. 2022;18:e1135-e1141.
Understanding human causes of diagnostic errors can lead to more specific targeted, specific recommendations and interventions. Using three classification instruments, researchers examined a series of serious adverse events related to diagnostic errors in the emergency department. Most of the human errors were based on intended actions and could be classified as mistakes or violations. Errors were more frequently made during the assessment and testing phases of the diagnostic process.
Liu L, Chien AT, Singer SJ. Health Care Manage Rev. 2022;47:360-368.
Work conditions can impact clinician satisfaction and the quality and safety of the care they provide. This study sought to identify the combination of systems features (team dynamics, provider-perceived safety culture, patient care coordination) that positively impact work satisfaction in primary care practices. Results showed a strong culture of safety combined with more effective team dynamics were sufficient to lead to improved work satisfaction.
Woods-Hill CZ, Colantuoni EA, Koontz DW, et al. JAMA Pediatr. 2022;176:690-698.
Stewardship interventions seek to optimize use of healthcare services, such as diagnostic tests or antibiotics. This article reports findings from a 14-site multidisciplinary collaborative evaluating pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) blood culture practices before and after implementation of a diagnostic stewardship intervention. Researchers found that rates of blood cultures, broad-spectrum antibiotic use, and central line-associated blood stream infections (CLABSI) were reduced postintervention.
Tate K, McLane P, Reid C, et al. BMJ Open Qual. 2022;11:e001639.
Older adults are vulnerable to patient safety events during care transitions. The Older Persons’ Transitions in Care (OPTIC) study prospectively tracked long-term care residents’ transitions and applied the IOM’s quality of care domains to develop 49 measures for quality of care for the transition process (e.g., safety, timeliness, efficiency, effectiveness, and patient-centered care) between long-term care and emergency department settings.
Woods-Hill CZ, Colantuoni EA, Koontz DW, et al. JAMA Pediatr. 2022;176:690-698.
Stewardship interventions seek to optimize use of healthcare services, such as diagnostic tests or antibiotics. This article reports findings from a 14-site multidisciplinary collaborative evaluating pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) blood culture practices before and after implementation of a diagnostic stewardship intervention. Researchers found that rates of blood cultures, broad-spectrum antibiotic use, and central line-associated blood stream infections (CLABSI) were reduced postintervention.
Odes R, Chapman SM, Ackerman SL, et al. Policy Polit Nurs Pract. 2022;23:98-108.
Violence towards healthcare workers can result in harm for staff and patients. This article describes data collected during the first three years of a new statewide incident reporting system, California’s Workplace Violent Incident Reporting System (WVIRS) for Hospitals. Over the three-year period, hospitals reported between 0 and 6 incidents per staffed bed but qualitative analyses revealed variable reporting procedures among hospitals.
Liu L, Chien AT, Singer SJ. Health Care Manage Rev. 2022;47:360-368.
Work conditions can impact clinician satisfaction and the quality and safety of the care they provide. This study sought to identify the combination of systems features (team dynamics, provider-perceived safety culture, patient care coordination) that positively impact work satisfaction in primary care practices. Results showed a strong culture of safety combined with more effective team dynamics were sufficient to lead to improved work satisfaction.
Trbovich PL, Tomasi JN, Kolodzey L, et al. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2022;23:151-159.
Intensive care units (ICU) are high-risk environments. Based on direct observations, these researchers identified 226 latent safety threats affecting routine care activities in pediatric ICUs. Findings indicate that threats persist regardless of whether individuals comply with or deviate from policies and protocols, suggesting the need for targeted interventions beyond reinforcing compliance.
Gupta K, Rivadeneira NA, Lisker S, et al. J Patient Saf. 2022;18:531-538.
Strategies to reduce clinician burnout related to adverse events are critically needed. Physicians in the United States were surveyed on their experiences with adverse events to identify facilitators and barriers to reducing burnout. A common facilitator was peer support, and barriers included shame and a punitive work environment.
Savva G, Papastavrou E, Charalambous A, et al. Sr Care Pharm. 2022;37:200-209.
Polypharmacy is an established problem among older adult patients and can lead to medication errors and adverse events. This observational study concluded that polypharmacy was common among adult patients (ages 21 and older) at one tertiary hospital, with almost half of inpatients prescribed more than 9 drugs during their hospitalization. Findings indicate that medication administration errors increase as the number of prescribed drugs increased.
Strube‐Lahmann S, Müller‐Werdan U, Klingelhöfer‐Noe J, et al. Pharmacol Res Perspect. 2022;10:e00953.
Patients receiving home care services are vulnerable to medication errors. Based on survey feedback from 485 home care nurses in Germany, this study found that regular medication training and use of quality assurance principles (i.e., double checking) can decrease the incidence of medication errors in home care settings.
Hansen M, Harrod T, Bahr N, et al. Acad Med. 2022;97:696-703.
Strong physician leadership during clinical crisis can help improve patient outcomes. In this randomized controlled trial, obstetrics-gynecology and emergency medicine residents participated in one of three study arms using high-fidelity mannequins. One study arm received a bespoke leadership curriculum, one received a modified version TeamSTEPPS curriculum, and the third received no leadership training. Participants in both curriculum arms improved leadership scores from “average” before the training to “good” following the training and continuing to six months. The control arm remained unchanged at “average” before and after.
Lalani M, Morgan S, Basu A, et al. J Health Serv Res Policy. 2023;28:50-57.
Autopsies following unexpected deaths can provide valuable insights and learning opportunities for improving patient safety. In 2017, the National Health Service (NHS) implemented “Learning from Deaths” (LfD) to report, learn from, and avoid potentially preventable deaths. Through interviews with policy makers, managers, and senior clinicians responsible for implementing the policy, this study reports on how contextual factors influenced implementation of the LfD policy.
White AA, King AM, D’Addario AE, et al. JMIR Med Educ. 2022;8:e30988.
Communication with patients and caregivers is important after a diagnostic error. Using a simulated case involving delayed diagnosis of breast cancer, this study compared how crowdsourced laypeople and patient advocates rate physician disclosure communication skills. Findings suggest that patient advocates rate communication skills more stringently than laypeople, but laypeople can correctly identify physicians with high and low communication skills.
Baartmans MC, Hooftman J, Zwaan L, et al. J Patient Saf. 2022;18:e1135-e1141.
Understanding human causes of diagnostic errors can lead to more specific targeted, specific recommendations and interventions. Using three classification instruments, researchers examined a series of serious adverse events related to diagnostic errors in the emergency department. Most of the human errors were based on intended actions and could be classified as mistakes or violations. Errors were more frequently made during the assessment and testing phases of the diagnostic process.
Sittig DF, Lakhani P, Singh H. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2022;29:1014-1018.
Transitions from one electronic health record (EHR) system to another can increase the risk of patient safety events. Using the principles of requisite imagination, this article outlines six recommendations for safe EHR transitions through proactive approaches, process improvement and support for healthcare workers.
Combs CA, Goffman D, Pettker CM. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2022;226:b2-b9.
Readmission reduction as an improvement measure has been found to be problematic as a maternal safety outcome. This statement shares concerns regarding incentivizing hospitalization reductions after birth and explores the potential for patient harm due to pressures to reduce readmissions when needed.
Lackie K, Hayward K, Ayn C, et al. J Interprof Care. 2023;37:187-202.
Health profession schools are increasingly using interprofessional simulation-based education (IP-SBE) for learners to understand each other’s roles in team-based care. Learners’ ability to feel psychologically safe during IP-SBE is necessary for full learner participation. This scoping review analyzed 27 studies of psychological safety within IP-SBE. Learners were more likely to feel safe in well-designed simulations with facilitators who are experienced in pre- and de-briefing. Barriers to psychological safety included hierarchy, being observed, uncertainty, and poorly designed and delivered simulations.
Halverson CC, Scott Tilley D. Nurs Forum. 2022;57:454-460.
Nursing surveillance is an intervention for maintaining patient safety and preventing patient deterioration. This review builds on the earlier nursing surveillance concept to reflect technological advancements, such as early warning systems, since the intervention was first proposed. Attributes (e.g., systematic processes and coordinated communication) and antecedents (e.g., sufficient nurse education and staffing) associated with nursing surveillance are described, along with a presentation of cases to illustrate the concept.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press; 2022. ISBN 9780309696333.
The care of older adult patients can be complicated due to comorbidities, bias and polypharmacy. This publication reports on a session that examined diagnostic challenges unique to the older adult population. The existing evidence base and strategies for the future are reviewed.
Meeting/Conference Proceedings
Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety.
Communication and resolution programs are a promising strategy for successful management of relationships and actions after medical error occurrence. This annual hybrid session explores elements of effective discussions after an adverse event through case simulation and dialogue. The site also includes an archive of videos and materials from previous forums.
Molefe A, Hung L, Hayes K, et al. Rockville MD: Agency for healthcare Research and Quality; 2022. AHRQ Publication No. 17(22)-0019.
Central line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are a persistent challenge for health care safety. This report shares the results of a 6-cohort initiative to reduce CLABSI and/or CAUTI infection rates in adult critical care. Recommendations for collaborative implementation success are included.
Newspaper/Magazine Article
ISMP Medication Safety Alert! Acute care edition. May 5, 2022;27(9):1-5.
Practice changes take time to be fully incorporated into daily work. This article shares survey results examining how hospitals implement best practices to enhance the safe use of oxytocin, improve vaccine administration through bar coding, and deploy multifaceted strategies to reduce high-alert medication errors. Gaps in uptake were reviewed and recommendations for improvement shared.
This Month’s WebM&Ms
WebM&M Cases
Garima Agrawal, MD, MPH, and Mithu Molla, MD, MBA |
This WebM&M describes two cases involving patients who became unresponsive in unconventional locations – inside of a computed tomography (CT) scanner and at an outpatient transplant clinic – and strategies to ensure that all healthcare teams are prepared to deliver advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), such as the use of mock codes and standardized ACLS algorithms.
WebM&M Cases
Alexandria DePew, MSN, RN, James Rice, & Julie Chou, BSN |
This WebM&M describes two incidences of the incorrect patient being transported from the Emergency Department (ED) to other parts of the hospital for tests or procedures. In one case, the wrong patient was identified before undergoing an unnecessary procedure; in the second case, the wrong patient received an unnecessary chest x-ray. The commentary highlights the consequences of patient transport errors and strategies to enhance the safety of patient transport and prevent transport-related errors.
WebM&M Cases
Robert Scott Kriss, DO |
This WebM&M describes an adverse event due to mislabeling or “syringe swap” in a preoperative patient. The commentary outlines several recommendations and safeguards to ensure that medications administration is safe.
This Month’s Perspectives
Interview
Remle Crowe, PhD, NREMT, is the Director of Clinical and Operational Research at ESO. In her professional role, she provides strategic direction for the research mission of the organization, including oversight of a warehouse research data set of de-identified records (the ESO Data Collaborative). We spoke with her about how data is being used in the prehospital setting to improve patient safety.
Perspective
This piece focuses on measuring and monitoring patient safety in the prehospital setting.
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