Email Updates
June 8, 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
Butler AM, Brown DS, Durkin MJ, et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5:e2214153.
Inappropriately prescribing antibiotics for non-bacterial infections remains common in outpatient settings despite the associated risks. This analysis of antibiotics prescribed to more than 2.8 million children showed more than 30% of children with bacterial infection, and 4%-70% of children with viral infection were inappropriately prescribed antibiotics. Inappropriate prescribing led to increased risk of adverse drug events (e.g., allergic reaction) and increased health expenditures in the following 30 days.
Graber ML, Holmboe ES, Stanley J, et al. Diagnosis (Berl). 2022;9:166-175.
In 2019, a consensus group identified twelve competencies to improve diagnostic education. This article details next steps for incorporating competencies into interprofessional health education: 1) Developing a shared, common language for diagnosis, 2) developing the necessary content, 3) developing assessment tools, 4) promoting faculty development, and 5) spreading awareness of the need to improve education in regard to diagnosis.
Hunter J, Porter M, Cody P, et al. Int Emerg Nurs. 2022;63:101174.
Many aspects of crew resource management in aviation, such as the sterile cockpit, are used in healthcare to increase situational awareness (SA) and decrease human error. The situational awareness of paramedics in one US city was measured before and after receiving a targeted educational program on situational awareness. There was a statistically significant increase in SA following the intervention, although additional research is needed with larger cohorts.
Sun EC, Mello MM, Vaughn MT, et al. JAMA Intern Med. 2022;182:720-728.
Physician fatigue can inhibit decision-making and contribute to poor performance. This cross-sectional study examined surgical procedures performed between January 2010 and August 2020 across 20 high-volume hospitals in the United States to determine the association between surgeon fatigue, operating overnight and outcomes for operations performed by the same surgeon the next day. No significant associations were found between overnight surgeries and surgical outcomes for procedures performed the next day.
Hautz WE, Kündig MM, Tschanz R, et al. Diagnosis. 2021;9:241-249.
Diagnostic errors can be identified by measuring concordance of initial and final diagnosis, for instance admission and discharge diagnoses. In this study, researchers developed and tested an automated trigger system to determine concordance between pairs of diagnoses. In comparison to the reference standard (concordance determined by experts) the automated system performance was excellent.
Hunter J, Porter M, Cody P, et al. Int Emerg Nurs. 2022;63:101174.
Many aspects of crew resource management in aviation, such as the sterile cockpit, are used in healthcare to increase situational awareness (SA) and decrease human error. The situational awareness of paramedics in one US city was measured before and after receiving a targeted educational program on situational awareness. There was a statistically significant increase in SA following the intervention, although additional research is needed with larger cohorts.
Wright DJ, Gabbay J, Le May A. BMJ Qual Saf. 2022;31:450-461.
Healthcare staff use a variety of skills to implement quality improvement and patient safety initiatives. Using case studies and qualitative interviews, this study outlines six “socio-organisational functional and facilitative tasks” (SOFFTs) necessary to successful implementation of quality improvement initiatives. Findings highlight the importance of technical skills as well as relational skills, training and education, and the ability to consider local context.
Lefosse G, Rasero L, Bellandi T, et al. J Patient Saf Risk Manag. 2022;27:66-75.
Reducing healthcare-acquired infections is an ongoing patient safety goal. In this study, researchers used structured observations to explore factors contributing to healthcare-related infections in nursing homes in one region of Italy. Findings highlight the need to improve the physical care environment (e.g., room ventilation), handwashing compliance, and appropriate use of antibiotics.
Bentley SK, Meshel A, Boehm L, et al. Adv Simul (Lond). 2022;7:15.
In situ simulations are an effective method to identify latent safety threats (LST). Seventy-four in situ cardiac arrest simulations were conducted in one hospital, identifying 106 unique LSTs. Four LSTs were deemed imminent safety threats and were immediately resolved following debrief; another 15 were prioritized as high-risk.
Appelbaum NP, Santen SA, Perera RA, et al. J Patient Saf. 2022;18:370-375.
Residents and trainees frequently report experiencing bullying and disrespectful behaviors in the workplace. This study explored the relationship between resident psychological safety, perceived organizational support, and humiliation. Results indicate resident perception of increased organizational support (e.g., help is available when they have a problem) reduces the negative impact of humiliation on their psychological safety.
Krenzischek DA, Card E, Mamaril M, et al. J Perianesth Nurs. 2022;37:827-833.
Patients and caregivers are important partners in promoting safe care. Findings from this cross-sectional study reinforce the importance of patients’ perceived roles in ensuring safe surgery and highlight the importance of patient engagement in mitigating surgical site errors.
Smith M, Vaughan Sarrazin M, Wang X, et al. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2022;70:1314-1324.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted healthcare delivery and contributed to delays in care. Based on a retrospective matched cohort of Medicare patients, this study explored the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients who may be at risk for missed or delayed care. Researchers found that patients with four or more indicators for risk of missed or delayed care (e.g., chronic conditions, frailty, disability affecting use of telehealth) had higher mortality and lower rates of healthcare utilization, including primary care visits.
Doorey AJ, Turi ZG, Lazzara EH, et al. Catheter Cardiovasc Interv. 2022;99:1953-1962.
Closed loop communication (CLC) ensures a clear transfer of information by having the recipient repeat the order for verification. In this study, procedures in the cardiac catheterization lab were observed to assess the frequency and accuracy of CLC. Despite three interventions over five years (education, on-going feedback, accountability), CLC remained suboptimal, with both incomplete orders given and incomplete responses.
Prudenzi A, D. Graham C, Flaxman PE, et al. Psychol Health Med. 2022;27:1130-1143.
Previous research has found that mindfulness interventions can reduce stress and burnout among physicians. This survey of 98 healthcare workers within the UK National Health Service (NHS) explored the relationship between poor wellbeing, burnout and perceived safe practice and identified a positive relationship between mindfulness processes and perceived safe practices.
Graber ML, Holmboe ES, Stanley J, et al. Diagnosis (Berl). 2022;9:166-175.
In 2019, a consensus group identified twelve competencies to improve diagnostic education. This article details next steps for incorporating competencies into interprofessional health education: 1) Developing a shared, common language for diagnosis, 2) developing the necessary content, 3) developing assessment tools, 4) promoting faculty development, and 5) spreading awareness of the need to improve education in regard to diagnosis.
Galiatsatos P, O'Conor KJ, Wilson C, et al. Health Secur. 2022;20:261-263.
Stressful situations can degrade communication, teamwork and decision making. This commentary describes a program to minimize the potential impact of implicit biases in a crisis. Steps in the process include Pausing to Listen, working to Ally and Collaborate, and seeking to Empower patients and staff members.
Saks MJ, Landsman S. Wake Forest J Law Policy. 2022;12:205-257.
The malpractice liability system is questionable as an effectual response to medical error. This commentary reviews the current functions and process of medical litigation and evidence on how the tort process works. It contends that the medical litigation system be assessed to determine steps to replace or amend it to successfully diminish patient harm.
Lichtner V, Dowding D. Stud Health Technol Inform. 2022;294:740-744.
Barcode medication administration (BCMA) processes are designed to prevent some types of medication administration errors. This article discusses how BCMA workflows support error prevention and how to identify workarounds that negate these error prevention mechanisms.
Butler AM, Brown DS, Durkin MJ, et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5:e2214153.
Inappropriately prescribing antibiotics for non-bacterial infections remains common in outpatient settings despite the associated risks. This analysis of antibiotics prescribed to more than 2.8 million children showed more than 30% of children with bacterial infection, and 4%-70% of children with viral infection were inappropriately prescribed antibiotics. Inappropriate prescribing led to increased risk of adverse drug events (e.g., allergic reaction) and increased health expenditures in the following 30 days.
Driesen BEJM, Baartmans M, Merten H, et al. J Patient Saf. 2022;18:342-350.
Root cause analysis (RCA) is widely used to investigate, monitor, and learn from unintended events (UE). One method of RCA is the Prevention and Recovery Information System for Monitoring and Analysis (PRISMA)-method. This review identified 25 studies that used the PRISMA method to analyze UEs. Combining record reviews with provider interviews and using multiple PRISMA-trained researchers may increase the number of causes identified.
No results.
Book/Report
The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on Building a Thriving Health Workforce. Washington DC: Office of the Surgeon General; May 2022.
Health care staff and clinician wellbeing is known to affect safety and quality. This advisory suggests national priorities to target improvement efforts. Areas of focus include workforce shortages, system inequities and burnout.
Newspaper/Magazine Article
Andreou A. Scientific American. May 26, 2022.
Negative comments and attitudes indicate a lack of professionalism that can affect patient care. This article shares concerns about surgeon biases toward patients who are overweight and calls for clinicians to recognize the problem and address it.
Book/Report
Farnborough, UK; Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch; May 26, 2022.
Surgical equipment sterilization can be hampered by equipment design, production pressures, process complexity and policy misalignment. This report examines a case of unclean surgical instrument use. It recommends external sterile service assessment and competency review as steps toward improving the reliability of instrument decontamination processes in the National Health Service.
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.
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.
Stay Updated!
PSNet highlights the latest patient safety literature, news, and expert commentary, including Weekly Updates, WebM&M, and Perspectives on Safety. Sign up today to get weekly and monthly updates via emails!
