The well-being of healthcare workers is essential to the delivery of high quality, safe care. This article proposes a definition of “avoidable employee harm” (e.g., retaliation for speaking up about safety concerns) and describes how prioritizing organizational safety culture can increase both employee and patient safety.

Providing treatment that is discordant with patients’ preferences for end-of-life care can lead to unnecessary or unwanted treatment. This article summarizes the incidence of treatment discordant with their Portable Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) and advanced directives (ADs) and tools for use by clinicians and patients and family members to promote concordant care. A previous PSNet WebM&M Spotlight Case discusses the importance of advanced care planning and the consequences of inadequate communication and planning for end-of-life care.

Unprofessional and disruptive behavior can erode patient safety and safety culture. The Co-Worker Observation System (CORS), a peer-to-peer feedback program previously used with physicians and advance practice providers, was implemented for use with nurses in three hospitals. Reports of unprofessional behavior submitted to the internal reporting system were evaluated by the CORS team, and peer-to-peer feedback was given to the recipient. This pilot study demonstrated that the implementation bundle can be successful with nursing staff.

The effectiveness of incident reporting systems is hindered by underreporting. This cohort study describes the characteristics of incident reports submitted by trainees in a large academic medical center. From October 2019 through December 2021, trainees submitted nearly 200 incident reports, primarily describing unprofessional interactions. Findings suggest that awareness and support for the online incident reporting system among trainees was high.

Children with emergent care needs are often cared for in complex situations that can diminish safety. This joint policy statement updates preceding recommendations to enhance the safety of care to children presenting at the emergency department. It expands on the application of topics within a high-reliability framework focusing on leadership, managerial factors, and organizational factors that support safety culture and workforce empowerment to support safe emergency care for children.

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically impacted team functioning in healthcare settings. This survey of nearly 1,600 clinical and non-clinical staff at five Australian hospitals did not identify any perceived increases in unprofessional behaviors during the pandemic and 44% of respondents cited improvements in teamwork.

Rapid response teams, also known as medical emergency teams (MET), are activated when a patient demonstrates signs of clinical deterioration to prevent transfer to intensive care, cardiac arrest, and death. MET activations were prospectively reviewed at two Australian hospitals to determine the proportion of activations due to medication-related harms and assess the preventability of the activation. 23% of MET activations were medication-related, and 63% of those were considered preventable. Most preventable activations were patients with hypertension, and prevention strategies should focus on these patients.

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.

While interoperative deaths (IODs) are rare, they are catastrophic events. This study analyzed five years of data on IODs from a large academic medical center. The authors describe three phenotypes: patients with traumatic injury, those undergoing non-trauma-related emergency surgery, and patients who die during an elective procedure from medical cardiac arrests or vascular injuries. This classification framework can serve as a foundation for future research or quality improvement processes.

Care transitions can increase the risk of patient safety events. Using the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) model, this study explored care transitions between operating rooms and inpatient critical care units and the importance of articulation work (i.e., preparation and follow-up activities related to transitions) to ensure safe transitions.

Overcrowding in the emergency department (ED) can result in increased frequency of medication errors, in-hospital cardiac arrest, and other patient safety concerns. This study examined diagnostic errors after introducing a new healthcare service model in which emergency departments are co-located with general practitioner (GP) services. Potential priority areas for improvement include appropriate triage, diagnostic test interpretation, and communication between GP and ED services.

… making, and improving communication between services. … Cooper A, Carson-Stevens A, Edwards M, et al. Identifying safe care processes when GPs work in or …

Patient safety indicators (PSI) are measures that focus on quality of care and potentially preventable adverse events. This study estimated odds of preventable mortality of older adults with traumatic injuries and identified the PSIs that are associated with the highest level of preventable mortality.  Strategies to reduce preventable mortality in older adults are presented (e.g. utilization of national guidelines, minimization of central venous catheter use, addressing polypharmacy).

Nosocomial transmission of COVID-19 is an ongoing concern given the pressures faced by hospitals and healthcare workers during the pandemic. This observational study using data from four hospitals in the United Kingdom found that patients with hospital-onset COVID-19 (compared to suspected community-acquired infections) are associated with high risk of nosocomial transmissions to other patients and healthcare workers.

Health profession students are required to demonstrate competence in a variety of areas related to safe patient care. This article puts forth a recommendation to move beyond core competencies to improve patient safety and clinicians’ mutual safety.

Provider and patient underestimation of harms of tests and treatments may lead to over treatment. This article presents seven domains of harm of tests and treatment which warrant comprehensive research: (1) physical impairment, (2) psychological distress, (3) social disruption, (4) disruption in connection to healthcare, (5) labeling, (6) financial impact, and (7) treatment burden. Research is especially important in vulnerable patient populations.

… suggesting disbelief were identified: (1) use of quotes (e.g., patient had a “reaction” to the medication), (2) use of … doubt, and (3) reporting patient experiences as hearsay (e.g., “the patient reports that the symptom started …

This cross-sectional study conducted from March to June 2020 measured anxiety, depression, and burnout in clinicians working in the United Kingdom, Poland, and Singapore. Approximately 70% of respondents reported feeling anxious, depressed and/or burnt out. Burnout was significantly inversely correlated with being tested for COVID-19 and perceiving high levels of safety. These findings highlight the importance of supporting staff well-being and proactive COVID-19 testing.