Patients transferred from hospitals to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) are vulnerable to adverse events. This scoping review identified common extrinsic factors contributing to adverse events among older adults during rehabilitation stays at skilled nursing facilities, including inappropriate medication usage, polypharmacy, environmental hazards, poor communication between staff, lack of resident safety plans, and poor quality of care due to racial bias, organizational issues, and administrative issues.

Potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) for older adults carry a high risk of adverse drug events. Using a sample of Medicare beneficiaries from 2015 to 2018, researchers assessed the impact of state scope of practice regulations for nurse practitioners (NPs) on PIM prescribing patterns compared to primary care physicians. Findings indicate that the PIM prescribing rate is lower in states with full NP practice and lower among NPs than among physicians.

… fall-prevention and patient-family engagement, resulted in a decrease in the rate of falls and injuries. … Tzeng HM, Jansen LS, Okpalauwaekwe U, et al. Adopting the … program to engage older adults in fall prevention in a nursing home. J Nurs Care Qual. Epub 2021 Feb 4.      …

This analysis of Medicare data found that patients cared for by hospitalist physicians in their first year of practice have a slightly higher 30-day mortality risk than those treated by hospitalist physicians with more than one year of experience. The authors suggest that hospitalists in their first year in practice may require additional support in order to optimize patient outcomes.

… was related to less fall-related patient harm, suggesting a potential indicator for ongoing measurement at the unit …

This study describes the success of using the prone position, rather than sitting-standing, when helping patients transfer out of bed to prevent falls.

This article reviews the literature regarding hospital safety research and summarizes both emerging trends and evidence gaps.