Children with intellectual disabilities can be at higher risk for patient safety events. Based on semi-structured interviews and focus groups with healthcare professionals, this study describes several themes regarding healthcare professionals’ perspectives about patient safety considerations when caring for children and young people with intellectual disabilities. Findings underscore the importance of considering additional vulnerabilities, improving engagement with patients and families, and mitigating negative attitudes and biases.

… deterioration, and care issues identified by parents. … Ong N, Mimmo L, Barnett D, et al. Reported clinical incidents of children …

Lack of patient engagement in care can place them at increased risk for safety events. This qualitative study explored ethnic minority stakeholder perspectives about patient engagement in cancer care. Focus groups consisting of participants from consumer and health organizations involved in cancer care in Australia identified three themes supporting successful engagement – consideration of sociocultural beliefs about cancer, adaptation of existing techniques tailored to stakeholders (e.g., culturally specific content), and accounting for factors such as cultural competence during implementation.

… effectively with both patients and their parents. … Ong N, Long JC, Weise J, et al. Responding to safe care: Healthcare staff …

… compared to children without intellectual disabilities. … Mimmo L, Harrison R, Travaglia J, et al. Inequities in …

This study investigated the relationship between hospital staff perceived sociotemporal structures, safety attitudes, and work-related well-being. The researchers identified that hospital “pace” plays a central role in understanding that relationship, and a focus on “pace” can significantly improve staff well-being and safety attitudes.

Patients and families are essential partners in identifying and preventing safety events. This systematic review characterizes patient engagement along a continuum of engagement that includes consultation (e.g., patients are invited to provide input about a specific safety issue), involvement (e.g., patients are asked about their preferences/concerns and given the opportunity to engage with practitioners about a specific issue), and partnership/leadership (e.g., patients ‘work’ with practitioners to improve the safety of their care, often using tools designed to empower patients to alert practitioners to concerns).

Safety culture has been studied in healthcare settings using a variety of methods. This systematic review identified 694 studies of safety culture in hospitals. Most used quantitative surveys, and only 31 used qualitative or mixed methods. Eleven themes were identified, with leadership being the most common; none of the methods or tools appeared to measure all 11 themes. The authors recommend that future research include both qualitative and quantitative methods.

Patients with intellectual disabilities face numerous safety threats, often related to poor communication. In keeping with prior research, this systematic review suggests that children with intellectual disabilities may experience poor-quality care and are at increased risk for adverse events.

This study elicited patients' reports of adverse events during hospitalization. Researchers found that 7% of hospitalized patients reported experiencing an adverse event and, consistent with prior studies, patients contributed unique contextual data to adverse event reporting.

Although workarounds may be essential to effective care delivery in some instances, they also pose significant risks to patient safety. This systematic review of nursing workarounds builds upon a similar study. The article includes illustrative examples of both individual and collective workarounds, as well as the potential effects in acute care settings for patients, staff, and organizations. The authors conclude that the research on nursing workarounds has been heterogeneous and "relatively underdeveloped." A previous AHRQ WebM&M perspective discussed workarounds on the front lines of health care.