As high workload and interruptions are known contributors to diagnostic errors, significant research has been conducted to understand and ameliorate the impact of these factors. This study examined the association between hospitalist busyness (i.e., number of admissions and pages), resource utilization, number of differential diagnoses, and the hospitalist's diagnostic confidence and subjective awareness. Increasing levels of busyness were associated with hospitalists reporting it was "difficult to focus on what is happening in the present" but had no effect on diagnostic confidence.

True partnership with patients and families in safety work is an important yet elusive goal. This commentary outlines elements supporting engagement as part of an ambitious global plan and awareness campaign to ensure medical error reduction efforts are fully informed and enriched through the application of the patient and family experience in health care.

COVID-19 ushered in new diagnostic challenges and changes in care practices. In this study conducted during the first wave of the pandemic, charts for hospitalized adult patients under investigation (PUI) for COVID-19 were reviewed for potential diagnostic error. Diagnostic errors were identified in 14% of cases; patients with and without diagnostic errors were statistically similar and errors were not associated with pandemic-related change practices.

Ensuring patients have an understanding of their diagnoses and care plan is a critical component of patient engagement and can improve safety. Using semi-structured phone interviews and electronic health record (EHR) review, this study examined patient understanding about their inpatient care and discharge plan. Although the majority of patients (>90%) felt confident in their knowledge of their diagnosis and treatment plan, chart review indicated that only 43% to 64% correctly recalled details about their diagnosis, treatment, post-discharge treatment plan, and medication changes.

Handoffs from one care team to another present significant risks to the patient if essential patient information is not shared or understood by all team members. Stakeholders at this children’s hospital developed a structured tool for handoff between surgery and pediatric or neonatal intensive care units. Transfer of information and select patient outcomes improved, handoff time was unchanged, and attendance by all team members increased.

Analysis of closed malpractice claims can be used to identify potential safety hazards in a variety of clinical settings. This analysis of closed emergency department malpractice claims indicates that diagnostic errors dominate, and clinical judgment and documentation categories continue to be associated with a higher likelihood of payout. Subcategories and contributing factors are also discussed.

… present an opportunity for future research. … Al- Khafaji J, Townsend RF, Townsend W, et al. Checklists to reduce …

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.

In response to concerns about COVID-19 transmission, many ambulatory care visits have transitioned to telehealth visits. This commentary describes the impact of telehealth on diagnostic errors and medication safety in ambulatory settings. Recommendations to further understand the impact of telemedicine on patient safety include: systematically measuring patient safety outcomes and increasing reporting of safety incidents; identifying the patients and clinical scenarios with the greatest risk of unsafe telehealth care; identifying and supporting best practices to ensure equal access to safe telehealth.

The authors retrospectively reviewed records for 150 patients undergoing emergency surgery who experienced a preventable complication and/or death. The most common preventable complication was surgical site infections. The majority of complications were attributed to personal performance (technical or judgement issues) and a small proportion (3%) were attributed to systemic issues, such as poor communication or inadequate protocols.

Postoperative complications can increase costs due to additional healthcare utilization such as further testing, reoperation, or additional clinical services. This study used data from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) to estimate 30-day costs resulting from postoperative complications. Prolonged ventilation, unplanned intubation, and renal failure were associated with the highest cost per event, whereas urinary tract infection, superficial surgical site infection, and venous thromboembolism were associated with the lowest cost per event.

… diagnoses alone, and employed debiasing strategies . … Gupta A, Quinn M, Saint S, et al. How physicians think: a …

Prior research has found that diagnostic errors comprise approximately one-fifth of preventable errors among hospitalized patients. Academic clinical care poses unique risks for diagnostic error because the frontline providers are residents and medical students. Thus, accurate diagnosis relies on robust communication between learners and their supervisors. A team of social scientists and clinicians conducted an ethnographic study of physicians on academic inpatient rounds to identify barriers to timely and correct diagnoses. They found that reliance on one-way communication methods and insufficient face-to-face interactions with patients and consultants hindered effective diagnostic decision-making. Additionally, the electronic health record led to data overload and data fragmentation. The authors offer concrete suggestions for more clinician- and patient-centered technical tools. A WebM&M commentary discussed a diagnostic error involving learners in psychiatry.

Standardized approaches can enhance team communication, process reliability, and diagnostic thinking. This commentary suggests that checklist use is an underutilized low-cost intervention to reduce diagnostic error. The authors describe process checklists, which can can help manage cognitive challenges, and content checklists, which provide differential diagnoses for common symptoms.

Measuring patient safety remains an ongoing challenge. This systematic review examined whether preventable death rates could be used as a measure of hospital quality. Researchers reviewed 23 studies and found that estimates of preventable in-hospital death are consistently low. Ascertainment of preventability was not consistent across multiple clinician-reviewers, and the authors estimate that cases would need review by eight or more clinicians to achieve the precision required. The authors conclude that preventable death rates would not be a valid or reliable measure of patient safety. A past PSNet interview discussed the development of hospital standardized mortality ratios and their role in monitoring performance.

Physicians who experience emotional consequences after adverse events are referred to as second victims. In this survey study of 5782 physicians who identify as mothers, nearly half reported involvement in an error. Most of those respondents described feeling guilt and were more likely to report burnout. Participants reported a wide variety of errors; treatment errors were the most common but diagnostic errors were associated with more severe harm to patients. The authors conclude that strategies to mitigate burnout among second victims are urgently needed. A previous PSNet interview discussed the second victim phenomenon and interventions to address it.

The authors present a case in which an unnecessary procedure was incorrectly performed on a patient who had opted to pursue hospice care. They highlight factors contributing to the error including those related to use of the electronic health record.

This direct observation study of hospitalist teams on rounds and conducting follow-up work examined the interaction between systems problems and cognitive errors in diagnosis. Researchers found that information gaps related to electronic health records, challenges with handoffs, and time constraints all contributed to difficulties in diagnostic cognition. The authors suggest considering both systems and cognitive challenges to diagnosis in order to promote safety.

As outpatient surgery becomes more prevalent, attention around related safety concerns grows. Researchers analyzed postprocedure emergency department visits and hospital admissions to better understand factors associated with the safety of outpatient procedures performed within the Veterans Health Administration.

This analysis of claims data from insurers found that rates of opioid prescribing following dental procedures increased between 2010 and 2015. The sharpest rise occurred among 11–18 year olds, and nearly one-third of opioid prescriptions were not associated with surgical procedures. The authors urge limiting use of opioids for nonsurgical dental visits.