Implementation challenges can hinder the effectiveness of the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist (SSC). This study describes the validation of the Checklist Performance Observation for Improvement (CheckPOINT) tool to assess SSC implementation fidelity. Based on testing in simulated and real-life clinical practice, researchers found that that the tool can reliably assess implementation fidelity and identify opportunities for improvement.

The transition from hospital to home is a vulnerable time as patients may have changes in medications or care needs, or difficulties accessing follow up with an outpatient provider. To reduce adverse events (AE), rehospitalizations, and emergency department visits, this hospital developed a structured discharge bundle based on the I-PASS tool used for inpatient handoffs. AE, rehospitalizations, and emergency department visits were all reduced following implementation of the I-PASS bundle.

Structural racism continues to perpetuate health disparities. As part of their study on how black patients with serious illness experience racism from providers, researchers conducted interviews with 21 providers to understand ways they address anti-Black racism in their practice. Providers felt unprepared to address racism with their patients, wanted to provide tools for patients to bring up their experiences while also acknowledging the additional burden this would place on Black patients, and thought patient- and provider-facing programs could facilitate discussions. Additionally, despite extensive research on the negative impacts of structural racism on health, participants cited the need for more data.

Parents of children with medical complexity can offer unique perspectives on hospital quality and safety. Prior to their child's discharge, parents were surveyed about their child's care, medications, safety, and other concerns experienced during their stay. Parents reported experiencing miscommunication with the providers and providers seemingly not communicating with each other. They also reported inconsistency in care/care plans, unmet expectations, lack of transparency, and a desire for their expertise to be taken seriously.

… with providers, and medical decision-making within a racialized health system. Study participants reported … own knowledge and experiences, and feeling isolated as a result. …

I-PASS, a structured hand-off tool, can reduce preventable adverse events during transitions of care. Previously published studies have shown that Patient and Family-Centered (PFC) I-PASS rounds reduced preventable and non-preventable adverse events (AE) in hospitalized children. This study presents additional analysis, comparing AE rates in children with complex chronic conditions (CCC) to those without. Results show a reduction in AE in both groups, with no statistically significant differences between the groups, suggesting PFC I-PASS may be generalizable to broader groups of patients without needing modification.

… safe delivery of patient care. This commentary presents a framework for new physician managers to address disruptive … and building a culture of safety. … Goodwin C, Haas S, Berry W. What I wish I’d known: how experienced physician …

… clinician decision making. This commentary discusses a strategy to aid in the sociotechnical design of interfaces …

Children with serious medical conditions are vulnerable to medical errors. This prospective study examined safety reporting behaviors among parents of children with medical complexity and hospital staff caring for these patients in one tertiary children’s hospital. Findings indicate that parents frequently identify medical errors or quality issues, despite not being routinely advised on how to report safety concerns.

Labor and delivery is a high-risk care environment. This study evaluated a quality improvement initiative (TeamBirth) designed to promote shared decision-making and safety culture in labor and delivery. This mixed-methods study included both clinicians and patients at four hospitals and found that the program was feasible, increased the use of huddles, and had no negative effects on patient safety.

Staff willingness to speak up about patient safety enables organizations to implement improvements to prevent patient harm. The author describes barriers that trainees face when presented with an opportunity to speak up as well as barriers faced by those who receive the reports. Initiatives to improve trainee speaking up behavior are discussed.

The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated rapid adjustments in hospital operations to address patient care demands. This commentary discusses how one hospital system utilized their quality and safety staff during the pandemic, and how that experience informed the responsiveness of system-wide quality improvement operations.

The large burden placed on hospitals and healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic has raised concerns about nosocomial transmission of the virus. This narrative review summarizes existing reports on nosocomial outbreaks of COVID-19 and the strategies health systems have implemented to control healthcare-associated outbreaks. The authors found little evidence describing the role of healthcare workers in reducing or amplifying infection transmission in healthcare settings.  

Transfusion errors can have serious consequences. This retrospective analysis used a Canadian national database to characterize patient registration-related errors in the blood transfusion process. Findings indicate that registration errors most commonly occur in outpatient areas and emergency departments and can lead to delays in transfusion.

Isolation for infection prevention and control is beneficial but may result in unintended consequences for patients (e.g., less attention, suboptimal documentation and communication, higher risk of preventable adverse events). This systematic review did not identify any evidence suggesting that adult patients in isolation precautions for infection control are more likely to experience clinical deterioration or hospital-acquired complications compared to non-insolated patients.

This systematic review examined the effects of medication-related interventions on readmissions, medication errors, adverse drug events, medication adherence, and mortality. Meta-analyses indicate that medication-related interventions reduce 30-day readmissions and the positive effect increased with higher intervention intensities (e.g., additional intervention components). Additional research is required to determine the effects on adherence, mortality, and medication errors and adverse drug events.

Medication errors are a serious problem among hospitalized pediatric patients. This study prospectively examined 1,233 pediatric hospitalizations among children with complex medication conditions over a 12-month period and found that 6% of hospitalizations involved one or more medication order errors. Incorrect doses and omitted medications occurred most frequently. Patients receiving baclofen (a skeletal muscle relaxant) were twice as likely to experience a medication order error.

… Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf … As part of a quality improvement initiative to enhance surgical … 20 physicians to understand potential areas of risk when a physician begins working in an unfamiliar setting.   … little to no onboarding when starting to practice in a new setting, which can limit their ability to provide safe …

Care transitions increase the risk of patient safety events, and pediatric patients are particularly vulnerable. This study used the Systems Engineer Initiative for Patient Safety approach to analyze care transitions, identify system barriers and solutions to guide efforts towards improving care transitions. Nine dimensions of system barriers and facilities in care transitions were identified: anticipation; ED decision making; interacting with family; physical environment; role ambiguity; staffing/resources; team cognition; technology, and; characteristics of trauma care.  Understanding these barriers and facilitators can guide future endeavors to improve care transitions.

… and outpatient settings. This study assessed the impact of a discharge medication education program for high-risk patients, including scheduling a post-hospital discharge telephone follow-up within 2 days … 10%). … Crannage AJ, Hennessey EK, Challen LM, Stevens AM, Berry TM. Implementation of a Discharge Education Program to …