Misdiagnosis can contribute to overuse of unnecessary medication and treatments as well as a delay in appropriate treatment, placing patients at increased risk of harm. This prospective cohort study suggests that asthma may be frequently misdiagnosed in the community setting as a result of inadequate testing for airflow limitations. In 2% of the cases analyzed, a serious underlying cardiorespiratory condition was misdiagnosed as asthma.

Efforts to improve the safety of handoffs have focused on standardizing the signout process. In this mixed methods study, researchers observed 185 anesthetist-to-nurse handoffs from the operating room to the postanesthesia care unit across 3 hospitals. They then conducted focus groups to better understand aspects of safe handoff practices. This work led to the development of a more standardized handoff structure.

This qualitative study found that although handovers are a routine part of maternity care, clinicians lacked a structured approach to transferring care, which led to unclear lines of responsibility.

Accurate initial assessment and resuscitation of trauma patients is critical to ensuring correct treatment and survival, and although standardized algorithms have been developed for initial trauma evaluation, errors are not uncommon. This innovative randomized controlled trial implemented a computerized clinician decision support system (CDSS) to ensure adherence to standardized protocols for trauma resuscitation, and used video capture of trauma resuscitations to assess the effects of the CDSS on patient outcomes. Use of the CDSS resulted in significantly reduced errors, and also reduced morbidity compared to standard treatment. This study demonstrates the utility of a CDSS in a fast-paced, high-acuity environment.

This qualitative study draws on interviews with paramedics and trauma team members to highlight opportunities to improve handoffs between the two groups in their time-pressured environments.

This study discovered that the clinical performance of medical residents deteriorates during prolonged hours of activity, suggesting the need for reform around current regulations for resident work hours.

This study found deficits in communication between paramedics and trauma staff during both pre-hospital communications and in-hospital handoffs.

The investigators describe an incident reporting intervention that included education on reportable incidents, changes in the process to reduce the fear of reporting, a shorter reporting form, and newsletters to share feedback. They found that this intervention significantly improved reporting.

The authors reviewed the literature on adverse events related to medical devices, equipment, and other technologies and discuss governance issues involved in the safe use and development of medical devices.

The investigators surveyed more than 2000 people in southern Australia and found that experiencing an adverse event negatively affected opinions of hospital safety.