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The PSNet Collection: All Content

The AHRQ PSNet Collection comprises an extensive selection of resources relevant to the patient safety community. These resources come in a variety of formats, including literature, research, tools, and Web sites. Resources are identified using the National Library of Medicine’s Medline database, various news and content aggregators, and the expertise of the AHRQ PSNet editorial and technical teams.

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Displaying 1 - 20 of 469 Results
Gross TK, Lane NE, Timm NL, et al. Pediatrics. 2023;151:e2022060971-e2022060972.
Emergency room crowding is a persistent factor that degrades safety for patients of all ages. This collection provides background, best practices, and recommendations to reduce emergency department crowding and its negative impact on pediatric care. The publications examine factors that influence crowding and improvement at the input, departmental, and hospital/outpatient stages of emergency care.
Curated Libraries
March 8, 2023
Value as an element of patient safety is emerging as an approach to prioritize and evaluate improvement actions. This library highlights resources that explore the business case for cost effective, efficient and impactful efforts to reduce medical errors.
Kuzma N, Khan A, Rickey L, et al. J Hosp Med. 2023;Epub Feb 14.
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.
Rojas CR, Moore A, Coffin A, et al. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf. 2023;49:226-234.
Children with complex medical conditions are particularly vulnerable to medication errors. This article describes the development and implementation of a pharmacy-led medication rounding care model for children with medical complexity wherein clinicians and pharmacists conduct weekly reviews of all patient medications using a standardized checklist.
Reinhart RM, Safari-Ferra P, Badh R, et al. Pediatrics. 2023;151:e2022056452.
Trigger tools are widely used for detecting potential adverse events among adult and pediatric inpatients. This article describes the development of a pediatric triggers program that can identify potential adverse events in near real-time to facilitate appropriate preventative measures. The tool includes criteria from the IHI Global Trigger Tool as well as novel triggers (such as pain reassessment time, hospital readmissions, and suspected sepsis). The trigger team created a process for linking triggers to the organizational incident reporting system based on specific criteria (to reduce false-positive reports). The trigger team is continuously developing and refining triggers based on stakeholder input.
Patient safety is a dynamic discipline that adjusts regularly to address clinical, organizational and policy changes, and disruptions. This webinar series provided insights on a variety of strategies and experiences to enhance care. The February offerings featured two sessions led by Dr Gerald Hickson on professionalism and system accountability.
Dillner P, Eggenschwiler LC, Rutjes AWS, et al. BMJ Qual Saf. 2023;32:133-149.
Retrospective error detection methods, such as trigger tools, are widely used to uncover the incidence and characteristics of adverse events (AE) in hospitalized children. This review sought AEs identified by three trigger tools: Global Trigger Tool (GTT), the Trigger Tool (TT) or the Harvard Medical Practice Study (HMPS) method. Results from the trigger tools were widely variable, similar to an earlier review in adult acute care, and suggest the need for strengthening reporting standards.
Westbrook JI, Li L, Raban MZ, et al. NPJ Digit Med. 2022;5:179.
Pediatric patients are particularly vulnerable to medication errors. This cluster randomized controlled trial examined the short- and long-term impacts of an electronic medication management (eMM) system implemented at one pediatric referral hospital in Australia. Findings suggest that eMM implementation did not reduce medication errors in the first 70 days of use, but researchers observed a decrease in medication errors one year after implementation, suggesting long-term benefits.
Welch-Horan TB, Mullan PC, Momin Z, et al. Adv Simul (Lond). 2022;7:36.
The COVID-19 pandemic challenged the way healthcare teams functions. This article describes the implementation of a hospital-wide COVID-19 clinical event debriefing program, which encouraged care team members to reflect on what went well and what could be improved upon during care encounters with patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Qualitative synthesis of 31 debriefings highlighted issues with personal protective equipment, confusion around team roles, and the importance of both intra-team communication and situational awareness.
Cartland J, Green M, Kamm D, et al. BMJ Open Qual. 2022;11:e001757.
Psychological safety is a cornerstone of high reliability organizations (HROs). This children’s hospital developed two scales (trust in team members and trust in leadership) and one composite measure (local learning) to measure staff psychological safety and evaluate the effectiveness of their transition to high reliability. More than 4,500 health system staff completed the survey; results indicate the two scales are strongly associated with the composite measure.
Kam AJ, Gonsalves CL, Nordlund SV, et al. BMC Emerg Med. 2022;22:152.
Debriefing after significant clinical events facilitates team-based communication, learning, and support. This study compared two post-resuscitation debriefing tools (Debriefing In Situ Conversation after Emergent Resuscitation Now [DISCERN] and Post-Code Pause [PCP]) following any intubation, resuscitation, or serious/unanticipated patient outcome in a children’s hospital. PCP was found to provide more emotional support and clinical learning, but there were no differences in the remaining categories.

Iyer R, Walker A, eds. Paediatr Anaesth. 2022;32(11):1176-1272.

Progress made in the adoption of infrastructure, Safety I, and Safety II concepts in high- and middle- to lower-income countries around the world support safe pediatric anesthesia care. The articles in this issue illustrate progress made over time in the specialty, highlight areas of focused attention, and examine quality improvement and Lean approaches as success strategies.
Michelson KA, McGarghan FLE, Patterson EE, et al. BMJ Qual Saf. 2022;Epub Sep 30.
Adverse events in pediatric emergency departments (ED) are rare, but largely preventable. This study examined characteristics and risk factors of patients with delayed diagnosis (i.e., presented to the ED within one week of a previous visit) and patients without delayed diagnosis of one of 7 serious medical conditions. Patients who were Hispanic or non-Hispanic Black, had public or other insurance, or non-English speaking were associated with delayed diagnosis.
Paydar-Darian N, Stack AM, Volpe D, et al. Pediatrics. 2022;150:e2021054307.
Errors during the discharge process can lead to return visits and adverse health outcomes. This article describes the implementation of a new standardized discharge process (including a new checklist, provider huddle, and scripted caregiver education) at one children’s hospital. Over a 19-month period, implementation of the revised discharge process led to the elimination of preventable, discharge-related serious safety events and did not result in increased length-of-stay or return visits.
Aziz S, Barber J, Singh A, et al. J Hosp Med. 2022;17:880-887.
The introduction of new technology can have mixed consequences on staff workflows and patient safety. Focus groups of residents and nurses in a California children’s hospital sought to assess the advantages and shortcomings of secure text messaging systems (STMS) on teamwork, patient safety, and clinician well-being. Guidelines to reduce drawbacks are described.
Hebballi NB, Gupta VS, Sheppard K, et al. J Patient Saf. 2022;18:e1021-e1026.
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.
Lin JS, Olutoye OO, Samora JB. J Pediatr Surg. 2023;58:496-502.
Clinicians involved in adverse events may experience feelings of guilt, shame, and inadequacy; this is referred to as “second victim” phenomenon. In this study of pediatric surgeons and surgical trainees, 84% experienced a poor patient outcome. Responses to the adverse event varied by level of experience (e.g., resident, attending), gender, and age.

Mills M. The Guardian. September 3, 2022

Families experiencing medical error can harbor frustration with the system but also with themselves for allowing care mistakes to take their loved one. This first-person account shares the story of a mother’s loss of a daughter to sepsis. The memoir illustrates how lack of respect for a family’s concern contributed to the incident.