Using data from the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, this study assessed changes in Emergency Department (ED) visits due to COVID-19. The average number of ED visits during a four-week period at the height of the pandemic was significantly less than in the four weeks prior to the pandemic. Patient education efforts should focus on the importance of prompt medical intervention for acute conditions (such as stroke or heart attack) and telehealth services for non-acute conditions.    

Deviations or variations in diagnostic fidelity, including diagnostic errors and delays, can lead to serious adverse events or death, yet measurement tools and reporting processes for ensuring diagnostic fidelity are underdeveloped. This single-site retrospective study found that these errors and delays can be reliably identified using EMR data, and that variations in diagnostic fidelity are linked to increased morbidity and mortality. 

Improving diagnosis remains a major focus within patient safety. For patients with rare diseases, diagnosis can often be delayed. Established in 2014 and funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN) applies a multidisciplinary approach to the most challenging diagnostic cases. Over a 20-month period, 601 out of 1519 patient cases were accepted by the UDN for evaluation. The authors report that of the 382 patients who underwent a complete evaluation, a diagnosis was identified in 132 patients.

Opioid medications are associated with increased risk of adverse drug events, including overdoses. This systematic review found that evidence supporting the use of long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain is lacking.

This cross-sectional study presents data collected from the Collaborative Alliance for Nursing Outcomes benchmarking registry. In this convenience sample, nurses deviated from medication administration safe practices approximately 11% per encounter, and administration errors occurred 0.32% per encounter. Distractions or interruptions accounted for nearly one-fourth of the safe practice deviations.

This article discusses strategies to prevent catheter-related infections.

This study used organizational theory approaches to analyze work relationships in primary care practices and to identify relationship factors that influenced the quality of care.