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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 313 Results
Patient Safety Innovation March 15, 2023

During a time of unprecedented patient volume and clinical uncertainty, a diverse team of health system administrators and clinicians within the University of Pennsylvania Health System quickly investigated, updated, and disseminated airway management protocols after several airway safety incidents occurred among COVID-19 patients who were mechanically ventilated. Based on this experience, the team created the I-READI framework as a guide for healthcare systems to prepare for and quickly respond to quality and safety crises.1

WebM&M Case March 15, 2023

A 72-year-old man was diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia and ileus, and admitted to a specialized COVID care unit. A nasogastric tube (NGT) was placed, supplemental oxygen was provided, and oral feedings were withheld. Early in his hospital stay, the patient developed hyperactive delirium and pulled out his NGT. Haloperidol was ordered for use as needed (“prn”) and the nurse was asked to replace the NGT and confirm placement by X-ray. The bedside and charge nurses had difficulty placing the NGT and the X-ray confirmation was not done.

Jafri FN, Yang CJ, Kumar A, et al. Simul Healthc. 2023;18:16-23.
In situ simulation is a valuable way to uncover latent safety threats (LTS) when implementing new workflows or care locations. This study reports on one New York state emergency department’s in situ simulation of airway control for COVID-19 patients. Across three cycles of Plan-Do-Study-Act, numerous LSTs were identified and resolved. Quarterly airway management simulations have continued and have expanded to additional departments and conditions, suggesting the sustainability of this type of quality improvement project.
WebM&M Case February 1, 2023

A 5-day old male infant was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and underwent surgery to correct a congenital heart defect. The patient’s postoperative course was complicated Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia and other problems, requiring venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) and subsequent cardiac procedures.

Bates DW, Levine DM, Salmasian H, et al. New Engl J Med. 2023;388:142-153.
An accurate understanding of the frequency, severity, and preventability of adverse events is required to effectively improve patient safety. This study included review of more than 2,800 inpatient records from 11 American hospitals with nearly one quarter having at least one preventable or not preventable adverse event. Overall, approximately 7% of all admissions included at least one preventable event and 1% had a severity level of serious or higher.

DePeau-Wilson M. MedPage Today. January 13, 2023.

The use of anesthesia in ambulatory settings presents both advantage and risk to patients and clinicians. This article discusses evidence defining these issues. It suggests that improved collaboration with anesthesiologists represents opportunities for nonoperating room anesthesia safety.

Harolds JA, Harolds LB. Clin Nucl Med. 2015–2023.

This monthly commentary explores a wide range of subjects associated with patient safety, such as infection prevention, surgical quality improvement, and high reliability organizations.
Oura P, Sajantila A. J Public Health Res. 2022;11:227990362211399.
Although patient safety is a national priority, preventable harm among patients remains high. After analyzing national death certificate data from 1999 through 2019, researchers in this study found that medical adverse events were listed as the underlying cause of death in 0.24% of deaths. From 2014 to 2019, researchers identified a nearly 16% annual increase in deaths attributed to adverse events, primarily driven by procedure-related adverse events and possibly related to the implementation of ICD-10 in 2015.
Costin I-C, Marcu LG. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2022;178:103798.
Radiotherapy errors can be significant and sometimes fatal. This systematic review describes errors in patient set up based on verification systems, the immobilization devices used, and the patient’s positioning during breast cancer treatment. The advantages and drawbacks of the most common position verification systems, error types associated with immobilization systems, and the influence of treatment position are reviewed.
Lipprandt M, Liedtke W, Langanke M, et al. BMC Nurs. 2022;21:264.
Hospital-level care at home can reduce cost and hospital readmissions, but adverse events still occur at levels similar to hospitals. This study explored adverse events related to home mechanical ventilation (HMV), in order to categorize causes and recommend solutions. Interventions for nurses (e.g., checklists) and manufacturers (e.g., alarm design) may improve HMV.
Ghaith S, Campbell RL, Pollock JR, et al. Healthcare (Basel). 2022;10:1328.
Obstetric and gynecologic (OB/GYN) physicians are frequently involved in malpractice lawsuits, some of which result in catastrophic payouts. This study categorized malpractice claims involving OB/GYN trainees (students, residents, and fellows) between 1986 and 2020. Cases are categorized by type of injury, patient outcome, category of error, outcome of lawsuit, and amount of settlement.
Moody A, Chacin B, Chang C. Curr Opin Anaesthesiol. 2022;35:465-471.
Hospital-acquired pressure injuries are considered a never event. This review presents strategies to prevent pressure injuries in the nonoperating room anesthesia (NORA) population (e.g., patients on ventilators). Proper positioning of the patient, with bolsters and padding, are illustrated.

Plymouth Meeting, PA: Institute for Safe Medication Practices; 2022.

Medication errors associated with surgery and other invasive procedures can result in patient harm. This 10-element guidance suggests effective practices to address identified weaknesses in perioperative and procedural medication processes. Recommendations provided cover topics such as drug labeling, communication, and risk management.
Abdelmalak BB, Adhami T, Simmons W, et al. Anesth Analg. 2022;135:198-208.
A 2009 CMS Condition of Participation (CoP) requires that a director of anesthesia services assume overall responsibility for anesthesia administered in the hospital, including procedural sedation provided by nonanesthesiologists. This article reviews the CoP as it relates to procedural sedation, lays out a framework for implementing this role, and describes challenges of implementation in a large health system.
Serou N, Slight RD, Husband AK, et al. J Patient Saf. 2022;18:358-364.
Operating rooms are high-risk healthcare settings. This study reviewed serious surgical incidents occurring at large teaching hospitals in one National Health Service (NHS) trust. The authors outline several possible contributing factors (i.e., equipment and resource factors, team factors, work environment factors, and organizational and management factors) discuss recommendations for safer care.
Bentley SK, Meshel A, Boehm L, et al. Adv Simul (Lond). 2022;7:15.
In situ simulations are an effective method to identify latent safety threats (LST). Seventy-four in situ cardiac arrest simulations were conducted in one hospital, identifying 106 unique LSTs. Four LSTs were deemed imminent safety threats and were immediately resolved following debrief; another 15 were prioritized as high-risk.
Doorey AJ, Turi ZG, Lazzara EH, et al. Catheter Cardiovasc Interv. 2022;99:1953-1962.
Closed loop communication (CLC) ensures a clear transfer of information by having the recipient repeat the order for verification.  In this study, procedures in the cardiac catheterization lab were observed to assess the frequency and accuracy of CLC. Despite three interventions over five years (education, on-going feedback, accountability), CLC remained suboptimal, with both incomplete orders given and incomplete responses.
WebM&M Case May 16, 2022

This WebM&M describes two cases involving patients who became unresponsive in unconventional locations – inside of a computed tomography (CT) scanner and at an outpatient transplant clinic – and strategies to ensure that all healthcare teams are prepared to deliver advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), such as the use of mock codes and standardized ACLS algorithms.

Jagsi R, Griffith KA, Vicini F, et al for the Michigan Radiation Oncology Quality Consortium. JAMA OncolEpub 2022 Apr 21. 

Concordance of patient-reported symptoms and provider-documented symptoms is necessary for appropriate patient care and has clinical implications for research. This study compared patient-reported symptoms (pain, pruritus, edema, and fatigue) following radiotherapy for breast cancer with provider assessments. Underrecognition of at least one symptom occurred in more than 50% of patients. Underrecognition was more common in Black patients and those seen by male physicians. The authors suggest that interventions to improve communication between providers and patients may not only improve outcomes but also reduce racial disparities.

J Med Imaging Radiat Oncol. 2022;66(2):165-309.

Improving patient safety related to radiology and radiation oncology is an ongoing priority. This special issue explores themes related to radiology and radiation oncology, including monitoring and improving quality of care, promoting a culture of safety, and measuring, reporting, and learning from errors.