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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 2395 Results
Patient Safety Innovation May 31, 2023

Seeking a sustainable process to enhance their hospitals’ response to sepsis, a multidisciplinary team at WellSpan Health oversaw the development and implementation of a system that uses customized electronic health record (EHR) alert settings and a team of remote nurses to help frontline staff identify and respond to patients showing signs of sepsis. When the remote nurses, or Central Alerts Team (CAT), receive an alert, they assess the patient’s information and collaborate with the clinical care team to recommend a response.

Patient Safety Primer May 31, 2023

Anyone can find it challenging to understand medical terms, and millions of Americans have trouble understanding and acting upon health information. Health literate organizations make health systems easier to navigate and health information easier to understand, improving healthcare delivery and outcomes.

Patient Safety Innovation May 31, 2023

Patient falls in hospitals are common and debilitating adverse events that persist despite decades of effort to minimize them. Improving communication across the assessing nurse, care team, patient, and patient’s most involved friends and family may strengthen fall prevention efforts. A team at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, sought to develop a standardized fall prevention program that centered around improved communication and patient and family engagement.

Manadan A, Arora S, Whittier M, et al. Am J Med Open. 2023;9:100028.
The ”weekend effect” refers to worse outcomes among patients admitted on the weekend versus weekday. Based on a sample of over 121 million adult hospital discharges from 2016 to 2019, researchers examined the association between several different variables and in-hospital death. Multivariable analyses identified several predictors of in-hospital death (e.g., older age, higher number of comorbidities, etc.) and the researchers found that patients admitted on weekends underwent fewer procedures and had higher mortality rates compared to patients admitted on weekdays. The authors suggest that improved staffing and availability of procedures may improve mortality.
Ross P, Hodgson CL, Ilic D, et al. Contemp Nurse. 2023;Epub May 8.
Improved nurse staffing ratios and nursing skill mix have been linked to improved safety outcomes. This retrospective cohort study of over 13,000 patients admitted to a tertiary intensive care unit (ICU) in Australia between 2016 and 2020 found that a great concentration of critical care registered nurses (CCRNs) was associated with a lower risk of adverse events.

Surana K. Pro Publica. May 19, 2023.

The unintended clinical consequences of abortion restrictions are beginning to emerge. This article shares how one woman faced personal health risks due to clinician concerns stemming from barriers to abortion care and how the Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act (EMTALA) may be employed to minimize care limitations in emergent pregnancy-related situations.
Cox GR, Starr LM. J Healthc Manag. 2023;68:151-157.
Becoming a high-reliability organization (HRO) to improve patient safety is a goal of the Veterans Heath Administration (VHA). This commentary describes the VHA's implementation strategy and progress since 2019 at the patient, employee, and organizational levels. The three pillars of the VHA's HRO strategy are leadership commitment, a culture of safety, and continuous process improvement. Challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic are also discussed.

ISMP Patient Safety Alert! Acute care edition. May 18, 2023;28(10);1-3.

Dose error-reduction systems (DERS) and drug libraries are tools for use with smart infusion pumps to ensure safe intravenous medication administration. This article discusses infusion problems unrelated to user error that went undetected by the technology and reached patients. Recommendations to minimize similar occurrences include removing the involved device from service and investigating the incident.
Pati AB, Mishra TS, Chappity P, et al. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf. 2023;Epub Apr 22.
The World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist is widely used, but implementation challenges remain. This article describes the development of an electronic version of the surgical safety checklist adapted for use on a personal device, and compared its use against the traditional paper-based checklist. The electronic checklist had 100% use (compared to 98% for the traditional checklist) and significantly higher frequency of completion (100% vs. 27%).
Dietl JE, Derksen C, Keller FM, et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20:5698.
Miscommunication between healthcare providers can contribute to adverse events, but communication may be improved by strengthening psychological safety. This paper describes two studies on the association of communication, patient safety threats, and higher quality care and the mediating effect of psychological safety in obstetrical care. Results suggest psychological safety mediates the association of communication with quality of care and patient safety.

Farnborough, UK: Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch; April 2023.

Gaps in patient information processes can result in missed care opportunities that contribute to harm. This report examines language discordance in National Health Service written scheduling communications and its contribution to patients being lost to follow up. The primary improvement recommendation is to enhance the ability of providers to recognize primary languages of patients and provide written instructions accordingly.
Edmonds JK, George EK, Iobst SE, et al. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs. 2023;Epub May 10.
Staffing and nursing time at the bedside play a role in missed nursing care. This study focused on the role of COVID-19 on staffing and nursing time at the bedside and, therefore, on missed nursing care in labor and delivery units. During a peak of the pandemic, this study of obstetrics nurses found perceptions of nursing time at the bedside and adequate staffing played a significant role in missed nursing care.

Boston, MA; Betsy Lehman Center; April 2023.

Well-told stories can motivate change. This video translates the experience of Massachusetts patients and family members with medical error for a broad audience. Clinicians also participate and share perspectives on problems in care systems that contribute to patient harm.

Moyal-Smith R, Margo J, Maloney FL, et al. J Patient Saf. 2023;19(4):243-248.

Individual, team, and organizational challenges can hinder the effective implementation of patient safety initiatives. This article describes the development of the Patient Safety Adoption Framework, which includes five domains supporting the adoption and implementation of patient safety initiatives (leadership, culture and context, process, meaningful measurement, and person-centeredness).
Patient Safety Primer May 30, 2023
Anyone can find it challenging to understand medical terms, and millions of Americans have trouble understanding and acting upon health information. The mismatch between individuals' health literacy skills and the complexity of health information and health care tasks involved in managing health has implications on patient safety.
White VanGompel E, Carlock F, Singh L, et al. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs. 2023;52:211-222.
Cesarean delivery can lead to increased maternal morbidity and mortality. In this repeated cross-sectional study, physicians, nurses, and midwives were surveyed about their attitudes towards elective induction of labor before and after results were published from a large, randomized trial (Randomized Trial of Induction Versus Expectant Management, or ARRIVE) supporting elective inductions at 39 weeks to reduce the likelihood of a cesarean. Findings indicate that physician attitudes about induction shifted in favor of induction after ARRIVE, whereas nurse attitudes did not change. Qualitative analyses revealed four themes regarding attitudes towards induction- the importance of timing, identifying who should receive inductions, the need for clear protocols and more staff, and improvements to the induction of labor processes. 
Armstrong AA. J Healthc Qual. 2023;45:125-132.
Healthcare-acquired pressure injuries (HAPI) can result in increased lengths of stay, hospital readmissions, and lower quality of life. This article describes the experience of one hospital which, after it discovered it had higher-than-average HAPI rates, conducted a root cause analysis to determine contributing factors and identify potential solutions. Dedicated nursing staff were hired and trained, and an electronic health record form was developed to document and track HAPI. A root cause analysis was completed for each HAPI to identify trends and implement improvements.
Pugh S, Chan F, Han S, et al. J Nurs Adm. 2023;53:292-298.
The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically impacted the delivery of nursing care. This retrospective analysis examined the impact of a bedside checklist and nursing-led intervention bundle (“Nursing Back to Basics” or NB2B bundle) among patients hospitalized with COVID-19 at one academic hospital in New York City. The NB2B bundle, implemented with a bedside checklist, included five evidence-based interventions. Between March and April 2020, the NB2B intervention showed a 12% reduction in mortality due to COVID-19 compared with usual care.

Salvon-Harman J. Healthcare Executive. 2023;39(3):48-49.

A strong safety work environment is core to reliable care delivery and staff wellbeing. This article discusses how leadership should listen broadly, embody accountability, support disclosure, and build trust to build a robust safety culture.