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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 817 Results

Peterson M. Los Angeles Times. September 5, 2023.

Safe practice in community pharmacy is challenged by production pressure, workforce shortages, and multitasking. This story examined the mistakes made at major retail pharmacy chains in California. It provides examples perpetrated across the industry to target universal areas of needed improvement and potential strategies to address them.

The Armstrong Institute Center for Diagnostic Excellence. Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, September 27, 9:00 AM-4:00 PM (eastern).

Advanced computer technologies and data analysis are an increasing focus in diagnostic safety efforts. The theme of this annual event is “Diagnostic Digital Health Research”. Ethical use of artificial intelligence, consumer diagnostic technology and digital diagnostics and amongst the topics to be covered.
Mohamoud YA, Cassidy E, Fuchs E, et al. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2023;72:961–967.
Previous research has found that women often experience mistreatment and discrimination during maternity care. This CDC analysis of survey data for 2,402 respondents found that approximately one in five women experienced at least one type of mistreatment during maternity care (i.e., being ignored or refused, being shouted at or scolded, having their physical privacy violated). Nearly 29% of respondents reported experiencing at least one form of discrimination during their maternity care (i.e., age-, weight-, income-, or race/ethnicity-based discrimination).
McGurgan P. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol. 2023;63:606-611.
Individual-, team-, and systems-based factors can affect safety during childbirth. This article discusses several patient safety threats that can hinder the safety of vaginal birth after cesarean (VAC) deliveries in high population density areas, including staffing and resource limitations, cultural and human factors, and patient communication.

West S. KFF Health News. August 24, 2023.

The challenge of unsafe maternal care is gaining deserved attention across the system spectrum. This article discusses the preventative nature of many barriers to safe care Black mothers face including lack of health insurance, limited access to prenatal care and disrespect for concerns during care encounters.
Melnyk BM, Hsieh AP, Tan A, et al. J Occup Environ Med. 2023;65:699-705.
Many healthcare professionals experienced adverse emotional and psychological outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. This survey of 665 health system pharmacists found that pharmacists working in settings with higher levels of workplace wellness support were less likely to experience depression, anxiety, or burnout, and report higher levels of professional quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic.

HealthJournalism.org. Columbia, MO: Association of Health Care Journalists; 2010-2023.

The role media plays in raising awareness of patient safety issues in a timely and appropriate manner is consequential. This series instructs writers to communicate on medical error and quality topics in a high-quality professional style with discernment of the content being reported. Series contributions include discussions on medical error statistics and outpatient surgery rankings.

Rockville, MD: Agency for Research and Quality; July 27, 2023. Notice Number NOT-HS-23-018.

Diagnostic errors occur in all settings of care and are a primary challenge to safe health care. This announcement raises awareness of two upcoming funding opportunities for understanding and improving diagnostic safety in diverse ambulatory care environments. The funding will target the incidence and contributory factors of diagnostic error within the array of ambulatory care services and the development of strategies and interventions to improve diagnostic safety in ambulatory care.
Zińczuk A, Rorat M, Simon K, et al. Viruses. 2023;15:1430.
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated many existing patient safety challenges. This retrospective analysis of 477 fatal COVID-19 cases at one hospital in Poland found that one-third of patients experienced a healthcare-acquired infection during their hospitalization as well as other hospital-acquired complications, including thrombolytic and/or bleeding complications, acute kidney injury, and exacerbation of chronic heart disease. The analysis also found that many patients experienced delays in specialist treatment (33%) or lack of specialist treatment (17%) during their hospitalization.
Morris J, Schomerus G. Drug Alcohol Rev. 2023;42:1264-1268.
Stigma and bias in healthcare undermine patient safety. This article discusses how stigma associated with alcohol use can impede the delivery of quality health care and contribute to poor patient outcomes. 
Green MA, McKee M, Hamilton OKL, et al. BMJ. 2023;328:e075133.
Many patients were unable to access care during the pandemic, particularly during surges. This longitudinal cohort study in the UK reports that 35% of participants reported disrupted access to care (e.g., cancelled or postponed appointments or procedures). While overall rates of potentially preventable hospitalization were low (3%), those who reported disrupted access had increased risk of potentially preventable hospitalization.
Puhl RM. Gastroenterol Clin North Am. 2023;52:417-428.
Implicit biases and stigma can impede the delivery of safe, high-quality healthcare. This article outlines the ways in which stigma create barriers to effective care for patients with obesity (use of stigmatizing language, provider-held negative weight-based attitudes, lack of patient-centered communication, patient avoidance, and/or delay of care). The authors propose several strategies to reduce weight stigma in health care, including stigma-reduction education and training interventions.

Renault M. Stat. July 7, 2023.

Emergency vehicle transport can be dangerous for the patient, the clinician team, and the community. This article discusses the effect of ambulance use of alarm sirens on the safety of the service. Impacts such as psychological health of the patient and access to care units, should a crash occur, are discussed.
Vickers-Smith R, Justice AC, Becker WC, et al. Am J Psych. 2023;180:426-436.
Racial and ethnic biases can affect diagnosis and negatively impact patient safety. Based on a sample of over 700,000 veterans, this study found that Black and Hispanic individuals consumed similar amounts of alcohol to White individuals but were more likely to be diagnosed with alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Manchester, UK: Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman; June 2023. ISBN: 9781528642446.

Lack of accountability for systemic contributions to failure degrades efforts to generate improvement. This report discusses gaps in the British National Health Service patient safety culture. It calls for governmental oversight and commitment as the central activation lever necessary to achieve collective, coordinated effort and motivate large-scale action to support lasting change.
Albutt AK, Ramsey L, Fylan B, et al. Health Expect. 2023;26:1467-1477.
Patients' healthcare-seeking behaviors changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly during the first wave. This longitudinal study sought patient perspectives about their experiences accessing healthcare, activities they undertook to keep themselves and others safe, and their understanding of healthcare system resilience and resources. Three themes emerged: a "new safety normal," existing vulnerabilities and heightened safety, and "are we all in this together?" The study highlighted that preexisting gaps in care experienced by those with chronic conditions or other vulnerabilities widened during the pandemic and deserve further research.
Pisani AR, Boudreaux ED. Focus (Am Psychiatr Publ). 2023;21:152-159.
Identifying patients with suicidal ideation can be a challenging clinical problem in the emergency department. These authors use a systems-based approach to identify missed opportunities to prevent suicide and present a systems approach to suicide prevention including three core domains – a culture of safety and prevention, applying best practices and policies for prevention in systems, and workforce education and development.