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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 59 Results
Institute for Healthcare Improvement. March 7–8 2024, 12:00-4:00 PM (eastern).
This online class prepares individuals to apply for the Institute for Healthcare Improvement patient safety certification program. The on-demand or live sessions cover key patient safety concepts to enhance participants' knowledge about safety culture, systems thinking, leadership, risk identification and analysis, information technology, and human factors. 
Perspective on Safety November 27, 2023

This piece discusses how undergraduate professional nursing education integrates the topic of patient safety into classroom and clinical instruction, and how this affects patient safety as a whole.

This piece discusses how undergraduate professional nursing education integrates the topic of patient safety into classroom and clinical instruction, and how this affects patient safety as a whole.

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, six sigma, and high reliability organizations.
WebM&M Case June 28, 2023

A 56-year-old man was admitted to the hospital and required mechanical ventilation due to COVID-19-related pneumonia and acute respiratory failure. The care team performed a tracheostomy percutaneously at the bedside with some difficulty. The tracheostomy tube was secured, inspected via bronchoscopy, and properly sutured. During the next few days, the respiratory therapist noticed a leak that required additional inflation of the cuff to maintain an adequate seal.

Ward CE, Taylor M, Keeney C, et al. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2023;27:263-268.
Weight-based calculation errors and lack of weight documentation can lead to medication errors in pediatric patients. This analysis of Maryland emergency medical services (EMS) data including children who received a weight-based medication found that weight documentation was associated with a small but significantly lower rate of medication dose errors, particularly among infants and for epinephrine and fentanyl doses.
Thomas M, Swait G, Finch R. Chiropr Man Therap. 2023;31:9.
Patient safety incident reporting is an important tool for characterizing events and identifying opportunities for patient safety improvements. This longitudinal study describes chiropractic safety incidents reported to an online reporting and learning system used in the UK, Canada, and Australia. One-quarter of incidents related to post-treatment distress or pain. Documented areas for learning and safety improvement included reducing patient falls, improving continuity of care, and improving recognition of serious pathology requiring escalation to other care providers.
Kazi R, Hoyle JD, Huffman C, et al. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2023;Epub Feb 1.
Prehospital medication administration for pediatric patients is complicated by the need to obtain an accurate weight for correct dosing. This retrospective analysis examined prehospital medication dosing in children 12 years of age and younger after implementation of a statewide emergency medical services (EMS) pediatric dosing reference. Despite implementation of written guidelines, researchers found that 35% of prehospital medication administrations involved a dosing error. Dosing errors were most common for hyperglycemia reversal medications, opioids, and one type of bronchodilator (Ipratropium bromide).
WebM&M Case October 27, 2022

A 47-year-old man underwent a navigational bronchoscopy with transbronchial biospy under general anesthesia without complications. The patient was transferred to the post-acute care unit (PACU) for observation and a routine post-procedure chest x-ray (CXR). After the CXR was taken, the attending physician spoke to the patient and discussed his impressions, although he had not yet seen the CXR. He left the PACU without communicating with the bedside nurse, who was caring for other patients. The patient informed the nurse that the attending physician had no concerns.

WebM&M Case May 16, 2022

This WebM&M describes two incidences of the incorrect patient being transported from the Emergency Department (ED) to other parts of the hospital for tests or procedures. In one case, the wrong patient was identified before undergoing an unnecessary procedure; in the second case, the wrong patient received an unnecessary chest x-ray. The commentary highlights the consequences of patient transport errors and strategies to enhance the safety of patient transport and prevent transport-related errors.

Patient Safety Primer February 24, 2022
Residents living in nursing homes or residential care facilities use common dining and activity spaces and may share rooms, which increases the risk for transmission of COVID-19 infection. This document describes key patient safety challenges facing older adults living in these settings, who are particularly vulnerable to the effects of the virus, and identifies federal guidelines and resources related to COVID-19 prevention and mitigation in long-term care. As of April 13, 2020, the Associated
WebM&M Case February 23, 2022

A 69-year-old man with End-Stage Kidney Disease (ESKD) secondary to diabetes mellitus and hypertension, who had been on dialysis since 2014, underwent deceased donor kidney transplant. The case demonstrates the complex nature of management of allograft dysfunction due to vascular complications in a patient with deceased donor kidney transplant in the early post-transplant period.

Thibault R, Abbasoglu O, Ioannou E, et al. Clin Nutr. 2021;40:5684-5709.
Mistakes in hospital dietary services can contribute to allergic reactions and patient malnourishment. This guidance shares an improvement approach to care environment food provision that considers clinical concerns and patient limitations as steps toward enhancing patient care.
Mirarchi FL, Cammarata C, Cooney TE, et al. J Patient Saf. 2021;17:458-466.
Prior research found significant confusion among physicians in understanding Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) documents, which can lead to errors. This study found that emergency medical services (EMS) personnel did not exhibit adequate understanding of all POLST or living will documents either. The researchers propose that patient video messaging can increase clarity about treatment, and preserve patient safety and autonomy.
Buhlmann M, Ewens B, Rashidi A. J Clin Nurs. 2020;30:1195-1205.
Adverse events can have significant impacts on the providers involved. This systematic review explored the experiences of critical incidents on nurses and midwives and their perceived support from the healthcare system. The article discusses the emotional, physical, and professional impacts; perceptions of personal, peer and workplace support; and how nurses and midwives move forward and cope with the impact of critical incidents.  
Vinther S, Bøgevig S, Eriksen KR, et al. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol. 2020;128:542-549.
Older adults living in long-term care facilities are at increased risk for medication errors. This cohort study examined nursing home residents exposed to medication errors and found that poison control consultations can assist nursing home staff in qualifying risk assessment and potentially reduce hospital admissions.
Shaw J, Bastawrous M, Burns S, et al. J Patient Saf. 2021;17:30-35.
Patients who have fallen in their homes and are found by a home healthcare worker are referred to as “found-on-floor” incidents. This study found that length of stay was a key theme in found-on-floor incidents and signaled underlying system-level issues, such as lack of informational continuity across the continuum of care (e.g., lack of standard documentation across settings, unclear messaging regarding clients’ home care needs), reliance on home healthcare workers instead of rehabilitation professionals, and lack of fall assessment follow-up. The authors recommend systems-level changes to improve fall prevention practices, such as use of electronic health records across the continuum of care and enhanced accountability in home safety.  

ISMP Medication Safety Alert! Acute Care Edition. January 14, 2021;26(1);1-5. 
 

Learning from error rests on transparency efforts buttressed by frontline reports. This article examined reports of COVID-19 vaccine errors to highlight common risks that are likely to be present in a variety of settings and share recommendations to minimize their negative impact, including storage methods and vaccination staff education. 
Cicero MX, Adelgais K, Hoyle JD, et al. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2020;25:294-306.
This position statement shares 11 recommendations drawn from a review of the evidence to improve the safety of pediatric dosing in pre-hospital emergent situations. Suggestions for improvement include use of kilograms as the standard unit of weight, pre-calculated weight-based dosing, and dose-derivation strategies to minimize use of calculations in real time.   
Johnson CD, Green BN, Konarski-Hart KK, et al. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2020;43:403.e1-403.e21.
An international sample of chiropractic practitioners described actions taken by their practices in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Practitioners discuss using innovative strategies such as telehealth to continue providing patient-centered care while complying with local regulations.