Long COVID-19 can be challenging to diagnose. Using electronic health record (EHR) data from patients receiving care in the Department of Veterans Affairs, this qualitative study explored the clinical diagnosis and management of long COVID symptoms. Two themes emerged – (1) diagnostic uncertainty about whether symptoms were due to long COVID, particularly given the absence of specific clinical markers and (2) care fragmentation and poor care coordination of post-COVID-19 care processes.

Healthcare trainees and junior clinicians are often reluctant to speak up about safety concerns. This qualitative study found that simulation training to enhance speaking up behaviors had lasting effects among advanced care paramedics and respiratory therapists as they moved from training into practice. Respondents highlighted the importance of experience for speaking up and the benefits of high-impact simulation training.

The COVID-19 pandemic had wide-ranging impacts on care delivery and patient safety. This study examined the relationship between critical care clinician experiences related to patient safety during the pandemic and COVID-19 caseloads during the pandemic. Findings suggest that as COVID-19 caseloads increased, clinicians were more likely to perceive care as less safe.

Team collaboration is an essential part of ensuring patient safety in acute care settings. This survey of care team members (including nurses, physicians, pharmacists, respiratory therapists, and rehabilitation therapists) assessed teamwork and collaboration across 68 intensive care units (ICUs). Teamwork and work environment were rated favorably but care coordination and meaningful recognition were rated least favorably.

Previous research has found that fear of malpractice can influence medical decision-making. This survey of emergency department attending physicians and advanced practice clinicians in Massachusetts found that fear of harming patients played a larger role in medical decision-making than fear of legal action.

Patient engagement focuses on involving patients in detecting adverse events, empowering patients to speak up, and emphasizing the patient’s role in a culture of safety. Young people ages 16-25 with experiences in cancer care, and staff who support young people with cancer were asked about their experiences with three types of patient engagement strategies. Four themes for engaging young people emerged, including empowerment, transparency, participatory culture, and flexibility. Across all these was a fifth theme of transition from youth to adult care.  

Reducing unplanned hospital readmissions is a priority patient safety focus, and numerous interventions with hospital pharmacists have been developed. In this study, hospitalized adults aged 70 years and older were randomized to receive standard care or the IMMENSE intervention. The IMprove MEdicatioN Safety in the Elderly (IMMENSE) intervention is based on the integrated medicine management (IMM) model and consists of five steps, including medication reconciliation, patient counseling, and communication with the patient’s primary care provider. There was no significant difference in emergency department visits or readmissions between control and intervention within 12 months of the index hospital visit.

Safety strategies from high-reliability industries such as aviation and nuclear power are frequently adapted for healthcare. In this study, pilots described crisis preparedness strategies, which surgical safety experts then developed into a framework consisting of six behavioral interventions: anticipate threats, briefing, checklists, drill rehearsal, individual and team empowerment, and debriefing. An earlier study by the authors describes the second phase in managing crisis: crisis recovery.

A systematic review in early 2022 revealed healthcare worker strikes may negatively impact patient safety but also result in long-term benefits. This review by the same authors explores the impact of strikes on in-hospital and population mortality. None of the 11 studies examining in-hospital mortality reported a significant difference between mortality during the strike compared to the control period. Similarly, there was no difference in population mortality.

Work-related psychosocial factors may increase or decrease the risk of accidents in high-risk industries (e.g., nuclear, mining, healthcare). Using the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) framework as a starting point, associations between job demands and resources, and between safety behaviors and outcomes were evaluated. Most studies report on the link between psychosocial factors and safety behavior (e.g., job stress or exhaustion can precede negative safety behavior).

Electronic communication between patients and clinicians has been increasing, with a rapid expansion of its use during the COVID-19 pandemic. This systematic review examined the types of online consultation available to patients in primary care and their impact on safety. Results reveal both positive and negative impacts, and the authors make recommendations to mitigate the negative impacts.

Retained surgical items (RSI) are a never event, a serious and preventable event. After experiencing a high rate of RSIs, this United States health system implemented a bundle to reduce RSI, improve near-miss reporting, and increase process reliability in operating rooms. The bundle consisted of five elements: surgical stop, surgical debrief, visual counters, imaging, and reporting.

Health systems are increasingly aiming to become high-reliability organizations, able to operate for an extended period without serious accidents. This systematic review identified 75 studies reporting on health systems’ interventions to improve reliability, the goals of the interventions, and how achievement of the goals was measured. The six goals of Crossing the Quality Chasm were used to categorize studies. Most studies focused solely or in part on safety; only ten focused solely on one of the other five goals.