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This article discusses the importance of leveraging quality improvement and patient safety science in acute and emergency situations. Methods and tools such as rapid learning cycles, huddles, team-based approaches, and debriefing and their applications to the COVID-19 pandemic are discussed.

This study surveyed healthcare professionals in Israel and Portugal to identify key human factors that influence the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) when caring for patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. Respondents attributed difficulties in wearing PPE to discomfort, challenges in hearing and seeing, and doffing. Analyses also found an association between PPE discomfort and situational awareness, but this association reflected difficulties in communication (e.g., hearing and understanding speech).

Health care–associated infections are a persistent challenge in all care environments. This commentary explores conditions in long-term care settings that enable infections to spread. The authors recommend applying a human factors engineering model in these settings to reduce risks of infections.

Not all pill-form medications can be safely crushed to administer to patients who have difficulty swallowing. In this before and after intervention study in a nursing home, adding warning symbols and educating staff about crushing medications led to a decrease in pill-crushing errors. The authors conclude that education and warnings enhanced this aspect of medication safety.

This analysis of medication administration errors at nursing homes found that inhalers and liquid medications were much more likely to be administered incorrectly than tablets or capsules.

This study evaluated the prevalence of medication errors in community-dwelling elders and nursing home residents in Victoria, Australia.

Pill organizers are commonly used to help ensure medication adherence and avoid errors for patients taking multiple medications. However, this study found that the repackaging necessary to stock pill organizers was in itself a source of error.