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 184 Results

Paediatric family activated rapid response interventions; qualitative systematic review.

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Cresham Fox S, Taylor N, Marufu TC, et al. Intensive Crit Care Nurs. 2022;Epub Dec 3.

While many hospitals have rapid response teams (RRT) which can be activated by clinicians, only a few hospitals have also implemented programs which allow patients and families to activate RRT. This review identified 6 articles (5 interventions) with family-activated RRT in pediatric hospitals. The authors of the review conclude that family-activated RRT is a key component to family engagement and enhancing patient safety. Only one intervention was also available in a non-English language, which should be considered in future interventions.

Strategies for a safe interhospital transfer with an intubated patient or where readiness for intubation is needed: a critical incidents study.

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Almqvist D, Norberg D, Larsson F, et al. Intensive Crit Care Nurs. 2022;74:103330.

Interhospital transfers pose a serious risk to patients. In this study, nurse anesthetists and intensive care nurses described strategies to ensure safe transport for patients who are intubated or who may require intubation. Strategies include clear and adequate communication between providers prior to transport, stabilizing and optimizing the patient’s condition, and ensuring that appropriate drugs and equipment are prepared and available.

Interprofessional team collaboration and work environment health in 68 US intensive care units.

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Pun BT, Jun J, Tan A, et al. Am J Crit Care. 2022;31:443-451.

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.

Critical care clinicians' experiences of patient safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Rosen A, Carter D, Applebaum JR, et al. J Patient Saf. 2022;18:e1219-e1225.

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.

Critical care resource nurse team: a patient safety and quality outcomes model.

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Patient Safety Innovation November 16, 2022

Rapid response teams are intended to improve timely identification and management of clinically deteriorating patients, such as in-hospital cardiac arrest or stroke.

Implementation and facilitation of post-resuscitation debriefing: a comparative crossover study of two post-resuscitation debriefing frameworks.

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Kam AJ, Gonsalves CL, Nordlund SV, et al. BMC Emerg Med. 2022;22:152.

Debriefing after significant clinical events facilitates team-based communication, learning, and support. This study compared two post-resuscitation debriefing tools (Debriefing In Situ Conversation after Emergent Resuscitation Now [DISCERN] and Post-Code Pause [PCP]) following any intubation, resuscitation, or serious/unanticipated patient outcome in a children’s hospital. PCP was found to provide more emotional support and clinical learning, but there were no differences in the remaining categories.

Improving communication and response to clinical deterioration to increase patient safety in the intensive care unit.

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Liu SI, Shikar M, Gante E, et al. Crit Care Nurse. 2022;42:33-43.

Lack of communication between providers can contribute to failure to rescue. Following a series of deaths due in part to not identifying clinical deterioration in a timely manner and/or not escalating care, this surgical intensive care unit (SICU) implemented an interdisciplinary quality improvement intervention. The intervention consisted of educating nurses on conditions necessitating escalation, multidisciplinary rounds with night staff, and an escalation document in the electronic health record (EHR).

A systematic review of nursing practice workarounds.

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McCord JL, Lippincott CR, Abreu E, et al. Dimens Crit Care Nurs. 2022;41:347-356.

Workarounds can pose significant risks to patient safety. This systematic review including 13 studies found that nursing workarounds most often occurred due to challenges in using the electronic health record (EHR) system or during medication administration.

Intravenous smart pumps at the point of care: a descriptive, observational study.

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Giuliano KK, Blake JWC, Bittner NP, et al. J Patient Saf. 2022;18:553-558.

Intravenous (IV) smart pumps can improve medication administration safety, but usability issues can compromise that safety. This study compared actual use of smart pumps to the manufacturer’s requirements for operation. Adherence to requirements was low and the authors present several recommendations to smart pump manufacturers. The Institute for Safe Medication Practices issued guidelines for safe use of smart pumps that address several of these safety concerns.

Exploring care left undone in pediatric nursing.

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Bagnasco A, Rossi S, Dasso N, et al. J Patient Saf. 2022;18:e903-e911.

Care left undone (also called missed care, unfinished care, and implicitly rationed care) is associated with lower perception of safety culture and increased adverse events. In this study, more than 2,200 pediatric nurses were asked about care tasks left undone in their most recent shift and a variety of environmental factors (e.g., perception of their work environment, risk of burnout). The most frequently omitted task was comfort/talk with patients, and the least frequently omitted task was pain management.

'Doing the best we can': Registered nurses' experiences and perceptions of patient safety in intensive care during COVID-19.

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Stayt LC, Merriman C, Bench S, et al. J Adv Nurs. 2022;78:3371-3384.

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed healthcare delivery across all settings. This qualitative study explored perceptions of patient safety in intensive care among nurses redeployed to intensive care settings during the pandemic. Nurses reported increases in patient safety risks during the pandemic, which were largely attributed to changes in nursing skill mix and poor continuity of care.

Medication errors in intensive care units: an umbrella review of control measures.

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Dionisi S, Giannetta N, Liquori G, et al. Healthcare (Basel). 2022;10:1221.

Medication errors are a global patient safety concern, particularly in high-risk areas like the intensive care unit. This umbrella review synthesizes medication interventions into two areas: systems (e.g., smart pumps) and processes (e.g., medication review). The authors highlight the importance of using multiple strategies when working to improve medication safety in the ICU.

Association between language use and ICU transfer and serious adverse events in hospitalized pediatric patients who experience rapid response activation.

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McDade JE, Olszewski AE, Qu P, et al. Front Pediatr. 2022;10:872060.

Language barriers can place patients at increased risk for adverse events and near misses. This retrospective cohort study found that rapid response team events for non-English speaking pediatric patients are more likely to result in transfer to the intensive care unit compared to English-speaking patients. However, researchers also found that increased use of interpreters can contribute to improved outcomes.

Missed nursing care in the critical care unit, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a comparative cross-sectional study.

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Falk A-C, Nymark C, Göransson KE, et al. Intensive Crit Care Nurs. 2022:103276.

Needed nursing care that is delayed, partially completed, or not completed at all is known as missed nursing care (MNC). Researchers surveyed critical care registered nurses during two phases of the COVID-19 pandemic about recent missed nursing care, perceived quality of care, and contributing factors. There were no major changes in the types of, or reasons for, MNC compared to the reference survey completed in fall 2019.

Team cognition in handoffs: relating system factors, team cognition functions and outcomes in two handoff processes.

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Wooldridge AR, Carayon P, Hoonakker PLT, et al. Hum Factors. 2022;Epub Jun 5.

Handoffs between inpatient care settings represent a vulnerable time for patients. This qualitative study explores how team cognition occurs during care transitions and interprofessional handoffs between inpatient settings and the influence of sociotechnical systems, such as communication workflows or electronic heath record-based interfaces) influence team cognition. Participants highlighted how interprofessional handoffs can both enhance (e.g., information exchange) and hinder (e.g., logistic challenges and imprecise communication) team cognition.

AHRQ Safety Program for Intensive Care Units: Preventing CLABSI and CAUTI: Final Report.

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Molefe A, Hung L, Hayes K, et al. Rockville MD: Agency for healthcare Research and Quality; 2022. AHRQ Publication No. 17(22)-0019.

Central line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are a persistent challenge for health care safety. This report shares the results of a 6-cohort initiative to reduce CLABSI and/or CAUTI infection rates in adult critical care. Recommendations for collaborative implementation success are included.

Communication patterns during routine patient care in a pediatric intensive care unit: the behavioral impact of in situ simulation.

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Ulmer FF, Lutz AM, Müller F, et al. J Patient Saf. 2022;18:e573-e579.

Closed-loop communication is essential to effective teamwork, particularly during complex or high-intensity clinical scenarios. This study found that participation in a one-day simulation team training for pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) nurses led to significant improvements in closed-loop communication in real-life clinical situations.

Longitudinal evaluation of a pediatric rapid response system with realist evaluation framework.

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Acorda DE, Bracken J, Abela K, et al. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf. 2022;48:196-204.

Rapid response (RR) systems are used to improve clinical outcomes and prevent transfer to ICU of patients demonstrating signs of rapid deterioration. To evaluate its RR system, one hospital’s pediatric department reviewed all REACT (Rapid Escalation After Critical Transfer) events (i.e., cardiopulmonary arrest and/or ventilation and/or hemodynamic support) which occurred within 24 hours of the RR. These reviews identified opportunities for systemwide improvements.

Toolkit for Preventing CLABSI and CAUTI in ICUs.

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Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; April 2022.

Healthcare-associated infections can result in significant morbidity and mortality. Developed by AHRQ, this customizable, educational toolkit uses the Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP) and other evidence-based practices to provide clinical and cultural guidance to support practice changes to prevent and reduce central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) and catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) rates in intensive care units (ICUs). Sections of the kit include items such an action plan template, implementation playbook, and team interaction aids.

Effects of tall man lettering on the visual behaviour of critical care nurses while identifying syringe drug labels: a randomised in situ simulation.

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Lohmeyer Q, Schiess C, Wendel Garcia PD, et al. BMJ Qual Saf. 2022;32:26-33.

Tall Man lettering (TML) is a recommended strategy to reduce look-alike or sound-alike medication errors. This simulation study used eye tracking to investigate how of ‘tall man lettering’ impacts medication administration tasks. The researchers found that TML of prelabeled syringes led to a significant decrease in misidentified syringes and improved visual attention.

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