Clinicians who are involved in a patient safety incident can experience psychological harm. This literature review of 104 studies identified five levels of support that can be provided to healthcare workers after a patient safety incident – (1) prevention, (2) self-care of individuals and/or teams, (3) support by peers and triage, (4) structured professional support, and (5) structured clinical support.

Cyberattacks and technology disruptions are increasing as a threat to patient safety. This alert identifies risks linked to cyberattacks. The authors discuss how organizations might be proactive in order to prevent the potential for data breaches and reduce their impact on care delivery and processes should cyberattacks occur.

Interprofessional communication is critical to safe medication management during transitions of care. Researchers conducted this ethnographic study to explore inter- and intra-professional communications during older adults’ transitions of care. Communication was influenced by the transferring setting, receiving setting, and ‘real-time’ communication. Lack of, or poor, communication impacted medication safety; researchers recommend more proactive communication and involvement of the pharmacist.

These authors discuss the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on burnout and moral distress among nurses and outline several recommendations to support nurses, promote resilience, and maintain patient outcomes during and after the pandemic.