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Analysis of readmissions in a mobile integrated health transitional care program using root cause analysis and common cause analysis.

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Buitrago I, Seidl KL, Gingold DB, et al. J Healthc Qual. 2022;44:169-177.

Reducing hospital 30-day readmissions is seen as a way to improve safety and reduce costs. Baltimore City mobile integrated health and community paramedicine (MIH-CP) was designed to improve transitional care from hospital to home. After one year in operation, MIH-CP performed a chart review to determine causes of readmission among patients in the program. Root cause analysis indicated that at least one social determinant of health (e.g., health literacy) played a role in preventable readmissions; the program was modified to improve transitional care.

A Case of Mistaken Capacity: Why A Thorough Psychosocial History Can Improve Care.

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March 31, 2022

This Spotlight Case describes an older man incidentally diagnosed with prostate cancer, with metastases to the bone. He was seen in clinic one month after that discharge, without family present, and scheduled for outpatient biopsy. He showed up to the biopsy without adequate preparation and so it was rescheduled. He did not show up to the following four oncology appointments.

Facilitators and barriers of care transitions - comparing the perspectives of hospital and community healthcare staff.

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Carman E-M, Fray M, Waterson P. Appl Ergon. 2021;93:103339.

This study analyzed incident reports, discharge planning meetings, and focus groups with hospital and community healthcare staff to identify barriers and facilitators to safe transitions from hospital to community. Barriers included discharge tasks not being complete, missing or inaccurate information, and limited staff capacity. Facilitators include improved staff capacity and good communication between hospital staff, community healthcare staff, and family members. The authors recommend that hospital and community healthcare staff perspectives be taken into account when designing safe discharge policies.

Project BOOST Increases Patient Understanding of Treatment and Follow-up Care

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May 26, 2021

The Patient Safe-D(ischarge) program used standardized tools to educate patients about their discharge needs, test understanding of those needs, and improve medication reconciliation at admission and discharge. A quasi-randomized controlled trial of the program found that it significantly increased patients' understanding and knowledge of their diagnoses, treatment, and required follow-up care.

Nursing and Patient Safety

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April 21, 2021

Nurses play a critical role in patient safety through their constant presence at the patient's bedside. However, staffing issues and suboptimal working conditions can impede a nurse’s ability to detect and prevent adverse events.

What does safety in mental healthcare transitions mean for service users and other stakeholder groups: an open-ended questionnaire study.

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Tyler N, Wright N, Panagioti M, et al. Health Expect. 2021;24:185-194.

Transitions of care represent a vulnerable time for patients. This survey found that safety in mental healthcare transitions (hospital to community) is perceived differently by patients, families, and healthcare professionals. While clinical indicators (e.g., suicide, self-harm, and risk of adverse drug events) are important, patients and families also highlighted the social elements of transitional safety (e.g., loneliness, emotional readiness for change).

The Life and Death of Elizabeth Dixon: A Catalyst for Change.

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Kirkup B. London, England: Crown Copyright; 2020. ISBN 9781528622714.

Missed diagnosis of a dangerous condition in utero, treatment errors, lack of response to concerns raised, and inadequate clinician expertise were among the contributing factors identified in this analysis of the death of a special needs infant at home. The 12 recommendations stemming from the investigation include improvements in disclosure support, clinician communication across facilities, and assignment of accountability when false and misleading statements are made during investigations.

Missed or Rationed Nursing Care.

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J Nurs Manag. 2020;28(8): i-iv, 1767-2275.

Incomplete nursing care is known to affect care quality and safety. This special issue documents the global problem of missed or rationed nursing care in a variety of settings and countries. Articles featured in this special issue examine systemic issues, explore interventions, and evaluate measurement tools.

Sent home to die.

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Waldman A, Kaplan J. ProPublica. 2020.

Hospitals have been deeply challenged to provide effective care during the COVID crisis. This article discusses how rationing and ineffective protection for families and patients may have contributed to preventable death and the spread of the virus in families due to unnecessary referrals of patients to home care and hospice.

Patient Safety.

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Levett-Jones T, ed. Clin Sim Nurs. 2020;44(1):1-78; 2020;45(1):1-60.

Simulation is a recognized technique to educate and plan to improve care processes and safety. This pair of special issues highlights the use of simulation in nursing and its value in work such as communication enhancement, minority population care, and patient deterioration.

Identifying no-harm incidents in home healthcare: a cohort study using trigger tool methodology.

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Lindblad M, Unbeck M, Nilsson L, et al. BMC Health Serv Res. 2020;20:289.

This study used a trigger tool to retrospectively identify and characterize no-harm incidents affecting adult patients in home healthcare settings in Sweden. The most common incidents identified by the trigger tool were falls without injury, medication management incidents, and moderate pain. Common contributing factors included delayed, erroneous, or incomplete nursing care and treatment.

Applying the Medications at Transitions and Clinical Handoffs Toolkit in a rural primary care clinic: implications for nursing, patients, and caregivers.

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Jarrett T, Cochran J, Baus A. J Nurs Care Qual. 2020;35:233-239.

The Medications at Transitions and Clinical Handoffs Toolkit (MATCH) provides strategies to implement and improve medication reconciliation in healthcare. This article describes the implementation of MATCH in a rural primary care clinic and the resulting improvements in medication reconciliation workflows.

Empowering patients and reducing inequities: is there potential in sharing clinical notes?

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Blease CR, Fernandez L, Bell SK, et al. BMJ Qual Saf. 2020;29:864–868.

Providing patients – particularly elderly, less educated, non-white, and non-English speaking patients – with access to their medical records via ‘open notes’ can improve engagement in care; however, these demographic groups are also less likely to take advantage of these e-tools. The authors summarize the preliminary evidence and propose steps to increasing use of open note portals among disadvantaged patients.

Closing the loop with ambulatory staff on safety reports.

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Williams S, Fiumara K, Kachalia A, et al. Jt Comm J Qual Saf. 2020;46:44-50.

A lack of closed-loop feedback systems has been identified as one contributor to underreporting of patient safety events. This paper describes one large academic medical center’s implementation of a Feedback to Reporter program in ambulatory care, which aimed to ensure feedback on safety reports is provided to reporting staff by managers. At baseline, 50% of staff who requested feedback ultimately received it; after three years, the rate of feedback to reporters had increased to 90%.

Ensuring effective care transition communication: implementation of an electronic medical record-based tool for improved cancer treatment handoffs between clinic and infusion nurses.

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Pandya C, Clarke T, Scarsella E, et al. J Oncol Pract. 2019;15:e480-e489.

Care transitions and handoffs represent a vulnerable time for patients, as failure to communicate important clinical information may occur with the potential for harm. In this pre–post study, researchers found that implementation of an electronic health record tool designed to improve the handoff between oncology clinic and infusion nurses was associated with a reduction in medication errors, shorter average patient waiting time, and better communication between nurses.

Safety of care by caregivers of cancer patients.

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Given BA. Semin Oncol Nurs. 2019;35:374-379.

Cancer patients often rely on family members or paid caregivers to assist with care maintenance at home, such as taking medications and mobility support. This review highlights common safety gaps in home cancer care. The authors suggest that nurses can help assess caregiver knowledge and provide education to address safety issues.

Information management goals and process failures during home visits for middle-aged and older adults receiving skilled home healthcare services after hospital discharge: a multisite, qualitative study.

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Arbaje AI, Hughes A, Werner N, et al. BMJ Qual Saf. 2019;28:111-120.

Patients are at risk for adverse events after they transition from hospital to home. This direct observation and interview study identified significant concerns related to care transitions from hospital to home health care among patients discharged from the hospital. The study team found instances of missing and erroneous information. Information also had to be gleaned from multiple sources, and too much information could cause confusion and interfere with home health care. The authors recommend redesigning the care transition process from hospital to home health care providers in order to promote safety.

The Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable (CARE) act.

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Anthony M. Home Healthc Now. 2018;36:69-70.

Home healthcare is an increasingly viable option for patients who requires the complex care skills of caregivers. This commentary discusses the Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable (CARE) Act as a policy lever to ensure family caregivers have the training they need to provide safe care.

Hospital discharge: it's one of the most dangerous periods for patients.

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Rau J.

Transitions in care between inpatient and outpatient settings are an increasing concern for patient safety. Reporting on a fatal medication error that was missed by a patient's pharmacist and home health nurses, this newspaper article discusses various risks associated with hospital-to-home transitions such as insufficient case management and communication.

Challenges in posthospital care: nurses as coaches for medication management.

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Costa LL, Poe SS, Lee MC. J Nurs Care Qual. 2011;26:243-51.

This study provides a comparative description of two interventions to improve care transitions following hospital discharge. Home nurse visits uncovered 62% more medication discrepancies than those detected by telephone interview.

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