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 23 Results

Broken Trust: Making Patient Safety More than Just a Promise.

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Manchester, UK: Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman; June 2023. ISBN: 9781528642446.

Lack of accountability for systemic contributions to failure degrades efforts to generate improvement. This report discusses gaps in the British National Health Service patient safety culture. It calls for governmental oversight and commitment as the central activation lever necessary to achieve collective, coordinated effort and motivate large-scale action to support lasting change.

Challenge Competition: Impact of Patient Safety Tools.

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Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. 2023.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) offers many practical tools and resources to help healthcare organizations, providers, and others make patient care safer These tools are based on research, and they can assist staff in hospitals, emergency departments, long-term care facilities, and ambulatory settings to prevent avoidable complications of care. The purpose of this challenge is to elicit new narratives of how AHRQ toolkits are being used. Up to ten winners will receive $10,000 each. Submissions are due October 5, 2023.

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Diagnostic Safety

October 10, 2022

Selected PSNet materials for a general safety audience focusing on improvements in the diagnostic process and the strategies that support them to prevent diagnostic errors from harming patients.

Multiple Failures in Test Results Follow-up for a Patient Diagnosed with Prostate Cancer at the Hampton VA Medical Center in Virginia.

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Washington, DC: VA Office of the Inspector General; June 28, 2022. Report No 21-03349-186.

Cancer test communication failures can contribute to physical, emotional, and financial patient harm. This report examines missed opportunities made by multiple clinicians involved in the care of a patient with prostate cancer who then died from metastasized disease. Seven recommendations are included for improving abnormal test result communication and error management at the facility.

Curated Libraries

Maternal Safety

September 13, 2021

Ensuring maternal safety is a patient safety priority. This library reflects a curated selection of PSNet content focused on improving maternal safety. Included resources explore strategies with the potential to improve maternal care delivery and outcomes, such as high reliability, collaborative initiatives, teamwork, and trigger tools.

Deficiencies in Inpatient Mental Health Care Coordination and Processes Prior to a Patient's Death by Suicide, Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans' Hospital in Columbia, Missouri.

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Washington, DC: Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General. January 5, 2021. Report No. 20-01521-48.

This investigation examined care coordination, screening and other factors that contributed to a patient death by suicide shortly after discharge from a Veteran’s Hospital. Event reporting, disclosure and evaluation gaps were identified as process weaknesses to be addressed.

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.

Deficiencies in Care, Care Coordination, and Facility Response to a Patient Who Died by Suicide, Memphis VA Medical Center in Tennessee.

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Washington, DC: Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General; September 3, 2020. Report No 19-09493-249.

Discontinuities in mental health care are a patient safety concern. This report analyzes how documentation gaps, medication reconciliation problems, and poor care coordination contributed to the suicide of a patient who presented at an emergency room, was screened there, and referred to a clinic for further care that was not completed.

Potentially Preventable Readmissions: Conceptual Framework To Rethink the Role of Primary Care. Executive Summary.

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Maxwell J, Bourgoin A, Crandall J. Rockville, MD : Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2020.

Project RED re-engineered discharge with the goal of reducing preventable readmissions. This report summarizes an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality project to transfer the Project RED experience to the primary care environment. Areas of focus included enhancing the team leader role of primary care physicians in post-discharge care.

Patient Safety.

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National Pharmacy Association; NPA.

This website for independent community pharmacy owners across the United Kingdom features both free and members-only guidance, reporting platforms, and document templates to support patient safety. It includes reporting tools and incident analysis reports for providers in England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Topics covered in the communications include look-alike and sound-alike drugs, patient safety audits, and safe dispensing of liquid medications.

Overview of the Environmental Scan of Primary Care-Based Effort To Reduce Readmissions.

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Hochman M, Bourgoin A, Saluja S, et al. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; March 2019. AHRQ Publication No. 18(19)-0055-EF.

Programs are in place to address hospital discharge process gaps that contribute to readmissions. This report summarizes research on primary care perspectives on reducing readmissions. Interventions identified include automated alerting to primary care providers when patients are hospitalized and the patient-centered medical home model.

Toolkit to Engage High-Risk Patients in Safe Transitions Across Ambulatory Settings.

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Davis K, Collier S, Situ J, et al. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; December 2017. AHRQ Publication No. 1800051EF.

Transitions are known to be vulnerable to communication errors. This toolkit focuses on patient transitions between ambulatory care environments and encourages staff to engage patients and families in their care to prevent errors during care transitions.

Patient and Family Engagement in Primary Care: Case Studies.

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Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; September 2016. AHRQ Publication No. 16-0035-2-EF.

Patient safety in ambulatory care is receiving increased attention. This guide includes case studies that explore how Open Notes, team-based care delivery, and patient and family advisory committees have shown promise as patient engagement and safety improvement mechanisms in primary care settings.

Actions Needed to Improve Newly Enrolled Veterans' Access to Primary Care.

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Washington, DC: United States Government Accountability Office; March 18, 2016. Publication GAO-16-328.

This analysis found that scheduling problems among patients seeking primary care from Veterans Affairs health systems continue to occur. The report outlines weaknesses in the data collected to measure and evaluate veterans' access to primary care and spotlights the need to develop and disseminate a comprehensive policy for Veterans Affairs schedulers to reduce risk of scheduling errors.

AHRQ Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit. 2nd edition.

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Brega AG, Barnard J, Mabachi NM, et al. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; January 2015. AHRQ Publication No. 15-0023-EF.

The AHRQ Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit, 2nd edition, can help primary care practices implement improvement actions to reduce the complexity of health care, increase patient understanding of health information, and enhance support for patients of all health literacy levels.

Community-based health coaches and care coordinators reduce readmissions using information technology to identify and support at-risk Medicare patients after discharge.

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Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; AHRQ.

This article describes an intervention that trained health coaches to use mobile technology to assess the health status of recently discharged Medicare patients, first during an in-home visit 48 hours after leaving the hospital and then with weekly phone calls over a 3-week period. The program resulted in decreased readmission rates and significant cost savings.

Findings and Lessons From the Improving Management of Individuals With Complex Health Care Needs Through Health IT Grant Initiative.

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Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; September 2013. AHRQ Publication No. 13-0058-EF.

This publication summarizes findings from 12 projects that explored how health information technology can enhance management and quality of care for patients with complex conditions in the ambulatory setting.

Improving Your Office Testing Process: A Step by Step Guide for Rapid-Cycle Patient Safety and Quality Improvement.

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Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; January 2018.

This toolkit provides resources to help augment testing processes in ambulatory care settings, including tools for identifying areas of concern and measuring improvements.

STate Action on Avoidable Rehospitalizations.

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Institute for Healthcare Improvement. 2009 -2013.

This Web site supports an initiative to reduce avoidable rehospitalizations by improving transitions in care and communication between multiple care sites. The program ran from May 2009 through June 2013.

Managing Patients' Medicines after Discharge from Hospital.

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London, UK: Care Quality Commission; October 2009. CQC-039-500-ESP-102009. ISBN: 9781845622442.

This report analyzed how medication information is shared among UK practices and patients after a hospital stay and found that 81% of general practices thought that patient information given to them from hospitals was incomplete or inaccurate.

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