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 1402 Results

The racial disparities in maternal mortality and impact of structural racism and implicit racial bias on pregnant black women: a review of the literature.

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Montalmant KE, Ettinger AK. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2023;Epub Nov 13.

The increased risk of maternal morbidity and mortality among Black women in the United States is a patient safety and public health crisis. This literature review of 42 articles highlights the importance of cultural competence and disparities training for obstetric providers to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity among Black women. The authors also highlight the need for increased awareness regarding the increased risk of cardiovascular diseases among pregnant Black women.

Medication management of COVID-19 patients during transition to virtual models of care: a qualitative study.

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Hattingh HL, Edmunds C, Gillespie BM. J Pharm Policy Pract. 2023;16:127.

Remote or virtual patient care was an increasingly common strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep patients safe and ensure adequate inpatient resources for patients unable to be cared for virtually. In this study, hospital physicians, pharmacists, and nurses described medication challenges associated with patients receiving virtual care (i.e., hospital-level care at home or hotel). Participants described challenges with lack of clarity on who is responsible for the patient's usual home medications, disruptions to typical workflow, and difficulties with transition from inpatient to virtual care.

Identifying and mapping measures of medication safety during transfer of care in a digital era: a scoping literature review.

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Leon C, Hogan H, Jani YH. BMJ Qual Saf. 2023;Epub Nov 3.

Errors associated with high-risk medications (HRM) like insulin and anticoagulants carry a greater risk for harm. The purpose of this scoping review was to identify measures evaluating the safety of HRM during transitions of care. Measures were mapped to frameworks (e.g., Donabedian) and whether measures were reactive, proactive, or real-time. The authors describe ways technology can improve how the measures are implemented.

'Corridor care' in the emergency department: managing patient care in non-clinical areas safely and efficiently.

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Williams C. Emerg Nurse. 2023;31:34-41.

Overcrowding in the emergency department (ED) and boarding can place patients at increased risk for adverse events. This article outlines how ED overcrowding occurs and provides several approaches to mitigate risks and enhance patient safety in overcrowded EDs, such as checklists, huddles, and resource allocation.

The Risks of a Malpositioned Gastrostomy Tube and Poor Communication

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WebM&M Case November 29, 2023

This case describes a 55-year-old woman who sustained critical injuries after a motor vehicle crash and had a lengthy hospitalization. On hospital day 30, a surgeon placed a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube in the intensive care unit (ICU) after computed tomography (CT) scan showed no interposed bowel between the stomach and the anterior abdominal wall. After the uncomplicated PEG placement, the surgeon cleared the patient’s team to advance tube feeds as tolerated.

The complexities of communication at hospital discharge of older patients: a qualitative study of healthcare professionals' views.

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Cam H, Wennlöf B, Gillespie U, et al. BMC Health Serv Res. 2023;23:1211.

When patients are discharged from the hospital, they (and their informal caregivers) are given copious amounts of information that must also be communicated to their primary care provider. This qualitative study of primary care and hospital physicians, nurses, and pharmacists highlights several barriers to complete and effective communication between levels of care, particularly regarding geriatric medication safety. Barriers include the large number of complex patients and incongruent expectations of responsibility of primary and hospital providers. Support systems, such as electronic health records, can both enable and hinder communication.

Public opinion of resident physician work hours in 2022.

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Weaver MD, Barger LK, Sullivan JP, et al. Sleep Health. 2023;Epub Nov 6.

Current Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) duty hour regulations limit resident work hours (no more than 80 hours per week or 24-28 consecutive hours on duty) in an effort to improve both resident and patient safety. This nationally representative survey found that over 90% of US adults disagree with the current duty hour policies, with 66% of respondents supporting additional limits on duty hours (to no more than 40 hours per week or 12 consecutive hours).

Deficiencies in Quality Management Processes and Delays in the Communication of Test Results and Follow-Up Care at the Phoenix VA Health Care System in Arizona.

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Washington DC; VA Office of the Inspector General; October 31, 2023; Report no. 22-03599-07.

Disclosure failures detract from learning, appropriate incident examination, and safe care delivery. This report examined factors contributing to poor disclosure practices associated with the care of three patients. Lack of report submission, uninitiated root cause analysis, and inadequate documentation were process weaknesses highlighted by the review.

Experiences and perceptions of healthcare stakeholders in disclosing errors and adverse events to historically marginalized patients.

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Olazo K, Gallagher TH, Sarkar U. J Patient Saf. 2023;19:547-552.

Marginalized patients are more likely to experience adverse events and it is important to encourage effective disclosure to reinforce and reestablish trust between patients and providers. This qualitative study involving clinicians and patient safety professionals explored challenges responding to and disclosing errors involving historically marginalized patients. Participants identified multilevel challenges, including fragmentation of care and patient mistrust as well a desire for disclosure training and culturally appropriate disclosure toolkits to support effective error disclosure.

Systematic workup of transfusion reactions reveals passive co-reporting of handling errors.

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Nitsche E, Dreßler J, Henschler R. J Blood Med. 2023;14:435-443.

Transfusion errors can lead to serious patient harm. In this retrospective analysis of transfusion medical records and related documentation, researchers examined transfusion incident characteristics and logistical errors associated with incidents. Common logistical errors included elevated hemoglobin, inadequate bedside tests, inadequate patient identification, and laboratory errors.

Handoff tool improves transitions from the operating room to the neonatal intensive care unit.

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Gallois JB, Zagory JA, Barkemeyer B, et al. Pediatr Qual Saf. 2023;8:e695.

Structured handoff tools can improve situational awareness and patient safety. This study describes the development and implementation of a bespoke tool for handoffs from the operating room to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). While use remained inconsistent during the study period, the goal of 80% compliance was achieved and 83% surveyed staff agreed or strongly agreed that the handoff provided needed information, up from 21% before implementation.

On Patient Safety.

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Rickert J, Järvinen TLN, Lee MJ, et al. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2013-2023.

This quarterly commentary explores a wide range of subjects associated with patient safety, such as the impact of disruptive behavior on teams, the value of apologies, and safety challenges inherent in clinician strike actions. Older materials are available online for free.

CUSP Implementation Training.

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Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality.

The comprehensive unit-based safety program (CUSP) approach emphasizes improving safety culture through a continuous process of reporting and learning from errors, improving teamwork, and engaging staff at all levels in safety efforts. Available on demand and live, this session covers how to utilize CUSP, including understanding and addressing challenges to implementation. The next virtual session will be held January 16, 2024.

Delay in Malignancy Diagnosis Reflects Systemic Failures.

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WebM&M Case October 31, 2023

A 32-year-old man presented to the hospital with a comminuted midshaft femoral fracture after a bicycle accident. Imaging suggested the fracture was pathologic and an open biopsy specimen was submitted to pathology for intraoperative consultation.

Beyond the surgical safety checklist: using intraoperative handoff to facilitate team situation awareness in the OR.

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Ramjaun A, Hammond Mobilio M, Wright N, et al. Ann Surg. 2023;278:e1142-e1147.

Situational awareness is an essential component of teamwork. This qualitative study examined how situational awareness and team culture impact intraoperative handoff practice. Researchers found that participants often assumed that team members are interchangeable and that trained staff should be able to determine handoff appropriateness without having to consult the larger operating room team – both of these assumptions hinder team communication and situational awareness.

The nature, causes, and clinical impact of errors in the clinical laboratory testing process leading to diagnostic error: a voluntary incident report analysis.

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van Moll C, Egberts TCG, Wagner C, et al. J Patient Saf. 2023;19:573-579.

Diagnostic testing errors can contribute to delays in diagnosis and to serious patient harm. Researchers analyzed 327 voluntary incident reports from one medical center in the Netherlands and found that diagnostic testing errors most commonly occurred during the pre-analytic phase (77%), and were predominantly caused by human factors (59%). The researchers found that these diagnostic testing errors contributed to a potential diagnostic error in 60% of cases.

TeamSTEPPS Master Training Course.

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Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality. January 30 and February 1, 2024.

Team training programs seek to improve communication and coordination among team members to reduce the potential for medical error. This virtual workshop will train participants to design, implement, and evaluate team training programs in their organizations based on the TeamSTEPPS model.

Curated Libraries

Patient as a Team Member in Clinical Care

October 23, 2023

This curated library highlights concepts associated with the patient as a partner for safety at the team level directly connected to personal clinical encounters.

A scoping review of clinical handover mnemonic devices.

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Yung AHW, Pak CS, Watson B. Int J Qual Health Care. 2023;35:mzad065.

Cognitive aids such as mnemonics can help improve process reliability and promote patient safety. Based on an initial scoping review, this article describes a proposed taxonomy for clinical handoff mnemonics and their clinical processes and functions, which could help clinical teams design handoff mnemonics that best fit their workplace.

Reduced postdischarge incidents after implementation of a hospital-to-home transition intervention for children with medical complexity.

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Huth K, Hotz A, Emara N, et al. J Patient Saf. 2023;19:493-500.

The transition from hospital to home is a vulnerable time as patients may have changes in medications or care needs, or difficulties accessing follow up with an outpatient provider. To reduce adverse events (AE), rehospitalizations, and emergency department visits, this hospital developed a structured discharge bundle based on the I-PASS tool used for inpatient handoffs. AE, rehospitalizations, and emergency department visits were all reduced following implementation of the I-PASS bundle.

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