The PSNet Collection

Nurse Vaught sentenced for deadly medical error.

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DePeau-Wilson M. MedPage Today. May 13, 2022.

Disciplinary actions against clinicians who err continue despite awareness efforts to inhibit them. This article summarizes reaction to the sentencing of a nurse in a high-profile medication error case. It discusses reverberations throughout healthcare that will affect patient safety efforts.

At US hospitals, a drug mix-up is just a few keystrokes away.

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Kelman B. Kaiser Health News. April 29, 2022.

Technological solutions harbor unique risks that can result in patient harm. This article shares a response to reports of automated dispensing cabinet (ADC) menu selection limitations that contribute to mistakes. The piece suggests the implementation of a 5-letter search requirement prior to removing a medication from an ADC. It provides an update on industry response to this forcing function recommendation.

Final Report of the Ockenden Review.

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London UK: Crown Copyright; March 30, 2022. ISBN: 9781528632294.

Maternal and baby harm in healthcare is a sentinel event manifested by systemic failure. This report serves as the final conclusions of an investigation into 250 cases at a National Health System (NHS) trust. The authors share overarching system improvement suggestions and high-priority recommendations to initiate NHS maternity care improvement.

Woman works to end Black maternal health crisis after daughter dies after giving birth.

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Kindelan K. ABC News. April 14, 2022.

Maternal injury is a persistent challenge in the Black community. This article discusses the case of one mother whose discounted health concerns contributed to diagnostic delay and death. The piece shares social media tools to assist Black mothers in keeping themselves safe during pregnancy and after birth.

Nurses: Guilty verdict for dosing mistake could cost lives.

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Loller T. Associated Press. March 30, 2022.

Reporting medical errors, learning from them, and improving systems is a cornerstone of improving patient safety. A just culture centers on moving from blaming individuals for medical errors towards a systems-based approach to learning what went on, in order to prevent similar errors in the future. The recent conviction of a nurse involved in the death of a patient has raised concerns that clinicians may not disclose medical errors out of fear of criminal prosecution and conviction.

HEAR Her Concerns.

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National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Reproductive Health; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Maternal harm during and after pregnancy is a sentinel event. This campaign encourages women, families, and health providers to identify and speak up with concerns about maternal care and act on them. The program seeks to inform the design of support systems and tool development that enhance maternal safety.

Will prosecuting medical errors lead to a culture of silence?

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Fiore K. MedPage Today. March 28, 2022.

Experts are concerned that convictions for medical error have the potential to limit dialogue on the front line about medical mistakes. This article summarizes discussions regarding the verdict to convict a nurse due to a workaround that resulted in a medication error and patient death.

As a nurse faces prison for a deadly error, her colleagues worry: could I be next?

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Kelman B. Kaiser Health News. March 22, 2022

Criminalization of medical mistakes typifies the blame-focused approach patient safety leaders have worked to reduce in health care. This article covers a high-profile case of medication error involving an automated dispensing system that is ubiquitous in health care.

Dying for Care.

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Stein L, Fraser J, Penzenstadler N et al. USA Today. March 10, 2022.

Nursing home residents, staff, and care processes were particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. This collection of resources examines data and documentation involving one nursing home chain to reveal systemic problems that contributed to failure. It shares family stories that illustrate how COVID affected care in long-term care environments.

How nursing homes’ worst offenses are hidden from the public.

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Gebeloff R, Thomas K, Silver-Greenberg J. New York Times. December 9, 2021.

Nursing homes harbor numerous challenges to patient safety and they should be transparently reported and acted upon to ensure improvement. This news investigation discusses a gap in the reporting and inspection of nursing home incidents that undermines the ability of the US nursing home rating system to inform consumer long term care facility choice.

A crisis within a crisis.

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Ellis NT, Broaddus A. CNN. August 25, 2021.

Maternal safety is an ongoing challenge worldwide. This news feature examines how the COVID pandemic has revealed disparities and implicit biases that impact the maternal care of black women. The stories shared highlight experiences of mothers with preventable pregnancy-related complications.

Evaluation of Quality, Safety, and Value in Veterans Health Administration Facilities, FY 2020.

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Washington, DC: Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General; August 26, 2021. Report No. 21-01502-240.

Organizational assessments often provide insights that address overarching quality and safety challenges. This extensive inspection report shares findings from inspections of 36 Veterans Health Administration care facilities. Recommendations drawn from the analysis call for improvements in suicide death review, root cause analysis result application, and safety committee action item implementation.

The Safety of Maternity Services in England.

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Fourth Report of Session 2021–22. House of Commons Health Committee. London, England: The Stationery Office; July 6, 2021. Publication HC 19.

High-profile failures motivate examination and change of existing services. This report builds on maternity care failures in National Health Service trusts to recommend needed changes in learning from failure to effectively support clinicians providing maternity care, provide patient-centered care to mothers and babies, and learn from untoward incidents to enhance care safety.

Unite for Safe Care.

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Patient Safety Movement. September 17, 2021.

Patient safety is a global challenge for the health care community. This webinar coincided with World Patient Safety Day and presented two tracks for both the profession and the public that highlighted issues impacting maternal care safety and high reliability. Those who have lost their lives to medical error were also honored during the event. The session speakers included Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, MSc, Jeff Brady, MD, and Albert Wu, MD.

Deficiencies in Emergency Preparedness for Veterans Health Administration Telemental Health Care at VA Clinic Locations Prior to the Pandemic.

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Washington, DC: Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General. June 24, 2021. Report No. 19-09808-171.

This report examined veterans' health clinic use of telemental health to identify safety challenges inherent in this approach before the expansion of telemedine during the COVID-19 crisis. The authors note the complexities in managing emergent mental health situations in virtual consultations. Recommendations for improvement included emergency preparedness planning, specific reporting of telemental health incidents and organized access to experts.

Bearing the Burden: Black Mothers in America.

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Weiser S. The New Yorker and Retro Report; 2021.

Disparities in maternal care have become apparent as a public health concern during the COVID-19 pandemic. This short film spotlights inequities and biases that Black mothers face, that reduce the safety of their care. Midwives are offered as a strategy for improving the safety of maternal care in this patient population.

Peer Review of a Report on Strategies to Improve Patient Safety.

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Washington DC: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; 2021. ISBN: 9780309462808.

The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 requires the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in consultation with the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, to prepare a report for Congress on effective strategies for reducing medical errors and increasing patient safety and on measures to encourage the appropriate use of such strategies. The Act also requires that a draft of the report be made available for public comment and review by the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine (NAM)). This publication reflects NAM’s review of the draft report. HHS is in the process of preparing a final report due to Congress in December 2021.

Recognizing the importance of whistleblowers in healthcare.

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O'Neill N. Nursing (Brux). 2021;51:54-56.

Individuals who express concerns can identify latent conditions that degrade safety in health care. This article examines this behavior in the context of the COVID pandemic and staff safety. The author highlights instances of peer and organizational retaliation against whistleblowers.

Public comment period extended for strategies to improve patient safety: Draft Report to Congress for Public Comment and Review by the National Academy of Medicine.

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Fed Register. 2021;86(51):14752-14753.

The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 created a framework that supports efforts to improve patient safety and reduce the incidence of adverse events. It also requires the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, to prepare a draft report on effective strategies for improving patient safety and encouraging the use of effective improvement strategies. The deadline for public comment on the draft report has now passed.

In U.S. nursing homes, where Covid-19 killed scores, even reports of maggots and rape don’t dock five-star ratings.

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Silver-Greenberg J, Gebeloff R. New York Times. March 13, 2021.

The value of rating systems can be challenged by bias and misinterpretation due to a variety of factors. This article outlines how nursing home patients fell victim to both systemic and care failings in the US nursing homes, yet their facilities still ranked high in a national rating system. The authors discuss failures including the lack of data auditing and a focus on ratings rather than quality.

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