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.

Search All Content

Clear all filter(s)

Displaying 1 - 20 of 132 Results

When Taking an SGLT2 inhibitor, Remember To SSTOP (Stop SGLT2 Inhibitor Three days bef-O-re Procedures)!

Save to Library

WebM&M Case November 30, 2023

A 67-year-old man with well-controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus underwent elective cardiac resynchronization and defibrillator device (CRT-D) implantation. The procedure was successful and he was discharged the next day with instructions to resume his prior medications, including empagliflozin. He presented to the emergency department the following day where he was diagnosed with euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis (eDKA) and he was transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) for insulin infusion.

Prevented harm and cost avoidance with pharmacist intervention while utilizing a discharge medication reconciliation tool.

Save to Library

Hoffman AM, Walls JL, Prusch A, et al. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2023;Epub Oct 9.

Hospitals must balance costs associated with pharmacist medication reconciliation (e.g., salary) with prevented harm and cost avoidance (e.g., unreimbursed expenses resulting from medication error). This study found an estimate cost avoidance of $47,000 - $231,000 during one month in one hospital. The highest-risk, highest-cost classes were insulin, antithrombotics, and opioids. In resource-limited environments, focusing on the highest-cost classes could avoid significant cost and patient harm.

Insulin Administration: Pen vs Vial – Similar, but Not Interchangeable

Save to Library

WebM&M Case September 27, 2023

A 14-year-old girl was admitted to the hospital with a new diagnosis of type 1 diabetes mellitus without ketoacidosis. Before discharge, medications intended for home use were delivered to the patient’s bedside, but the resident physician noticed a discrepancy. An insulin pen and pen needles had been ordered, but an insulin vial and extra insulin syringes were delivered. Neither the patient nor the parents had received education on how to draw up and administer insulin using a vial and syringe.

Prolonged DKA in Pregnancy: A Case of Communication Breakdown.

Save to Library

WebM&M Case August 30, 2023

A 31-year-old pregnant patient with type 1 diabetes on an insulin pump was hospitalized for euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). She was treated for dehydration and vomiting, but not aggressively enough, and her metabolic acidosis worsened over several days. The primary team hesitated to prescribe medications safe in pregnancy and delayed reaching out to the Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) consultant, who made recommendations but did not ensure that the primary team received and understood the information.

Insulin pump-associated adverse events: a qualitative descriptive study of clinical consequences and potential root causes.

Save to Library

Estock JL, Codario RA, Keddem S, et al. Diabetes Technol Ther. 2023;25:343-355.

Insulin pump malfunctions are a known contributor to adverse events. This study used six months of adverse events reported to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database to identify root causes and consequences of errors associated with insulin pump malfunctions. Hyper- and hypoglycemia were the most common clinical consequences of the malfunction; only half of the reports identified a potential root cause.

Hospital-Acquired Diabetic Ketoacidosis.

Save to Library

WebM&M Case February 1, 2023

This WebM&M highlights two cases of hospital-acquired diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in patients with type 1 diabetes. The commentary discusses the role of the inpatient glycemic team to assist with diabetes management, the importance of medication reconciliation in the emergency department (ED) for high-risk patients on insulin, and strategies to empower patients and caregivers to speak up about medication safety.

Reducing potential errors associated with insulin administration: an integrative review.

Save to Library

Alqahtani N. J Eval Clin Pract. 2022;28:1037-1049.

Insulin-related errors result in nearly 100,000 emergency department visits annually in the United States, with 30% resulting in hospitalization. It is unclear if published guidelines and strategies for reducing these errors have been effective; therefore, this review sought to identify interventions to reduce insulin errors in home and hospital settings. Three themes emerged: technology, education, and policy. Understanding these findings may help clinicians and patients to decrease insulin administration errors and help researchers develop and evaluate future studies targeting insulin-related errors.

Potentially inappropriate prescribing for adults living with diabetes mellitus: a scoping review.

Save to Library

Ayalew MB, Spark MJ, Quirk F, et al. Int J Clin Pharm. 2022;44:860-872.

Patients with diabetes, particularly those taking multiple medications, are at increased for medication adverse events. In this review of nearly 200 studies of potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP) for patients with diabetes, several types of PIPs occurred: contraindication, omission, incorrect dosing, drug-drug interaction, inappropriate drug selection, and unnecessary drug therapy.

Administering High-Strength Insulin from a Pen Device in Hospital.

Save to Library

Farnborough, UK: Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch; July 7, 2022.

Misuse of insulin pens contributes to never events associated with diabetic medication therapy in hospitalized patients. This investigation of an injurious insulin extraction workaround culminated in recommendations to improve insulin administration safety including the explicit use of pen devices to administer U-500 insulin.

Review of medication error sources associated with inpatient subcutaneous insulin: recommendations for safe and cost-effective dispensing practices.

Save to Library

McKay C, Schenkat D, Murphy K, et al. Hosp Pharm. 2022;57:689-696.

Insulin is a high-alert medication due to heightened risk for serious patient harm if administered incorrectly. This review presents types of common errors (e.g., wrong patient, cross-contamination), pros and cons of potential dispensing strategies, and the impact of organizational factors (e.g., workflows, cost) on safe dispensing. Additionally, the authors make recommendations for dispensing, taking organization factors into account.

Challenges of Diabetes Management and Medication Reconciliation

Save to Library

WebM&M Case August 5, 2022

This WebM&M highlights two cases where home diabetes medications were not reviewed during medication reconciliation and the preventable harm that could have occurred. The commentary discusses the importance of medication reconciliation, how to compile the ‘best possible medication history’, and how pharmacy staff roles and responsibilities can reduce medication errors.

Weight-based Medication Errors in Children.

Save to Library

Farnborough, UK: Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch; February 2022.

Weight-calculation errors can result in pediatric patient harm as they affect medication prescribing, dispensing, and administration accuracy. This report examines factors contributing to a computation mistake that resulted in a child receiving a 10-fold anticoagulant overdose over a 3-day period. Areas of focus for improvement include use of prescribing technology, and the double-check as an error barrier.

An initiative to reduce insulin-related adverse drug events in a children's hospital.

Save to Library

Lawson SA, Hornung LN, Lawrence M, et al. Pediatrics. 2022;149:e2020004937.

Insulin is a high-risk medication and can contribute to adverse events in pediatric patients. This paper describes one children’s hospital’s experience implementing a new standardized medication administration process for insulin and the impact on insulin-related adverse drug events (ADEs). Findings indicate that implementation of a PRN (i.e., “as needed”) ordering process and clinician education decreased insulin-related ADEs and reduced the time between blood glucose checks and insulin administration.

Adverse glycemic events and critical emergencies.

Save to Library

ISMP Medication Safety Alert! Acute care edition. December 2, 2021;(24)1-4.

Insulin is a high-alert medication that requires extra attention to safely manage blood sugar levels in chronic or acutely ill patients. This alert highlights look-alike/sound-alike packaging, delayed medication reconciliation, and dietary monitoring gaps as threats to safe insulin administration in emergencies. Recommendations for improvement are provided for both general in-hospital, and post-discharge care.

Acting wisely in complex clinical situations: 'Mutual safety' for clinicians as well as patients.

Save to Library

Dornan T, Lee C, Findlay-White F, et al. Med Teach. 2021;43:1419-1429.

Health profession students are required to demonstrate competence in a variety of areas related to safe patient care. This article puts forth a recommendation to move beyond core competencies to improve patient safety and clinicians’ mutual safety.

A Sweet Case of Hidden Hydrogen Ions

Save to Library

WebM&M Case April 28, 2021

A 24-year-old woman with type 1 diabetes presented to the emergency department with worsening abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Her last dose of insulin was one day prior to presentation. She stopped taking insulin because she was not tolerating any oral intake. The admitting team managed her diabetes with subcutaneous insulin but thought the patient did not meet criteria for diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), but after three inpatient days with persistent hyperglycemia, blurred vision, and altered mental status, a consulting endocrinologist diagnosed DKA.

Outpatient insulin-related adverse events due to mix-up errors: findings from two national surveillance systems, United States, 2012-2017.

Save to Library

Geller AI, Conrad AO, Weidle NJ, et al. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2021;30:573-581.

The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) classifies insulin as a high-risk medication. This study examines insulin mix-up errors that resulted in emergency department visits or other serious adverse events. Most cases of medication mix-up involved rapid-acting insulin. Recommended prevention strategies include increased patient education and human factors engineering.

Effect of a multifaceted clinical pharmacist intervention on medication safety after hospitalization in persons prescribed high-risk medications: a randomized clinical trial.

Save to Library

Gurwitz JH, Kapoor A, Garber L, et al. JAMA Intern Med. 2021;181:610-618.

High-risk medications have the potential to cause serious patient harm if not administered correctly. In this randomized trial, a pharmacist-directed intervention (including in-home assessment by a clinical pharmacist, communication with the primary care team, and telephone follow-up) did not result in a lower rate of adverse drug events or medication errors involving high-risk drug classes during the posthospitalization period.

Patient errors in use of injectable antidiabetic medications: a need for improved clinic-based education.

Save to Library

Wei ET, Koh E, Kelly MS, et al. J Am Pharm Assoc (2003). 2020;60:e76-e80.

Insulin is a high-risk medication that can lead to harm if administered incorrectly. This article describes four cases highlighting the importance of providing appropriate education on injectable antidiabetic medications, common diabetes-related medication errors in primary care, identifying patients who may be at high risk and ways to prevent these errors.

Inpatient Stroke Management in an Adolescent with Type 1 Diabetes and Home Insulin Pump

Save to Library

WebM&M Case October 28, 2020

A 14-year-old girl with type 1 diabetes (T1D) was admitted to the hospital after two weeks of heavy menstrual bleeding as well as blurred vision, headache and left arm numbness. MRI revealed an acute right middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarct.

The PSNet Collection: All Content

Search All Content

Connect With Us

Sign up for Email Updates

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

The PSNet Collection: All Content

Search All Content

Connect With Us

Sign up for Email Updates

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Submit Your Innovations

Continue as a Guest

Continue Logged In

Submit Your Innovations

Continue as a Guest

Continue logged in

New Users to the PSNet site