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 - 19 of 19 Results

Addressing Workplace Violence and Creating a Safer Workplace

Save to Library

Perspective on Safety October 31, 2023

This piece focuses on workplace violence trends in healthcare settings and strategies for creating a safer healthcare environment.

In Conversation with Cheryl Jones about Addressing Workplace Violence and Creating a Safer Workplace

Editor’s note: Cheryl B. Jones is a professor, director of the Hillman Scholars Program, and interim associate dean of the School of Nursing’s PhD program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. We spoke to her about workplace violence trends in healthcare settings and how we can create a safer work environment for healthcare staff.

Inside the preventable deaths that happened within a prominent transplant center.

Save to Library

Blau M. ProPublica. June 14, 2023.

Medical errors during organ transplants can have catastrophic consequences. This report describes the errors that contributed to failed transplants and patient deaths at one liver transplant center and the organizational-level factors that allowed these errors to continue for several years.

Medical errors kill thousands of people each year. But are hospitals getting any safer?

Save to Library

Weintraub K. USA Today. May 3, 2023.

The semi-annual Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades are recognized across the industry as a tool for highlighting successes and tracking gaps in safety to focus improvement efforts. This article shares one organization’s work to improve core safety activities related to medication safety, falls, infections, and hand hygiene.

Listening, Learning, Responding to Concerns.

Save to Library

Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK: Care Quality Commission; March 2023.

The ability to raise patient safety concerns without fear of retribution is a core element of a safety culture. This pair of reports examines a failure in organizational response to an employee expressing concerns. The first report examines an explicit whistleblowing incident in the National Health Service that was poorly managed. The second looks at broader system-level elements needed to support effective responses when concerns are voiced.

A decade after Francis: is the NHS safer and more open?

Save to Library

Martin G, Stanford S, Dixon-Woods M. BMJ. 2023;380:513.

The Francis report served as a call to action for improvement, following its recording of elements contributing to systemic failure within the British National Health Service (NHS). This commentary considers the overarching problems that still exist at the NHS and that listening, learning, and leadership involvement are core elements for driving and realizing lasting change throughout the system.

Crisis in the Lakeshore Hospital ER.

Save to Library

Derfel A. Montreal Gazette. February 24- March 1, 2023

Emergency room failures are often rooted in system weaknesses. This series examines six patient deaths associated with emergency care that, while concerns were raised by nursing staff, have not been explored to initiate improvements at the facility. Factors contributing to the deaths discussed include nurse shortages, inconsistent oversight, and poor training.

Measuring Patient Safety

Save to Library

Perspective on Safety December 14, 2022

This collaborative piece with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services discusses the current state of patient safety measurement, advancements in measuring patient safety, and explores future directions.

In Conversation with Dr. Michelle Schreiber on Measuring Patient Safety

We spoke to Dr. Michelle Schreiber about measuring patient safety, the CMS National Quality Strategy, and the future of measurement. Michelle Schreiber, MD, is the Deputy Director of the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality and the Director of the Quality Measurement and Value-Based Incentives Group at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Position Statement on Criminalization of Medical Error and Call for Action to Prevent Patient Harm from Error.

Save to Library

Cooper J, Thomas BJ, Rebello E, et al for the APSF Criminalization of Error Task Force. APSF Newsletter. October 2022; 37(3):80-81

Criminalizing human error can deter the transparency necessary to learn from incidents and improve health care. This position statement articulates the importance of avoiding the criminal prosecution to mistakes to instead focus on system failures to prevent conditions that permit errors to harm patients.

When medical error becomes personal, activism becomes painful.

Save to Library

Millenson M. Forbes. September 16, 2022.

Unnecessary medication infusions indicate weaknesses in medication service processes. While no harm was noted in the case discussed, the actions by the patient’s family to initiate an examination of the incident were rebuffed, patient disrespect was demonstrated, a near miss incident report was absent, and data omissions took place. The piece discusses how these detractors from safety were all present at the hospital involved.

Charlie Bourg was on the lookout for veterans harmed by a new VA computer system. He didn’t expect to be one of them.

Save to Library

Donovan-Smith O. Spokesman-Review. September 11, 2022.

Electronic health record (EHR) system issues degrade the data sharing and communication needed to inform safe patient care. This newspaper feature discusses problems with the new Veterans Affairs EHR system from the patient and family perspective in the context of diagnostic and treatment delay.

CMS proposal to suppress hospital safety data angers advocates — agency says COVID disruptions, staff shortages hamper ability to fairly score poor performers.

Save to Library

Clark C. MedPage Today. May 20, 2022.

Public reporting of safety measures is considered a hallmark of health care transparency. This article discusses a proposed change to reporting requirements in the Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program (HACRP). The change would limit the sharing of patient safety indicator data that informs Care Compare and hospital Medicare reimbursements.

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

Save to Library

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.

‘You’re going to release him when he was hurting himself?’

Save to Library

Dahlberg B. Kaiser Health News. September 29, 2020.

This story discusses failures related emergency psychiatric assessment, including premature discharge, implicit bias, patient management discontinuity and inappropriate physical restraint that contributed to the death of a patient at risk for suicide.

How the pandemic defeated America.

Save to Library

Yong E. The Atlantic. September 2020

This article takes a holistic view of the multiple preventable failures of the U.S. in managing the COVID-19 pandemic, raising several patient safety issues from the metasystems perspective. The piece highlights systemic problems such as lack of transparency, investment in public health and learning from experience.

Patient Safety Movement Foundation.

Save to Library

15642 Sand Canyon Ave. #51268, Irvine, CA 92619. 877-236-0279, info@psmf.org.

This organization shares best practices to align and optimize efforts toward eliminating patient harm by the year 2030. The Foundation supports several awareness initiatives to drive improvements associated with its strategic aims that include promoting transparency, realigning safer care incentives, and informing patients and families about patient safety.

Broken, fragmented health-care system failed daughter who died by suicide.

Save to Library

Klowak M. CBC News. March 9, 2020.

System weaknesses are often at the root of never events. This news story discusses the suicide of a concussed woman whose care failed due to gaps in team communication, discharge and transition practices.

Report of the Independent Inquiry into the Issues Raised by Paterson.

Save to Library

James G. House Commons Report 31. Department of Health and Social Care. London, England: Crown Copyright; 2020. ISBN 9781528617284.

Sharing information from large-scale failure investigations provides insights on latent factors that contribute to patient harm. This analysis discusses a criminal case involving one surgeon in the National Health Service. The examination uncovered problems perpetuated by culture, lack of respect for patient concerns, poor complaint follow-up and organizational blindness. The report summarizes recommendations to reduce similar situations through improving patient communication, organizational accountability and complaints management.

An Organisation Losing its Memory? Patient Safety Alerts: Implementation, Monitoring and Regulation in England

Save to Library

Cousins D. Croydon, UK: Accidents against Medical Accidents; 2020.

Health care organizations can learn from internal and external incidents to identify potential patient safety risks and incorporate care process improvements. This report suggests that England’s National Health Service has yet to build accountability and reliability into its response to practice alerts. The authors share 4 primary concerns and recommendations to address the alert compliance gaps that focus on clarity on action expected, transparency, communication and monitoring.

20 Years After “To Err is Human”, Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades Prove Transparency Can Save Lives.

Save to Library

Washington DC; National Quality Forum: 2019.

The Leapfrog Group announces their 2019 grading assigning “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” and “F” letter grades to general acute-care hospitals in the U.S. The report reveals states with highest percentages with “A” grades as well as states with no “A” grades. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. It shares critical patient safety information to consumers.

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