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Health systems are encouraged to proactively identify patient safety risks. In the first of a two-part series, the authors draw on the  Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) framework  to discuss the strengths and challenge of a low-resource newborn unit from a systems perspective and SEIPS’ implications for patient safety.

In the second of a two-part series, using examples from newborn units, the authors present a framework for supporting practitioners in low-resource settings to improve patient safety across four areas: (1) prioritizing critical processes, (2) improving the organization of care, (3) control of risks, and (4) enhancing responses to hazardous situations.

Presenteeism among healthcare workers can lead to burnout and healthcare-associated infections, but prior research has found that significant numbers of healthcare workers continue to work despite having influenza-like illness. This study surveyed 249 healthcare workers and 284 non-healthcare workers from 49 countries about their behaviors when experiencing influenza-like illness between October 2018 and January 2019. Overall, 59% of workers would continue to work when experiencing influenza-like illness, and the majority of healthcare workers (89.2-99.2%) and non-healthcare workers (80-96.5%) would continue to work with mild symptoms, such as a mild cough, fatigue or sinus cold.  Fewer non-healthcare workers (16.2%) than healthcare workers (26.9%) would continue working with fever alone.

Hospital-acquired pressure ulcers are considered never events and represent a significant source of patient harm. This systematic review and meta-analysis found a pooled incidence of 12% for pressure injuries related to the use of medical devices.

Health care–associated infections (HAIs) are a significant source of preventable harm to patients. Although prior research has shown that clean hands are essential for reducing HAIs, health care institutions continue to struggle with hand hygiene compliance. In this study, investigators surveyed 400 nurses at a pediatric hospital and found a positive correlation between psychological safety and belief in personal responsibility for preventing the spread of infection. The authors argue that improving the psychological safety of staff may augment the response to hand hygiene initiatives.