The PSNet Collection

Examining the Status of VA’s Electronic Health Record Modernization Program.

Save to Library

US Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. 117th Cong (2021-2022). (July 20, 2022).

Large-scale electronic health record (EHR) implementation projects encompass a myriad of problems to navigate to arrive at success. This Congressional panel explores challenges experienced during EHR implementation in the VA Health system. Panelists from the Veterans Administration, the investigator and the technology vendor involved in the program shared insights and next steps to direct improvement.

The Uneven Burden of Maternal Mortality in the U.S.

Save to Library

NIHCM Foundation. Washington DC: National Institute for Health Care Management. August 2, 2022.

Preventable maternal morbidity is an ongoing challenge in the United States. This infographic shares general data and statistics that demonstrate the presence of racial disparities in maternal care that are linked to structural racism. The resource highlights several avenues for improvement such as diversification of the perinatal staffing and increased access to telehealth.

Criminal liability for nursing and medical harm.

Save to Library

Maher V, Cwiek M. Hosp Top. 2022;Epub Jul 20.

Fear of criminal liability may inhibit clinicians from reporting medical errors, thereby reducing opportunities for learning. This commentary discusses recent legal actions brought against clinicians, including Tennessee nurse RaDonda Vaught, and the negative impact such actions may have on the longstanding disclosure movement.

Factors associated with malpractice claim payout: an analysis of closed emergency department claims.

Save to Library

Gupta K, Szymonifka J, Rivadeneira NA, et al. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf. 2022;Epub May 28.

Analysis of closed malpractice claims can be used to identify potential safety hazards in a variety of clinical settings. This analysis of closed emergency department malpractice claims indicates that diagnostic errors dominate, and clinical judgment and documentation categories continue to be associated with a higher likelihood of payout. Subcategories and contributing factors are also discussed.

Under the Skin. The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of our Nation.

Save to Library

Villarosa L. New York, NT: Doubleday: 2022. ISBN 9780385544887.

Health inequities are receiving increased attention as a patient safety issue. This book examines the persistent problem of systemic racism on the health of Black patients. It summarizes the evidence on how racism affects health care and discusses strategies for improvement such as reducing gaps in implicit bias content in curriculum.

Harm Caused by Delays in Transferring Patients to the Right Place of Care.

Save to Library

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

Handoffs between prehospital emergency medical services (EMS) providers and hospital emergency departments (EDs) can be suboptimal, which increases patient harm potential. This interim report examines National Health Service discharge delays. It suggests a systemic approach is needed to address flow and capacity factors that contribute to ineffective and unsafe interfacility discharge and transfer.

Mitigating racial bias in machine learning.

Save to Library

Kostick-Quenet KM, Cohen IG, Gerke S, et al. J Law Med Ethics. 2022;50:92-100.

Biases in decision support technologies precipitate racial inequities. This commentary discusses how algorithms in machine learning contribute to inaccuracies in the care of persons of color and the displaced. Legal actions to mitigate racial biases in decision making programs and implementation steps toward improvement are discussed.

Stop using these adult bed rails, warns the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Save to Library

Treisman R. National Public Radio. June 6, 2022

Bedrails are used in hospitals and at home to minimize falls despite the potential to contribute to patient harm. This news article summarizes a government recall of ten models of home bed rail devices due to entrapment incidents.

Medical middlemen: broken system making it harder for hospitals and patients to get some life-saving drugs.

Save to Library

Whitaker B. CBS News. May 22, 2022.

Drug shortages represent a complex system level challenge in health care that can harm patients. This news segment details economic and production factors that affect the availability of generic medications. Clinicians and families were interviewed to share tactics for managing these situations to support patient safety despite shortages.

Safety Considerations for Container Labels and Carton Labeling Design to Minimize Medication Errors: Guidance for Industry.

Save to Library

Rockville, MD: US Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research; May 18, 2022.

This guidance outlines design elements that reduce errors associated with medication labels. Improvements suggested include tall-man lettering use, look-alike / sound alike avoidance and abbreviation minimization.

Nurse Vaught sentenced for deadly medical error.

Save to Library

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.

The Color of Care.

Save to Library

Chicago, IL: Harpo Productions, Smithsonian Channel: May 2022.

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the impact of racial disparities and inequities on patient safety for patients of color. This film shares stories of families whose care was unsafe. The cases discussed highlight how missed and dismissed COVID symptoms and inattention to patient and family concerns due to bias reduces patient safety.

Mind the Implementation Gap. The Persistence of Avoidable Harm in the NHS.

Save to Library

London UK: Patient Safety Learning: 2022.

Unsafe care affects a wide range of individuals and organizations physically, emotionally, and financially. This report examines large system failures in the UK National Health Service to suggest actions that support learning and improvement. The publication highlights how public investigations, government reports, legal actions, and patient complaints can provide information to support the systems approach required to arrive at safe care.

Nearly all thirty most frequently used emergency department drugs experienced shortages from 2006-2019.

Save to Library

Lin MP, Vargas-Torres C, Shin-Kim J, et al. Am J Emerg Med. 2022;53:135-139.

Drug shortages can result in patient harm, such as dosing errors from a medication substitution. In this study, 28 of the 30 most frequently used medications in the emergency department experienced shortages between 2006 and 2019. The most common reasons for shortages were manufacturing delays and increased demand. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated pre-existing drug shortages.

Final Report of the Ockenden Review.

Save to Library

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.

The National Imperative to Improve Nursing Home Quality: Honoring Our Commitment to Residents, Families, and Staff.

Save to Library

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press; 2022. ISBN: 9780309686259

Nursing homes face significant patient safety challenges, and these challenges became more apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic. This report identifies key issues in the delivery of care for nursing home residents and provides recommendations to strengthen the quality and safety of care delivery, such as improved working conditions, enhanced minimum staffing standards, improving quality measurement, and strengthening emergency preparedness.

Criminalization of human error and a guilty verdict: a travesty of justice that threatens patient safety.

Save to Library

ISMP Medication Safety Alert! Acute care edition. April 7, 2022; 27(2):1-6.

The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) highlights the negative impacts the recent criminal conviction of a nurse could have for patient safety, including fear of reporting errors and clinicians leaving the profession.

How to scale up quality and safety program with the home care accreditation.

Save to Library

Brunelli L, Cristofori V, Battistella C, et al. Int J Integr Care. 2022;22:19.

Accreditation programs are intended to improve patient safety and quality of care. Researchers in Italy aimed to develop and validate an accreditation tool for home care. The tool, validated by 21 experts, is divided into six domains: 1) Organization and governance; 2) Patient safety and risk management; 3) Professionals’ knowledge, skills, and competencies; 4) Information and communication; 5) Care integration, and 6) Improvement and innovation.

A Conversation Among Stakeholders on Medical Malpractice.

Save to Library

Collaborative for Accountability and Improvement. April 26, 2022.

Communication and resolution programs (CRP) can improve response to patients and families after a harmful medical error. This session examined how silos negatively impact transparency after error and how CRPs can reduce siloed communication. The session features Dr. Jo Shapiro as a panelist.

Deficiencies after the New Electronic Health Record Go-Live at the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center in Spokane, WA.

Save to Library

Washington, DC: VA Office of Inspector General; March 17, 2022.

Electronic health record (EHR) implementation failures cause major disruptions to care delivery that can result in inefficiencies, misinformation, and unsafe care. This three-part investigation examines the impact of the new United States Veterans Affairs EHR system problems on medication management, care coordination, and problem reporting and resolution at one facility.

All Content

Connect With Us

Sign up for Email Updates

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

All Content

Connect With Us

Sign up for Email Updates

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

PSNet Log in

Submit Your Case

Continue as a Guest

Continue Logged In

Submit Your Case

Continue as a Guest

Already have a PSNet

Account?

New Users