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.

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Displaying 1 - 20 of 122 Results

Curated Libraries

Patient as a Team Member in Clinical Care

October 23, 2023

This curated library highlights concepts associated with the patient as a partner for safety at the team level directly connected to personal clinical encounters.

Curated Libraries

Implementation of Patient Safety Projects Curated Library

May 4, 2023

The implementation of effective patient safety initiatives is challenging due to the complexity of the health care environment. This curated library shares resources summarizing overarching ideas and strategies that can aid in successful program execution, establishment, and sustainability.

A standardized marking procedure for ENT operations to prevent wrong-site surgery: development, establishment and subsequent evaluation among patients and medical personnel.

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Patient Safety Innovation March 29, 2023

Although wrong-site surgeries are rare, they can be devastating to patients. One otolaryngology (ENT) clinic developed a surgical marking procedure deemed practicable and useful by both providers and patients.

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Value and Patient Safety

March 8, 2023

Value as an element of patient safety is emerging as an approach to prioritize and evaluate improvement actions. This library highlights resources that explore the business case for cost effective, efficient and impactful efforts to reduce medical errors.

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Diagnostic Errors Case Studies

January 19, 2023

The Primary-Care Research in Diagnosis Errors (PRIDE) Learning Network was a Boston-based national effort to improve diagnostic safety. Hosted by the State of Massachusetts’ Betsy Lehman Center, it was led by the Harvard Brigham and Women’s Center for Patient Safety Research and Practice with funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. ...

People of color with long COVID face uphill battle to be heard.

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Farah T. Scientific American. September 22, 2022.

Gaslighting women and patients of color is known to occur in health care for both common and emerging conditions. This news article describes challenges met by a patient seeking diagnosis and treatment for long COVID.

Curated Libraries

Diagnostic Safety

October 10, 2022

Selected PSNet materials for a general safety audience focusing on improvements in the diagnostic process and the strategies that support them to prevent diagnostic errors from harming patients.

Embedded bias: how medical records sow discrimination.

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Tahir D. Kaiser Health News. September 26, 2022.

Negative patient representations in medical records perpetuate stereotypes that can affect care over time. This story discusses how written notes using stigmatizing language reflect bias and physician disrespect that serve as clues to misdiagnosis. Black patients and those patients named as "difficult" were particularly vulnerable to damaging representation in notes.

Presenting complaint: use of language that disempowers patients.

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Cox C, Fritz Z. BMJ. 2022;377:e066720.

As more patients are gaining access to their electronic health records, including clinician notes, the language clinicians use can shape how patients feel about their health and healthcare provider. This commentary describes how some words and phrases routinely used in provider notes, such as “deny” or “non-compliant”, may inadvertently build distrust with the patient. The authors recommend medical students and providers reconsider their language to establish more trusting relationships with their patients.

A family and hospital's journey and commitment to improving diagnostic safety.

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Wyner D, Wyner F, Brumbaugh D, et al. Pediatrics. 2021;148:e2021053091.

The dismissal of parental concerns is a known contributor to medical errors in children. This story illustrates how poor communication, lack of respect, and anchoring bias contributed to failure in the care of a boy. The authors share actions being taken by the hospital involved in the tragedy to partner with the family to improve diagnosis practices throughout their organization.

A Loss of Trust and a Missed Diagnosis

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WebM&M Case February 23, 2022

A 65-year-old woman with a history of 50 pack-years of cigarette smoking presented to her primary care physician (PCP), concerned about lower left back pain; she was advised to apply ice and take ibuprofen. She returned to her PCP a few months later reporting persistent pain. A lumbar spine radiograph showed mild degenerative disc disease and the patient was prescribed hydrocodone/acetaminophen in addition to ibuprofen. In the following months, she was seen by video twice for progressive, more severe pain that limited her ability to walk.

Emotional harm in the radiology department: analysis of an underrecognized preventable error.

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Siewert B, Swedeen S, Brook OR, et al. Radiology. 2022;302:613-619.

Adverse events can contribute to physical, financial, or emotional harm. Based on radiology-related events identified in a hospital incident reporting system, the authors identified the types of incidents contributing to emotional harm in patients – failure to be patient-centered, disrespectful communication, privacy violations, minimization of patient concerns, and loss of property. The authors also proposed several improvement strategies, including communication training and improvement of communication processes, individual feedback, and improvements to existing processes and systems.

Curated Libraries

Maternal Safety

September 13, 2021

Ensuring maternal safety is a patient safety priority. This library reflects a curated selection of PSNet content focused on improving maternal safety. Included resources explore strategies with the potential to improve maternal care delivery and outcomes, such as high reliability, collaborative initiatives, teamwork, and trigger tools.

Wrong Site Surgery - Wrong Patient: Invasive Procedures in Outpatient Settings.

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Farnborough, UK: Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch; June 2021.

Wrong site/wrong patent surgery is a persistent healthcare never event. This report examines National Health Service (NHS) reporting data to identify how ambulatory patient identification errors contribute to wrong patient care. The authors recommend that the NHS use human factors methods to design control processes to target and manage the risks in the outpatient environment such as lack of technology integration, shared waiting area space, and reliance on verbal communication at clinic.

Healthcare professionals' encounters with ethnic minority patients: the critical incident approach.

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Debesay J, Kartzow AH, Fougner M. Nurs Inq. 2021;29:e12421.

Previous studies have shown that ethnic minority patients are at an increased risk of adverse events. Using critical incidents and provider reflections, this study highlights the challenges faced by healthcare providers when providing care for ethnic minority patients. Similar reflection processes in the work environment may contribute to better coping strategies and improved relationships with ethnic minority patients.

CANDOR Webinar Series.

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Patient Safety Movement Foundation. 2021.

The Communication and Optimal Resolution (CANDOR) model was designed to support early error disclosure with patients and families after mistakes in care occur. This three-part webinar series introduced the CANDOR process, discussed CANDOR implementation, outlined the importance of organizational readiness assessment for the program, and described actions to sustain CANDOR after it has launched. Speakers include Dr. Timothy McDonald, the originator of the model.

Enhancing patient safety by integrating ethical dimensions to critical incident reporting systems.

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Wehkamp K, Kuhn E, Petzina R, et al. BMC Med Ethics. 2021;22:26.

Clinicians are often confronted by ethical issues during the delivery of care. The authors outline four categories of critical incidents relevant to biomedical ethics – (1) patient-related communication, (2) consent, autonomy, and patient interest, (3) conflicting economic and medical interests, and (4) staff communication and corporate culture. The authors suggest that integrating these dimensions into existing incident reporting system processes (e.g., training risk managers and nurses to identify ethical incidents, involving an ethnical committee or specialists for clinical ethical consultations) may increase ethical behavior, patient safety, and employee satisfaction.

TeamSTEPPS for the COVID-19 Crisis.

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AHA Team Training.

The COVID-19 crisis requires cooperation and coordination of organizations and providers to address the persistent challenges presented by the pandemic. This on-demand video collection reinforces core TeamSTEPPS; methods that enhance clinician teamwork and communication skills to manage care safety during times of crisis.

The impact of critical incidents on nurses and midwives: a systematic review.

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Buhlmann M, Ewens B, Rashidi A. J Clin Nurs. 2020;30:1195-1205.

Adverse events can have significant impacts on the providers involved. This systematic review explored the experiences of critical incidents on nurses and midwives and their perceived support from the healthcare system. The article discusses the emotional, physical, and professional impacts; perceptions of personal, peer and workplace support; and how nurses and midwives move forward and cope with the impact of critical incidents.

Supporting recovery after adverse events: an essential component of surgeon well-being.

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Berman L, Rialon KL, Mueller CM, et al. J Pediatr Surg. 2021;56:833-838.

Clinicians who are involved in an adverse even often experience emotional and psychological distress afterwards. A survey found that 80% of responding pediatric surgeons had personally experienced a medical error resulting in significant patient harm or death. Only one-quarter of those respondents were satisfied with the institutional support they received afterwards. Respondents cited numerous barriers (lack of trust, blame, shame) to receiving support.

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