Narrow Results Clear All

Resource Type
Approach to Improving Safety
Safety Target
Setting of Care
Clinical Area
Target Audience
Error Types
Origin/Sponsor

Search results for "Hospitals"

1 - 20 of 519 results
Download Selected Citations

Show: 20 | 50 | 100

Newspaper/Magazine Article

Nurses seek to reduce long hours and fatigue.

Ungar L. USA Today. February 1, 2015.

This news article discusses problems associated with nurse fatigue and strategies hospitals are utilizing to prevent nursing staff from being overtired, such as paying nurses for scheduling flexibility and employing buddy systems to check each other's work.

Tools/Toolkit > Fact Sheet/FAQs

10 Patient Safety Tips for Hospitals.

  • Classic

Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; Revised December 2009. AHRQ Publication No. 10-M008.

This tip sheet provides 10 practical steps hospitals can undertake to improve patient safety, based on research funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The tips can be grouped into three areas: 1) reducing health care-acquired infections and retained surgical instruments through use of specific clinical practices; 2) improving drug safety by ensuring access to accurate drug information; and 3) improving the culture of safety through appropriate staffing and work hours for nurses and residents. These tips are based on high-quality research studies documenting the effectiveness of these interventions at reducing errors and improving safety for a broad range of patients.

Journal Article > Study

The perceived impact of duty hour restrictions on the residency environment: a survey of residency program directors.

Nuthalapaty FS, Carver AR, Nuthalapaty ES, Ramsey PS. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2006;194:1556-1562.

The investigators surveyed residency directors on the perceived impact of work hour limitations on residency training. They found that a majority of program directors felt that the restrictions had a negative impact on resident education, had little or no impact on patient safety and quality, but improved the well being of residents.

Journal Article > Study

The impact of nursing work environments on patient safety outcomes: the mediating role of burnout engagement.

Spence Laschinger HK, Leiter MP. J Nurs Adm. 2006;36:259-267.

The investigators surveyed Canadian nurses to explore the relationship between ineffective working conditions and patient safety. Their findings suggest a correlation between a supportive working environment and high-quality, safe care.

Newspaper/Magazine Article

New standards for hospitals call for patients to get private rooms.

Landro L. The Wall Street Journal. March 22, 2006:A1.

This article reports on design guidelines that will require newly constructed hospitals to have only private rooms. Single-patient rooms may help reduce infection rates, improve recovery time, and enhance patient safety.

Journal Article > Commentary

Safe use of cellular telephones in hospitals: fundamental principles and case studies.

Cohen T, Ellis WS, Morrissey JJ, Bakuzonis C, David Y, Paperman WD. J Healthc Inf Manag. Fall 2005;19:38-48.

After reviewing the literature and several case studies, the authors conclude that cell phones can be safely used in hospitals if steps are taken to avoid electromagnetic interference.

Cases & Commentaries

Delayed Recognition of a Positive Blood Culture

  • Web M&M

Sarah Doernberg, MD, MAS; July 2017

A woman was discharged with instructions to complete an antibiotic course for C. difficile. The same day, the microbiology laboratory notified the patient's nurse that her blood culture grew Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that can cause life-threatening infection. However, the result was not communicated to the medical team prior to discharge.

Journal Article > Study

Cost–benefit analysis of a support program for nursing staff.

Moran D, Wu AW, Connors C, et al. J Patient Saf. 2017 Apr 27; [Epub ahead of print].

Medical errors and adverse events can have a devastating psychological impact on the providers involved, often referred to as second victims. Increasingly, health care institutions are implementing programs designed to provide emotional support to team members who experience emotional distress as a result of adverse events. This study provides an economic cost–benefit evaluation of the Resiliency In Stressful Events (RISE) program at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Investigators estimate a savings of $22,576.05 per nurse who used the RISE program and suggest that the hospital might save as much as $1.81 million annually as a result of RISE. These findings are consistent with a previous study, which demonstrated the positive impact of an emotional support program on work-related outcomes such as turnover intentions and absenteeism. In a past PSNet perspective, Susan Scott discussed the second victim phenomenon and its impact on health care providers.

Newspaper/Magazine Article

Medical residents angered at extended work hours.

Hurt J. Med Econ. April 26, 2017.

Discussions about resident work hours generate debate regarding safety and physician burnout. This magazine article reports resident physician concerns about the shift hour changes that allow for flexible duty hours within a maximum 80-hour workweek.

Journal Article > Commentary

Resident duty hours and medical education policy—raising the evidence bar.

Asch DA, Bilimoria KY, Desai SV. N Engl J Med. 2017;376:1704-1706.

The effect of resident work hours on patient safety has been controversial. This perspective summarizes the debate on resident duty hours in the context of recent changes to standards that allow for more flexibility in shift length. The authors underscore the importance of randomized trials, which investigators had utilized to explore the impact of flexible duty hours and served to inform the new policy.

Newspaper/Magazine Article

Bad hospital design is making us sicker.

Khullar D. New York Times. February 22, 2017.

Implementing design changes in care environments can improve patient safety. This newspaper article reports on how efforts to address hospital design concerns can augment infection control, patient-centeredness, fall prevention, and noise reduction. A past PSNet perspective discussed physical space redesign as a patient safety strategy.

Journal Article

On Patient Safety.

Lee MJ. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2013-2017.

This quarterly commentary explores a wide range of subjects associated with patient safety, such as the impact of disruptive behavior on teams, the value of apologies, and work hour reforms. Older materials are available online for free.

Journal Article > Commentary

You can't blame the wreck on the train.

Potts JR III. Am J Surg. 2016 Dec 21; [Epub ahead of print].

Insufficient supervision can limit resident education, which may increase risks to patient safety. This commentary outlines factors that reduce the effectiveness of general surgery resident supervision and provides suggestions to augment supervision, including developing policies that outline when resident supervision is required and educating hospital executives about the need for appropriate oversight of care delivered by trainees.

Journal Article > Study

Is there a 'weekend effect' in major trauma?

Metcalfe D, Perry DC, Bouamra O, et al. Emerg Med J. 2016;33:836-842.

The weekend effect has been observed across multiple health care settings. This study of outcomes on an all-hours trauma service found no weekend effect, suggesting that staffing structure may play a role in the weekend effect in other settings.

Journal Article > Review

What is known: examining the empirical literature in resident work hours using 30 influential articles.

Philibert I. J Grad Med Educ. 2016;8:795-805.

Resident duty hours continue to create controversy as a patient safety improvement strategy. This narrative review examined key studies published between 1971 and 2013 to describe the evidence shaping the duty hour debate and identify areas in need of further research.

Journal Article > Study

Gender-based differences in surgical residents' perceptions of patient safety, continuity of care, and well-being: an analysis from the Flexibility in Duty Hour Requirements for Surgical Trainees (FIRST) trial.

Ban KA, Chung JW, Matulewicz RS, et al. J Am Coll Surg. 2017;224:126-136.e2.

Analyzing data from a prior trial of flexible versus traditional duty hours, this study found that female residents perceived patient safety as worse than male residents. Changes in duty hours had mixed effects on these self-reported outcomes and seemed to exacerbate gender differences. The authors recommend further study to determine how to improve learning for trainees regardless of gender.

Journal Article

Latest Results From the "FIRST" Trial.

J Am Coll Surg. 2017;224:103-159.

The Flexibility in Duty Hour Requirements for Surgical Trainees (FIRST) trial examined residency program response to duty hour rules. This special issue features studies exploring effects of the initial trial including perceptions on the impact of a flexible 80-hour workweek on continuity of care and on physician well-being.

Legislation/Regulation

Summary of Proposed Changes to ACGME Common Program Requirements Section VI.

Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

Implementation of resident duty hours, meant to address fatigue in health care, has long been a subject of patient safety discussions. This website provides a summary of proposed changes to the current ACGME residency Common Program Requirements that shape working hours, offers rationale for the revisions.

Journal Article > Commentary

Ethical considerations in the development of the Flexibility in Duty Hour Requirements for Surgical Trainees trial.

Minami CA, Odell DD, Bilimoria KY. JAMA Surg. 2017;152:7-8.

Patient safety research has generated some concern regarding ethical implications involved in implementing changes that affect patient care. This commentary discusses ethical challenges related to a large trial that explored the effects of duty hour flexibility. The authors discuss policy changes, institutional review board roles, and informed consent as tactics to address concerns.

Journal Article > Study

Implementing the RISE second victim support programme at the Johns Hopkins Hospital: a case study.

Edrees H, Connors C, Paine L, Norvell M, Taylor H, Wu AW. BMJ Open. 2016;6:e011708.

Health care workers who experience distress following adverse events are considered second victims. This study described the implementation of a peer support program for second victims. The program initially received few calls for assistance, and most adverse events for which health care workers—predominantly nurses—requested support were not related to medical errors.

Back to Top