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- Device-related Complications 2
- Diagnostic Errors 3
- Discontinuities, Gaps, and Hand-Off Problems 6
- Failure to rescue 1
- Identification Errors 1
- Medical Complications 6
- Medication Safety 16
- Nonsurgical Procedural Complications 1
- Psychological and Social Complications 1
- Surgical Complications 3
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Search results for "Error Analysis"
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Journal Article > Government Resource
Characteristics of initial prescription episodes and likelihood of long-term opioid use—United States, 2006–2015.
- Classic
Shah A, Hayes CJ, Martin BC. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2017;66:265-269.
Opioid use has become a growing patient safety concern. Recent studies have documented wide variation in opioid prescribing for acute pain and a significant rate of chronic opioid use after patients receive a first prescription for an acute indication. This retrospective medical record review study identified risk factors for remaining on an opioid medication for more than 1 year following their initial prescription. Older, female, and publicly or self-insured patients were more likely to remain on an opioid compared with younger, male, and privately insured patients. Patients started on higher doses (cumulative dose ≥ 700 mg morphine equivalent), provided prescriptions with longer duration (more than 10 days), or given 3 or more prescriptions for opioids were most likely to continue to use opioid medications 1 year later. The authors recommend prescribing fewer than 7 days of opioids for acute pain and adhering to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guideline for opioid use to improve prescribing practices.
Book/Report
Measuring harm and informing quality improvement in the Welsh NHS: the longitudinal Welsh national adverse events study.
Mayor S, Baines E, Vincent C, et al. Health Services and Delivery Research. Southampton, UK: NIHR Journals Library; 2017.
This publication compared the use of the Global Trigger Tool with a two-stage retrospective review process to design a method to monitor health care–associated harm in Welsh National Health Service hospitals. Analyzing results from 11 of the 13 system hospitals, investigators determined that a hybrid incident review approach that does not rely on physician involvement can return reliable data.
Book/Report
Patient Safety in Ambulatory Settings.
- Classic
Shekelle, PG, Sarkar U, Shojania K, et al. Technical Brief No. 27. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; October 2016. AHRQ Publication No. 16-EHC033-EF.
Most patient safety research and initiatives have focused on the hospital environment, despite the fact that much of health care is delivered in outpatient settings. This technical brief explores gaps in the evidence base that hinder understanding of safety concerns and factors unique to ambulatory care and notes that studies on patient engagement and diagnostic error are lacking.
Book/Report
Reducing Risk and Promoting Patient Safety for NIH Intramural Clinical Research—Draft Report.
The Clinical Center Working Group Report to the Advisory Committee to the Director, National Institutes of Health. Bethesda, MD; National Institutes of Health; April 2016.
This publication outlines system problems at a large research institution that could compromise patient safety, including supervisors' failure to address staff-reported concerns, prioritization of research productivity over safety, insufficient processes for reporting and tracking problems, and fragmented accountability for ensuring quality and safety at the institution.
Book/Report
Actions Needed to Improve Newly Enrolled Veterans' Access to Primary Care.
Washington, DC: United States Government Accountability Office; March 18, 2016. Publication GAO-16-328.
This analysis found that scheduling problems among patients seeking primary care from Veterans Affairs health systems continue to occur. The report outlines weaknesses in the data collected to measure and evaluate veterans' access to primary care and spotlights the need to develop and disseminate a comprehensive policy for Veterans Affairs schedulers to reduce risk of scheduling errors.
Newspaper/Magazine Article
Measurement of diagnostic errors is a key first step to their reduction.
Singh H. National Quality Measures Expert Commentaries. November 23, 2015.
Recently, diagnostic error has garnered much discussion and examination, but further research is needed to understand and track such errors. This article reviews evidence on the topic to illustrate measurement challenges and includes a sociotechnical model to identify, assess, and address diagnostic errors.
Newspaper/Magazine Article
Delivering the right diet to the right patient every time.
Wallace SC. PA-PSRS Patient Saf Advis. 2015;12:62-70.
This article analyzed data on dietary errors submitted to a state reporting program and found that more than 60% of patients received trays containing food items to which they were allergic. Recommendations to prevent such errors include standardizing practices and using whiteboards as communication tools.
Web Resource > Multi-use Website
Diagnostic Error in Medicine.
Committee on Diagnostic Errors in Medicine. Washington, DC: Institute of Medicine.
Diagnostic errors have been termed the next frontier in patient safety. This Web site highlights the work of a group committed to analyzing the problem in depth to determine evidence-based solutions. Materials created in conjunction with the project will be summarized here as work progresses.
Tools/Toolkit > Government Resource
Community Pharmacy Survey on Patient Safety Culture: Community Pharmacy Survey Toolkit.
Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; July 2014.
This survey and accompanying toolkit were developed to collect opinions of community pharmacy staff on the safety culture at their pharmacies. The data collection process for the latest national comparison is now closed.
Book/Report
Improving the Measurement of Surgical Site Infection Risk Stratification/Outcome Detection: Final Contract Report.
Price CS, Savitz LA. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; March 2012. AHRQ Publication No. 12-0046-EF.
This report explores techniques to detect and monitor surgical site infections (SSIs), evaluates a computer-assisted algorithm to identify patients at risk for SSIs, and makes recommendations to investigate surgery-specific risk factors.
Newspaper/Magazine Article
Is the measurement mandate diverting the patient safety revolution?
Wachter RM. National Quality Measures Clearinghouse: Expert Commentaries; March 3, 2008.
This commentary describes how the focus on measurement in health care has affected both quality and safety initiatives.
Book/Report
Quarterly National Reporting and Learning System Data Summary.
National Patient Safety Agency. London, UK: National Health Service.
These documents summarize National Patient Safety Agency incident reporting data from the first year of data collection. They are accompanied by workbooks for data review, slide sets and trends analysis.
Web Resource > Government Resource
AHRQ's Quality Challenge.
Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; April 2005.
On April 4, 2005, AHRQ hosted "Improving Health Care for All Americans: Celebrating Success, Measuring Progress, Moving Forward." The meeting showcased successful efforts to improve health care quality and reduce racial and ethnic disparities.
Book/Report
Learning, Candour and Accountability. A Review of the Way NHS Trusts Review and Investigate the Deaths of Patients in England.
Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK: Care Quality Commission; December 2016. CQC-356-122016.
Patients and families can contribute to improvement when they are treated with respect and openness. This report explored the extent to which those characteristics are present in National Health Service (NHS) investigations regarding patient deaths and found them to be lacking, particularly in cases involving patients with mental health conditions or learning disabilities. The authors recommend a framework to guide behaviors consistently across the NHS to improve the timeliness and quality of investigations and ensure system-level learning.
Newspaper/Magazine Article
Analysis of reported drug interactions: a recipe for harm to patients.
Grissinger M. PA-PSRS Patient Saf Advis. December 2016;13:137-148.
Drawing from reports of medication errors submitted over a 7-year period to the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority, this analysis found that common problems included drug incompatibility and drug–drug interaction. The article cautions against relying on drug ordering alerts as the sole strategy for preventing potentially harmful prescribing.
Book/Report
Opioid-Related Inpatient Stays and Emergency Department Visits by State, 2009–2014.
Weiss AJ, Elixhauser A, Barrett ML, Steiner CA, Bailey MK, O'Malley L. HCUP Statistical Brief #219. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; December 2016.
Opioids are known to be high-risk medications, and their misuse is an increasingly recognized patient safety problem. This data analysis from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project delineates trends in opioid-related hospitalizations by state between 2005 and 2014. Both hospital stays and emergency department visits related to opioids have been increasing every year, paralleling trends in opioid overdose deaths. There was substantial variation across states, and the overall rate of opioid-related inpatient stays was 225 per 100,000 population for 2014. These data underscore the need to improve the safety of opioid use to prevent morbidity and mortality.
Book/Report
Concurrent and Overlapping Surgeries: Additional Measures Warranted.
US Senate Finance Committee. December 6, 2016.
The practice of scheduling concurrent surgeries has raised concerns about increased risks of surgeon distraction, procedure delay, and insufficient expertise available in the operating room. This United States Senate report summarizes findings of an inquiry that assessed insights from 17 hospitals regarding concurrent and overlapping surgical policies. Areas of concern identified by the investigation include a lack of available data on the patient outcomes associated with the practice and need for specific billing requirements.
Newspaper/Magazine Article
Prescribing errors that cause harm.
Rider BB, Gaunt MJ, Grissinger M. PA-PSRS Patient Saf Advis. September 2016;13:81-91.
Prescribing errors can have harmful results. Analyzing prescribing error reports submitted over a 12- year period, this article recommends strategies to reduce risks associated with prescribing, including use of computerized provider order entry systems and standard order sets.
Book/Report
Learning From Mistakes.
London, UK: Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman; July 18, 2016. ISBN: 9781474135764.
The National Health Service (NHS) has a history of sharing analyses of problems in its system. Summarizing an NHS investigation into the death of a 3-year-old boy, this report highlights the need to improve organizational culture, complaint follow-up, and transparency to reduce opportunities for similar incidents.
Book/Report
VA Health Care: Actions Needed to Assess Decrease in Root Cause Analyses of Adverse Events.
Washington, DC: United States Government Accountability Office; July 29, 2015. Publication GAO-15-643.
The National Center for Patient Safety (NCPS) has contributed to patient safety improvement initiatives in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) since its inception. This investigation explored VA medical centers' application of root cause analysis after adverse events and how findings from these analyses were used to make system-wide improvements. This report found that the number of root cause analyses performed has decreased and the NCPS has not yet sought to determine why, but factors such as use of other incident analysis methods may have contributed. The Government Accountability Office recommends that the VA assess reasons behind the decline in use of root cause analysis and the extent to which alternative strategies are being utilized.