Toolkits

Healthcare-associated infections can result in significant morbidity and mortality. Developed by AHRQ, this customizable, educational toolkit uses the Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP) and other evidence-based practices to provide clinical and cultural guidance to support practice changes to prevent and reduce central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) and catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) rates in intensive care units (ICUs). Sections of the kit include items such an action plan template, implementation playbook, and team interaction aids.

Assessment can identify the current state of a process or program to reveal areas of weakness and inform improvement implementation efforts. This scenario-based tool focuses on 10 areas of an organization’s journey to support diagnostic safety.

The recognition of diagnosis as a team activity is energizing new diagnostic process initiatives. Building on the established TeamSTEPPS® principles, this new TeamSTEPPS course includes seven training modules, team and knowledge assessment tools, and implementation guidance to develop or enhance communication across the care team to improve the accuracy and timeliness of diagnosis.

System failures require multifactorial assessment to install targeted improvements. This toolkit examines 10 areas of focus for organizations to assess the safety of mental health services in emergency and primary care settings to minimize patient suicide and self-harm. Areas of focus include post-discharge follow-up, admissions, and family engagement.

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) challenge safety in long-term care. This toolkit highlights multidisciplinary approaches to reducing HAIs and teaching tools focused on distinct audiences across the continuum to share principles and tactics supporting improvement.

Safe diagnosis in medical offices is challenged by staff workload, communication, and poor information sharing. This Supplemental Item Set for the AHRQ Surveys on Patient Safety Culture™ (SOPS®) Medical Office Survey (MOSOPS) examines elements contributing to time availability, testing and referrals, and provider and staff communication. The Diagnostic Safety Supplemental Item Set was released in time for the scheduled Fall 2021 MOSOPS data submission.

Human factors engineering approaches improve safety, efficiency, and effectiveness in both normal and challenging times. This tool shares a human-factors structured approach to improving technology integration and adaptation into work processes to reduce burnout and its negative effects on worker and clinician wellbeing. 

The TeamSTEPPS program was developed to support effective communication and teamwork in health care. This toolkit provides resources to help organizations implement TeamSTEPPS in the office-based setting, including information about how to create a handoff checklist and when to have a huddle along with the benefits of using one. The material also includes an instructor guide and training videos.

Antimicrobial stewardship has been promoted as an element of patient safety. This toolkit provides resources for hospital administrators, clinicians, and patients to help prevent overuse of antibiotics, including a readiness assessment checklist, webinars, and frequently asked questions.

This toolkit offers tips for patients to prevent adverse drug events and provides a way to record important medication information such as a list of allergies, prescriptions, dosages, and conditions being treated.

Infants discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit to home are particularly vulnerable to care coordination errors. This four-component toolkit includes materials to help hospitals implement a coach program to educate providers and families about common communication and health concerns that arise during this transition.

This tool offers a method to assess patients' ability to understand and use education materials, including audiovisual and print formats.

Articles in this special issue cover diagnostic errors, including cognitive, system, and educational strategies to reduce them.

This toolkit provides resources to help augment testing processes in ambulatory care settings, including tools for identifying areas of concern and measuring improvements.

This information sheet covers how misuse of medical devices in children may contribute to adverse events.

Studies have shown that a surprisingly large proportion of hospitalized patients are not aware of their diagnoses or treatment plan and that their preferences are often not taken into account in advanced care planning. This failure to provide patient-centered care indicates a need for increased patient engagement in safety and quality efforts. This toolkit published by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is designed to help hospitals develop partnerships with patients around improving safety. Developed with input from clinicians and patients, the guide emphasizes four strategies—working with patients as advisors, improving bedside communication, integrating patients and families into shift changes, and using patient input to improve the discharge process. An AHRQ WebM&M perspective by Dr. Saul Weingart discusses the practical challenges of engaging patients in improvement efforts.

Highlighting concerns associated with patients' use of medical devices at home, such as difficulty understanding instructions, this article offers tips for consumers to help reduce risks.

This set of leaflets provides patients with information about taking high-alert medications safely.

This toolkit will help hospitals reduce Clostridium difficile infections by developing a stewardship initiative to prevent antimicrobial misuse.

This briefing sheet reviews the opportunities, solutions, and drivers for medication safety improvements.