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Toolkits
Patient safety toolkits provide practical applications of PSNet research and concepts for front line providers to use in their day to day work. These toolkits contain resources necessary to implement patient safety systems and protocols.
Latest Toolkits
Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; April 2022.
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.
Houston TX; Baylor College of Medicine: 2022.
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.
Tools/Toolkit
Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; March 2022.
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.
Measurement Tool/Indicator
Joint Commission.
This website provides sentinel event data reported to The Joint Commission, which includes information on 1197 sentinel events reported in 2021 through the end of December. Unintended retained foreign bodies, falls and wrong–patient, wrong-site, wrong-procedures were the most frequently submitted incidents in this time period. The data and graphs are updated regularly and include specific analysis associated with event type by year from 1995 through the fourth quarter of 2021.
All Toolkits (30)
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Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; April 2022.
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.
Center for Healthy Aging--New York Academy of Medicine, Yale School of Nursing.
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.
Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; June 2021.
The use of antibiotics should be monitored to reduce the potential for infection in care facilities. This toolkit outlines offers a methodology for launching or invigorating an antibiotic stewardship program. Designed to align with four time elements of antibiotic therapy, its supports processes that enable safety for nursing home residents.
Azam I, Gray D, Bonnett D et al. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; February 2021. AHRQ Publication No. 21-0012.
The National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports review analysis specific to tracking patient safety challenges and improvements across ambulatory, home health, hospital, and nursing home environments. The most recent Chartbook documented improvements in approximately half of the patient safety measures tracked. This set of tools includes summaries drawn from the reports for use in presentations to enhance distribution and application of the data.
Boston, MA: Institute for Healthcare Improvement; 2020.
Hospital crisis management, preparation, and planning are of heightened interest due to the COVID-19 emergency. This assessment tool examines hospital readiness for the patient surge due to the pandemic. The assessment tool helps organizations examine support structures, monitoring, infection control, supply and space capabilities, and staff support mechanisms to proactively address concerns to prepare for future challenges.
Baltimore MD: University of Maryland School of Pharmacy; 2020.
Medication management has been affected in a variety of settings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This guide highlights strategies to ensure safe medication delivery in long term care. Tactics highlighted include medication discontinuation and alignment of medication administration times.
Multi-use Website
Circle Up for COVID-19 Training. Center for Medical Simulation.
Communication strategies are important for engaging staff in behaviors that support effective teamwork. This website highlights a process that involves briefings, supportive conversations, and debriefings as a communication structure for use during COVID-19 care episodes and other complex interactions.
Stanford, CA; California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative: January 22, 2020.
This toolkit focuses on identification of, and rapid response to, sepsis in obstetric patients. It includes screening, evaluation and monitoring, and antibiotic use recommendations for maternal sepsis patient.
Government Resource
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; AHRQ.
Health literacy is important for effective care communications and safe medication use. This toolkit provides resources associated with medication therapy management and patient health literacy. Materials include health literacy assessments and guidance for prescription medicine instructions. A past PSNet perspective discussed the role of health literacy in patient safety.
Book/Report
Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; October 2016.
Antimicrobial stewardship is one strategy to reduce health care–associated infections in a variety of settings. This guide provides detailed instructions and four adaptable toolkits to establish antimicrobial stewardship programs in nursing homes.
Chicago, IL: American Hospital Association, Health Research & Educational Trust; 2016.
Checklists are a recommended method to reduce omissions in care, despite controversies regarding their impact on safety. This toolkit provides a collection of checklists that have been developed and field tested by participants in the Hospital Engagement Network to prevent harm associated with the use of central lines, adverse drug events, and falls.
Government Resource
Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; October 2015.
Catheter–associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are common complications in hospitalized patients. This toolkit was developed as part of a national implementation project to reduce rates of CAUTIs in hospitals and apply principles of the comprehensive unit-based safety program. The toolkit includes modules that focus on implementation, sustainability, and resources to help hospitals design CAUTI prevention efforts at the unit level.
Multi-use Website
Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare; TST.
Patient falls are preventable and can be addressed through quality and safety strategies. This toolkit provides a process to help health care organizations determine factors that contribute to falls in their facilities and design interventions to drive improvement.
Multi-use Website
Silver Spring, MD: American Nurses Association; 2015.
Nurses play an important role in reducing catheter–associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs). This toolkit, developed as a Partnership for Patients strategy, focuses on promoting nursing behaviors to prevent CAUTIs including decreasing catheter use and improving catheter maintenance.
Tools/Toolkit
Chicago, IL: American Hospital Association Physician Leadership Forum; July 2014.
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.
Chicago, IL: Health Research & Educational Trust; July 2013.
This toolkit reveals how to apply strategies from the Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program to drive reductions in catheter–associated urinary tract infections.
Government Resource
Ganz DA; Huang C; Saliba D; Shier V; Berlowitz D; Lukas CVD; Pelczarski K; Schoelles K; Wallace LC; Neumann P.
This toolkit offers information and resources to guide hospitals through process change to implement and sustain fall prevention efforts.
Boston University School of Public Health. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; September 2012. AHRQ Publication No. 120082EF.
This toolkit will help hospitals reduce Clostridium difficile infections by developing a stewardship initiative to prevent antimicrobial misuse.
Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research; AHRQ.
This announcement highlights projects funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to reduce incidence of health care–associated infections.
Audiovisual Presentation
Washington, DC: US Department of Health and Human Services; May 2011.
This training program explores how to create a culture of safety and prevent health care–associated infections.
