WorldWideScience

Sample records for patient safety composite

  1. Does Employee Safety Matter for Patients Too? Employee Safety Climate and Patient Safety Culture in Health Care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohr, David C; Eaton, Jennifer Lipkowitz; McPhaul, Kathleen M; Hodgson, Michael J

    2015-04-22

    We examined relationships between employee safety climate and patient safety culture. Because employee safety may be a precondition for the development of patient safety, we hypothesized that employee safety culture would be strongly and positively related to patient safety culture. An employee safety climate survey was administered in 2010 and assessed employees' views and experiences of safety for employees. The patient safety survey administered in 2011 assessed the safety culture for patients. We performed Pearson correlations and multiple regression analysis to examine the relationships between a composite measure of employee safety with subdimensions of patient safety culture. The regression models controlled for size, geographic characteristics, and teaching affiliation. Analyses were conducted at the group level using data from 132 medical centers. Higher employee safety climate composite scores were positively associated with all 9 patient safety culture measures examined. Standardized multivariate regression coefficients ranged from 0.44 to 0.64. Medical facilities where staff have more positive perceptions of health care workplace safety climate tended to have more positive assessments of patient safety culture. This suggests that patient safety culture and employee safety climate could be mutually reinforcing, such that investments and improvements in one domain positively impacts the other. Further research is needed to better understand the nexus between health care employee and patient safety to generalize and act upon findings.

  2. Exploring relationships between hospital patient safety culture and Consumer Reports safety scores.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Scott Alan; Yount, Naomi; Sorra, Joann

    2017-02-16

    A number of private and public companies calculate and publish proprietary hospital patient safety scores based on publicly available quality measures initially reported by the U.S. federal government. This study examines whether patient safety culture perceptions of U.S. hospital staff in a large national survey are related to publicly reported patient safety ratings of hospitals. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (Hospital SOPS) assesses provider and staff perceptions of hospital patient safety culture. Consumer Reports (CR), a U.S. based non-profit organization, calculates and shares with its subscribers a Hospital Safety Score calculated annually from patient experience survey data and outcomes data gathered from federal databases. Linking data collected during similar time periods, we analyzed relationships between staff perceptions of patient safety culture composites and the CR Hospital Safety Score and its five components using multiple multivariate linear regressions. We analyzed data from 164 hospitals, with patient safety culture survey responses from 140,316 providers and staff, with an average of 856 completed surveys per hospital and an average response rate per hospital of 56%. Higher overall Hospital SOPS composite average scores were significantly associated with higher overall CR Hospital Safety Scores (β = 0.24, p Consumer Reports Hospital Safety Score, which is a composite of patient experience and outcomes data from federal databases. As hospital managers allocate resources to improve patient safety culture within their organizations, their efforts may also indirectly improve consumer-focused, publicly reported hospital rating scores like the Consumer Reports Hospital Safety Score.

  3. Compositional Safety Analysis using Barrier Certificates

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sloth, Christoffer; Pappas, George J.; Wisniewski, Rafael

    2012-01-01

    This paper proposes a compositional method for verifying the safety of a dynamical system, given as an interconnection of subsystems. The safety verification is conducted by the use of the barrier certificate method; hence, the contribution of this paper is to show how to obtain compositional...... conditions for safety verification. We show how to formulate the verification problem, as a composition of coupled subproblems, each given for one subsystem. Furthermore, we show how to find the compositional barrier certificates via linear and sum of squares programming problems. The proposed method makes...... it possible to verify the safety of higher dimensional systems, than the method for centrally computed barrier certificates. This is demonstrated by verifying the safety of an emergency shutdown of a wind turbine....

  4. Compositional Synthesis of Safety Controllers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kuijper, W.

    2012-01-01

    In my thesis I investigate compositional techniques for synthesis of safety controllers. A safety controller, in this context, is a state machine that gives the set of safe control outputs for every possible sequence of observations from the plant under control. Compositionality, in this context,

  5. Patient participation in patient safety still missing: Patient safety experts' views.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sahlström, Merja; Partanen, Pirjo; Rathert, Cheryl; Turunen, Hannele

    2016-10-01

    The aim of this study was to elicit patient safety experts' views of patient participation in promoting patient safety. Data were collected between September and December in 2014 via an electronic semi-structured questionnaire and interviews with Finnish patient safety experts (n = 21), then analysed using inductive content analysis. Patient safety experts regarded patients as having a crucial role in promoting patient safety. They generally deemed the level of patient safety as 'acceptable' in their organizations, but reported that patient participation in their own safety varied, and did not always meet national standards. Management of patient safety incidents differed between organizations. Experts also suggested that patient safety training should be increased in both basic and continuing education programmes for healthcare professionals. Patient participation in patient safety is still lacking in clinical practice and systematic actions are needed to create a safety culture in which patients are seen as equal partners in the promotion of high-quality and safe care. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

  6. Exploring relationships between patient safety culture and patients' assessments of hospital care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sorra, Joann; Khanna, Kabir; Dyer, Naomi; Mardon, Russ; Famolaro, Theresa

    2014-10-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine relationships among 2 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality measures of hospital patient safety and quality, which reflect different perspectives on hospital performance: the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (Hospital SOPS)--a hospital employee patient safety culture survey--and the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Hospital Survey (CAHPS Hospital Survey)--a survey of the experiences of adult inpatients with hospital care and services. Our hypothesis was that these 2 measures would be positively related. We performed multiple regressions to examine the relationships between the Hospital SOPS measures and CAHPS Hospital Survey measures, controlling for hospital bed size and ownership. Analyses were conducted at the hospital level with each survey's measures using data from 73 hospitals that administered both surveys during similar periods. Higher overall Hospital SOPS composite average scores were associated with higher overall CAHPS Hospital Survey composite average scores (r = 0.41, P G 0.01). Twelve of 15 Hospital SOPS measures were positively related to the CAHPS Hospital Survey composite average score after controlling for bed size and ownership, with significant standardized regression coefficients ranging from 0.25 to 0.38. None of the Hospital SOPS measures were significantly correlated with either of the two single-item CAHPS Hospital Survey measures (hospital rating and willingness to recommend). This study found that hospitals where staff have more positive perceptions of patient safety culture tend to have more positive assessments of care from patients. This finding helps validate both surveys and suggests that improvements in patient safety culture may lead to improved patient experience with care. Further research is needed to determine the generalizability of these results to larger sets of hospitals, to hospital units, and to other settings of care.

  7. Assessment of Patient Safety Culture in an Adult Oncology Department in Saudi Arabia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Waleed Alharbi

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: We sought to evaluate patient safety culture across different healthcare professionals from different countries of origin working in an adult oncology department in a medical facility in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This cross-sectional survey of 130 healthcare staff (doctors, pharmacists, nurses was conducted in February 2017. We used the Hospital Survey of Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC to examine healthcare staff perceptions of safety culture. Results: A total of 127 questionnaires were returned, yielding a response rate of 97.7%. Eight out of 12 HSOPSC composites were considered areas for improvement (percent positivity < 50.0%. Significantly different mean scores were observed across the three professional groups in all 12 HSOPSC composites. Doctors tended to rate patient safety culture significantly more positively than nurses or pharmacists. Nurses scored significantly lower than pharmacists in the majority of HSOPSC composites. No significant differences in patient safety culture composite scores were observed between Saudi/Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC and non-Saudi/GCC groups. Regression analysis showed that the frequency of reported events is predicted by feedback and communication about errors, and teamwork across units. Perception of patient safety is associated with respondents’ profession and teamwork across units. Conclusions: This study brings to the fore the assumption that all healthcare professionals have a shared understanding of patient safety. We urge healthcare leaders and policy makers to look at patient safety culture at this granular level in their contexts and use this information to develop strategies and training to improve patient safety culture.

  8. Improving patient safety culture in Saudi Arabia (2012-2015): trending, improvement and benchmarking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alswat, Khalid; Abdalla, Rawia Ahmad Mustafa; Titi, Maher Abdelraheim; Bakash, Maram; Mehmood, Faiza; Zubairi, Beena; Jamal, Diana; El-Jardali, Fadi

    2017-08-02

    Measuring patient safety culture can provide insight into areas for improvement and help monitor changes over time. This study details the findings of a re-assessment of patient safety culture in a multi-site Medical City in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Results were compared to an earlier assessment conducted in 2012 and benchmarked with regional and international studies. Such assessments can provide hospital leadership with insight on how their hospital is performing on patient safety culture composites as a result of quality improvement plans. This paper also explored the association between patient safety culture predictors and patient safety grade, perception of patient safety, frequency of events reported and number of events reported. We utilized a customized version of the patient safety culture survey developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The Medical City is a tertiary care teaching facility composed of two sites (total capacity of 904 beds). Data was analyzed using SPSS 24 at a significance level of 0.05. A t-Test was used to compare results from the 2012 survey to that conducted in 2015. Two adopted Generalized Estimating Equations in addition to two linear models were used to assess the association between composites and patient safety culture outcomes. Results were also benchmarked against similar initiatives in Lebanon, Palestine and USA. Areas of strength in 2015 included Teamwork within units, and Organizational Learning-Continuous Improvement; areas requiring improvement included Non-Punitive Response to Error, and Staffing. Comparing results to the 2012 survey revealed improvement on some areas but non-punitive response to error and Staffing remained the lowest scoring composites in 2015. Regression highlighted significant association between managerial support, organizational learning and feedback and improved survey outcomes. Comparison to international benchmarks revealed that the hospital is performing at or

  9. Measuring safety culture: Application of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture to radiation therapy departments worldwide.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leonard, Sarah; O'Donovan, Anita

    Minimizing errors and improving patient safety has gained prominence worldwide in high-risk disciplines such as radiation therapy. Patient safety culture has been identified as an important factor in reducing the incidence of adverse events and improving patient safety in the health care setting. The aim of distributing the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSPSC) to radiation therapy departments worldwide was to assess the current status of safety culture, identify areas for improvement and areas that excel, examine factors that influence safety culture, and raise staff awareness. The safety culture in radiation therapy departments worldwide was evaluated by distributing the HSPSC. A total of 266 participants were recruited from radiation therapy departments and included radiation oncologists, radiation therapists, physicists, and dosimetrists. The positive percent scores for the 12 dimensions of the HSPSC varied from 50% to 79%. The highest composite score among the 12 dimensions was teamwork within units; the lowest composite score was handoffs and transitions. The results indicated that health care professionals in radiation therapy departments felt positively toward patient safety. The HSPSC was successfully applied to radiation therapy departments and provided valuable insight into areas of potential improvement such as teamwork across units, staffing, and handoffs and transitions. Managers and policy makers in radiation therapy may use this assessment tool for focused improvement efforts toward patient safety culture. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Radiation Oncology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Patient safety: Safety culture and patient safety ethics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Madsen, Marlene Dyrløv

    2006-01-01

    ,demonstrating significant, consistent and sometimes large differences in terms of safety culture factors across the units participating in the survey. Paper 5 is the results of a study of the relation between safety culture, occupational health andpatient safety using a safety culture questionnaire survey......Patient safety - the prevention of medical error and adverse events - and the initiative of developing safety cultures to assure patients from harm have become one of the central concerns in quality improvement in healthcare both nationally andinternationally. This subject raises numerous...... challenging issues of systemic, organisational, cultural and ethical relevance, which this dissertation seeks to address through the application of different disciplinary approaches. The main focus of researchis safety culture; through empirical and theoretical studies to comprehend the phenomenon, address...

  11. Development of a patient safety climate survey for Chinese hospitals: cross-national adaptation and psychometric evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Junya; Li, Liping; Zhao, Hailei; Han, Guangshu; Wu, Albert W; Weingart, Saul N

    2014-10-01

    Existing patient safety climate instruments, most of which have been developed in the USA, may not accurately reflect the conditions in the healthcare systems of other countries. To develop and evaluate a patient safety climate instrument for healthcare workers in Chinese hospitals. Based on a review of existing instruments, expert panel review, focus groups and cognitive interviews, we developed items relevant to patient safety climate in Chinese hospitals. The draft instrument was distributed to 1700 hospital workers from 54 units in six hospitals in five Chinese cities between July and October 2011, and 1464 completed surveys were received. We performed exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and estimated internal consistency reliability, within-unit agreement, between-unit variation, unit-mean reliability, correlation between multi-item composites, and association between the composites and two single items of perceived safety. The final instrument included 34 items organised into nine composites: institutional commitment to safety, unit management support for safety, organisational learning, safety system, adequacy of safety arrangements, error reporting, communication and peer support, teamwork and staffing. All composites had acceptable unit-mean reliabilities (≥0.74) and within-unit agreement (Rwg ≥0.71), and exhibited significant between-unit variation with intraclass correlation coefficients ranging from 9% to 21%. Internal consistency reliabilities ranged from 0.59 to 0.88 and were ≥0.70 for eight of the nine composites. Correlations between composites ranged from 0.27 to 0.73. All composites were positively and significantly associated with the two perceived safety items. The Chinese Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Climate demonstrates adequate dimensionality, reliability and validity. The integration of qualitative and quantitative methods is essential to produce an instrument that is culturally appropriate for Chinese hospitals

  12. [Patient safety culture in Family practice residents of Galicia].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Portela Romero, Manuel; Bugarín González, Rosendo; Rodríguez Calvo, María Sol

    To determine the views held by Family practice (FP) residents on the different dimensions of patient safety, in order to identify potential areas for improvement. A cross-sectional study. Seven FP of Galicia teaching units. 182 FP residents who completed the Medical Office Survey on Patient Safety Culture questionnaire. The Medical Office Survey on Patient Safety Culture questionnaire was chosen because it is translated, validated, and adapted to the Spanish model of Primary Care. The results were grouped into 12 composites assessed by the mentioned questionnaire. The study variables were the socio-demographic dimensions of the questionnaire, as well as occupational/professional variables: age, gender, year of residence, and teaching unit of FP of Galicia. The "Organisational learning" and "Teamwork" items were considered strong areas. However, the "Patient safety and quality issues", "Information exchange with other settings", and "Work pressure and pace" items were considered areas with significant potential for improvement. First-year residents obtained the best results and the fourth-year ones the worst. The results may indicate the need to include basic knowledge on patient safety in the teaching process of FP residents in order to increase and consolidate the fragile patient safety culture described in this study. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  13. Patient Safety Culture

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kristensen, Solvejg

    of health care professional’s behaviour, habits, norms, values, and basic assumptions related to patient care; it is the way things are done. The patient safety culture guides the motivation, commitment to and know-how of the safety management, and how all members of a work place interact. This thesis......Patient safety is highly prioritised in the Danish health care system, never the less, patients are still exposed to risk and harmed every day. Implementation of a patient safety culture has been suggested an effective mean to protect patients against adverse events. Working strategically...

  14. Safety of GM crops: compositional analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brune, Philip D; Culler, Angela Hendrickson; Ridley, William P; Walker, Kate

    2013-09-04

    The compositional analysis of genetically modified (GM) crops has continued to be an important part of the overall evaluation in the safety assessment program for these materials. The variety and complexity of genetically engineered traits and modes of action that will be used in GM crops in the near future, as well as our expanded knowledge of compositional variability and factors that can affect composition, raise questions about compositional analysis and how it should be applied to evaluate the safety of traits. The International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI), a nonprofit foundation whose mission is to provide science that improves public health and well-being by fostering collaboration among experts from academia, government, and industry, convened a workshop in September 2012 to examine these and related questions, and a series of papers has been assembled to describe the outcomes of that meeting.

  15. 76 FR 71345 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From Child Health Patient Safety...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-11-17

    ... Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From Child Health Patient Safety Organization, Inc. AGENCY: Agency for... notification of voluntary relinquishment from Child Health Patient Safety Organization, Inc. of its status as a Patient Safety Organization (PSO). The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety...

  16. 76 FR 79192 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From HSMS Patient Safety Organization

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-12-21

    ... Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From HSMS Patient Safety Organization AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare... voluntary relinquishment from the HSMS Patient Safety Organization of its status as a Patient Safety Organization (PSO). The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act), Public Law 109...

  17. 76 FR 60495 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From the Patient Safety Group

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-09-29

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From the Patient Safety Group AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and... voluntary relinquishment from The Patient Safety Group of its status as a Patient Safety Organization (PSO...

  18. Safety concerns in composite manufacturing and machining

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asmatulu, Eylem; Alonayni, Abdullah; Alamir, Mohammed

    2018-03-01

    Because of the superior properties, composites have been used in many industrial applications, including aerospace, wind turbines, ships, cars, fishing rods, storage tanks, swimming pool panels, and baseball bats. Each application may require different combinations of reinforcements and matrices, which make the manufacturing safety even more challenging while working on these substances. In this study, safety issues in composite manufacturing and machining were investigated in detail, and latest developments were provided for workers. The materials most frequently used in composite manufacturing, such as matrix (polyester, vinylester, phenolic, epoxies, methyl ethyl ketone peroxide, benzoil peroxide, hardeners, and solvents), and reinforcement materials (carbon, glass and Kevlar fibers, honeycomb and foams) can be highly toxic to human body. These materials can also be very toxic to the environment when dumped out uncontrollably, creating major future health and environmental concerns. Throughout the manufacturing process, workers inhale vapors of the liquid matrix, hardeners and solvents / thinners, as well as reinforcement materials (chopped fibers and particles) in airborne. Milling, cutting and machining of the composites can further increase the toxic inhalations of airborne composite particles, resulting in major rashes, irritation, skin disorders, coughing, severe eye and lung injury and other serious illnesses. The major portions of these hazardous materials can be controlled using appropriate personal protective equipment for the chemicals and materials used in composite manufacturing and machining. This study provides best possible safety practices utilized in composite manufacturing facilities for workers, engineers and other participants.

  19. Workplace engagement and workers' compensation claims as predictors for patient safety culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thorp, Jonathon; Baqai, Waheed; Witters, Dan; Harter, Jim; Agrawal, Sangeeta; Kanitkar, Kirti; Pappas, James

    2012-12-01

    Demonstrate the relationship between employee engagement and workplace safety for predicting patient safety culture. Patient safety is an issue for the U.S. health-care system, and health care has some of the highest rates of nonfatal workplace injuries. Understanding the types of injuries sustained by health-care employees, the type of safety environment employees of health-care organizations work in, and how employee engagement affects patient safety is vital to improving the safety of both employees and patients. The Gallup Q survey and an approved, abbreviated, and validated subset of questions from the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture were administered to staff at a large tertiary academic medical center in 2007 and 2009. After controlling for demographic variables, researchers conducted a longitudinal, hierarchical linear regression analysis to study the unique contributions of employee engagement, changes in employee engagement, and employee safety in predicting patient safety culture. Teams with higher baseline engagement, more positive change in engagement, fewer workers' compensation claims, and fewer part-time associates in previous years had stronger patient safety cultures in 2009. Baseline engagement and change in engagement were the strongest independent predictors of patient safety culture in 2009. Engagement and compensation claims were additive and complimentary predictors, independent of other variables in the analysis, including the demographic composition of the workgroups in the study. A synergistic effect exists between employee engagement and decreased levels of workers' compensation claims for improving patient safety culture. Organizations can improve engagement and implement safety policies, procedures, and devices for employees with an ultimate effect of improving patient safety culture.

  20. Nurses' Perceptions of Patient Safety Culture in Three Hospitals in Saudi Arabia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alquwez, Nahed; Cruz, Jonas Preposi; Almoghairi, Ahmed Mohammed; Al-Otaibi, Raid Salman; Almutairi, Khalid Obaid; Alicante, Jerico G; Colet, Paolo C

    2018-05-14

    To assess the present patient safety culture of three general hospitals in Saudi Arabia, as perceived by nurses. This study utilized a descriptive, cross-sectional design. A convenience sample of 351 nurses working in three general hospitals in the central region of Saudi Arabia was surveyed in this study using the Hospital Survey of Patients' Safety Culture (HSOPSC) from October 2016 to April 2017. From the 12 composites of the HSOPSC, the nurses perceived only the following two patient safety areas as strengths: teamwork within units and organizational learning-continuous improvement. Six areas of patient safety were identified as weaknesses, namely overall perception of patient safety, handoffs and transitions, communication openness, staffing, frequency of events reported, and nonpunitive response to errors. Nationality, educational attainment, hospital, length of service in the hospital, work area or unit, length of service in the current work area or unit, current position, and direct patient contact or interaction were significant predictors of the nurses' perceived patient safety culture. The findings in this study clarify the current status of patient safety culture in three hospitals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The present findings should be considered by policymakers, hospital leaders, and nurse executives in creating interventions aimed at improving the patient safety culture in hospitals. A multidimensional network intervention targeting the different dimensions of patient safety culture and involving different organizational levels should be implemented to improve patient safety. © 2018 Sigma Theta Tau International.

  1. 77 FR 11120 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From UAB Health System Patient Safety...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-02-24

    ... Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From UAB Health System Patient Safety Organization AGENCY: Agency for... notification of voluntary relinquishment from the UAB Health System Patient Safety Organization of its status as a Patient Safety Organization (PSO). The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005...

  2. 76 FR 71345 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From Emergency Medicine Patient Safety...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-11-17

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From Emergency Medicine Patient Safety Foundation AGENCY: Agency for... notification of voluntary relinquishment from Emergency Medicine Patient Safety Foundation of its status as a...

  3. 78 FR 40146 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From Northern Metropolitan Patient Safety...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-07-03

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From Northern Metropolitan Patient Safety Institute AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), HHS. ACTION: Notice of Delisting. SUMMARY: The Patient Safety and...

  4. 76 FR 7853 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Delisting From Oregon Patient Safety Commission

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-02-11

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Delisting From Oregon Patient Safety Commission AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), HHS. ACTION: Notice of delisting. SUMMARY: Oregon Patient Safety Commission: AHRQ...

  5. Using a quantitative risk register to promote learning from a patient safety reporting system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mansfield, James G; Caplan, Robert A; Campos, John S; Dreis, David F; Furman, Cathie

    2015-02-01

    Patient safety reporting systems are now used in most health care delivery organizations. These systems, such as the one in use at Virginia Mason (Seattle) since 2002, can provide valuable reports of risk and harm from the front lines of patient care. In response to the challenge of how to quantify and prioritize safety opportunities, a risk register system was developed and implemented. Basic risk register concepts were refined to provide a systematic way to understand risks reported by staff. The risk register uses a comprehensive taxonomy of patient risk and algorithmically assigns each patient safety report to 1 of 27 risk categories in three major domains (Evaluation, Treatment, and Critical Interactions). For each category, a composite score was calculated on the basis of event rate, harm, and cost. The composite scores were used to identify the "top five" risk categories, and patient safety reports in these categories were analyzed in greater depth to find recurrent patterns of risk and associated opportunities for improvement. The top five categories of risk were easy to identify and had distinctive "profiles" of rate, harm, and cost. The ability to categorize and rank risks across multiple dimensions yielded insights not previously available. These results were shared with leadership and served as input for planning quality and safety initiatives. This approach provided actionable input for the strategic planning process, while at the same time strengthening the Virginia Mason culture of safety. The quantitative patient safety risk register serves as one solution to the challenge of extracting valuable safety lessons from large numbers of incident reports and could profitably be adopted by other organizations.

  6. 76 FR 58812 - Patient Safety Organizations: Delisting for Cause of Patient Safety Organization One, Inc.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-09-22

    ... Organizations: Delisting for Cause of Patient Safety Organization One, Inc. AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), HHS. ACTION: Notice of Delisting. SUMMARY: Patient Safety Organization One, Inc.: AHRQ has delisted Patient Safety Organization One, Inc. as a Patient Safety Organization (PSO...

  7. HRET patient safety leadership fellowship: the role of "community" in patient safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leonhardt, Kathryn Kraft

    2010-01-01

    Community engagement is widely endorsed but poorly defined as a strategy to improve patient safety. With strong evidence that engaging patients can positively influence health outcomes, it is presumed that community engagement could improve patient safety. Leaning on the models from other disciplines such as public health, the adequate knowledge and application of the principles of community engagement are critical for this approach to be effective. This article provides a description of the theories supporting patient partnership and community engagement, reviews critical elements of successful community-based programs, and identifies the potential for empowering communities to improve patient safety.

  8. Patient safety culture among nurses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ammouri, A A; Tailakh, A K; Muliira, J K; Geethakrishnan, R; Al Kindi, S N

    2015-03-01

    Patient safety is considered to be crucial to healthcare quality and is one of the major parameters monitored by all healthcare organizations around the world. Nurses play a vital role in maintaining and promoting patient safety due to the nature of their work. The purpose of this study was to investigate nurses' perceptions about patient safety culture and to identify the factors that need to be emphasized in order to develop and maintain the culture of safety among nurses in Oman. A descriptive and cross-sectional design was used. Patient safety culture was assessed by using the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture among 414 registered nurses working in four major governmental hospitals in Oman. Descriptive statistics and general linear regression were employed to assess the association between patient safety culture and demographic variables. Nurses who perceived more supervisor or manager expectations, feedback and communications about errors, teamwork across hospital units, and hospital handoffs and transitions had more overall perception of patient safety. Nurses who perceived more teamwork within units and more feedback and communications about errors had more frequency of events reported. Furthermore, nurses who had more years of experience and were working in teaching hospitals had more perception of patient safety culture. Learning and continuous improvement, hospital management support, supervisor/manager expectations, feedback and communications about error, teamwork, hospital handoffs and transitions were found to be major patient safety culture predictors. Investing in practices and systems that focus on improving these aspects is likely to enhance the culture of patient safety in Omani hospitals and others like them. Strategies to nurture patient safety culture in Omani hospitals should focus upon building leadership capacity that support open communication, blame free, team work and continuous organizational learning. © 2014 International

  9. Assessment of patient safety culture in primary care setting, Al-Mukala, Yemen.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Webair, Hana H; Al-Assani, Salwa S; Al-Haddad, Reema H; Al-Shaeeb, Wafa H; Bin Selm, Manal A; Alyamani, Abdulla S

    2015-10-13

    Patient safety culture in primary care is the first step to achieve high quality health care. This study aims to provide a baseline assessment of patient safety culture in primary care settings in Al-Mukala, Yemen as a first published study from a least developed country. A survey was conducted in primary healthcare centres and units in Al-Mukala District, Yemen. A comprehensive sample from the available 16 centres was included. An Arabic version of the Medical Office Survey on Patient Safety Culture was distributed to all health workers (110). Participants were physicians, nurses and administrative staff. The response rate from the participating centres was 71 %. (N = 78). The percent positive responses of the items is equal to the percentage of participants who answered positively. Composite scores were calculated by averaging the percent positive response on the items within a dimension. Positive safety culture was defined as 60 % or more positive responses on items or dimensions. Patient safety culture was perceived to be generally positive with the exception of the dimensions of 'Communication openness', 'Work pressure and pace' and 'Patient care tracking/follow-up', as the percent positive response of these dimensions were 58, 57, and 52 % respectively. Overall, positive rating on quality and patient safety were low (49 and 46 % respectively). Although patient safety culture in Al-Mukala primary care setting is generally positive, patient safety and quality rating were fairly low. Implementation of a safety and quality management system in Al-Mukala primary care setting are paramount. Further research is needed to confirm the applicability of the Medical Office Survey on Patient Safety Culture (MOSPSC) for Al-Mukala primary care.

  10. 78 FR 59036 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From Cogent Patient Safety Organization, Inc.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-09-25

    ... Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From Cogent Patient Safety Organization, Inc. AGENCY: Agency for... for the formation of Patient Safety Organizations (PSOs), which collect, aggregate, and analyze... Cogent Patient Safety Organization, Inc. of its status as a PSO, and has delisted the PSO accordingly...

  11. 76 FR 9350 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Delisting From Rocky Mountain Patient Safety Organization

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-02-17

    ... Organizations: Voluntary Delisting From Rocky Mountain Patient Safety Organization AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare... Organization: AHRQ has accepted a notification of voluntary relinquishment from Rocky Mountain Patient Safety Organization, a component entity of Colorado Hospital Association, of its status as a Patient Safety...

  12. Effects of resident duty hour reform on surgical and procedural patient safety indicators among hospitalized Veterans Health Administration and Medicare patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosen, Amy K; Loveland, Susan A; Romano, Patrick S; Itani, Kamal M F; Silber, Jeffrey H; Even-Shoshan, Orit O; Halenar, Michael J; Teng, Yun; Zhu, Jingsan; Volpp, Kevin G

    2009-07-01

    Improving patient safety was a strong motivation behind duty hour regulations implemented by Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education on July 1, 2003. We investigated whether rates of patient safety indicators (PSIs) changed after these reforms. Observational study of patients admitted to Veterans Health Administration (VA) (N = 826,047) and Medicare (N = 13,367,273) acute-care hospitals from July 1, 2000 to June 30, 2005. We examined changes in patient safety events in more versus less teaching-intensive hospitals before (2000-2003) and after (2003-2005) duty hour reform, using conditional logistic regression, adjusting for patient age, gender, comorbidities, secular trends, baseline severity, and hospital site. Ten PSIs were aggregated into 3 composite measures based on factor analyses: "Continuity of Care," "Technical Care," and "Other" composites. Continuity of Care composite rates showed no significant changes postreform in hospitals of different teaching intensity in either VA or Medicare. In the VA, there were no significant changes postreform for the technical care composite. In Medicare, the odds of a Technical Care PSI event in more versus less teaching-intensive hospitals in postreform year 1 were 1.12 (95% CI; 1.01-1.25); there were no significant relative changes in postreform year 2. Other composite rates increased in VA in postreform year 2 in more versus less teaching-intensive hospitals (odds ratio, 1.63; 95% CI; 1.10-2.41), but not in Medicare in either postreform year. Duty hour reform had no systematic impact on PSI rates. In the few cases where there were statistically significant increases in the relative odds of developing a PSI, the magnitude of the absolute increases were too small to be clinically meaningful.

  13. Patient safety--worker safety: building a culture of safety to improve healthcare worker and patient well-being.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yassi, Annalee; Hancock, Tina

    2005-01-01

    Patient safety within the Canadian healthcare system is currently a high national priority, which merits a comprehensive understanding of the underlying causes of adverse events. Not least among these is worker health and safety, which is linked to patient outcomes. Healthcare workers have a high risk of workplace injuries and more mental health problems than most other occupational groups. Many healthcare professionals feel fatigued, stressed, in pain, or at risk of illness or injury-factors they feel impede their ability to provide consistent quality care. With this background, the Occupational Health and Safety Agency for Healthcare (OHSAH) in British Columbia, jointly governed by healthcare unions and healthcare employers, launched several major initiatives to improve the healthcare workplace. These included the promotion of safe patient handling, adaptive clothing, scheduled toileting, stroke management training, measures to improve management of aggressive behaviour and, of course, infection control-all intended to improve the safety of workers, but also to improve patient safety and quality of care. Other projects also explicitly promoting physical and mental health at work, as well as patient safety are also underway. Results of the projects are at various stages of completion, but ample evidence has already been obtained to indicate that looking after the well-being of healthcare workers results in safer and better quality patient care. While more research is needed, our work to date suggests that a comprehensive systems approach to promoting a climate of safety, which includes taking into account workplace organizational factors and physical and psychological hazards for workers, is the best way to improve the healthcare workplace and thereby patient safety.

  14. Patient involvement in patient safety: Protocol for developing an intervention using patient reports of organisational safety and patient incident reporting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Armitage Gerry

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Patients have the potential to provide a rich source of information on both organisational aspects of safety and patient safety incidents. This project aims to develop two patient safety interventions to promote organisational learning about safety - a patient measure of organisational safety (PMOS, and a patient incident reporting tool (PIRT - to help the NHS prevent patient safety incidents by learning more about when and why they occur. Methods To develop the PMOS 1 literature will be reviewed to identify similar measures and key contributory factors to error; 2 four patient focus groups will ascertain practicality and feasibility; 3 25 patient interviews will elicit approximately 60 items across 10 domains; 4 10 patient and clinician interviews will test acceptability and understanding. Qualitative data will be analysed using thematic content analysis. To develop the PIRT 1 individual and then combined patient and clinician focus groups will provide guidance for the development of three potential reporting tools; 2 nine wards across three hospital directorates will pilot each of the tools for three months. The best performing tool will be identified from the frequency, volume and quality of reports. The validity of both measures will be tested. 300 patients will be asked to complete the PMOS and PIRT during their stay in hospital. A sub-sample (N = 50 will complete the PMOS again one week later. Health professionals in participating wards will also be asked to complete the AHRQ safety culture questionnaire. Case notes for all patients will be reviewed. The psychometric properties of the PMOS will be assessed and a final valid and reliable version developed. Concurrent validity for the PIRT will be assessed by comparing reported incidents with those identified from case note review and the existing staff reporting scheme. In a subsequent study these tools will be used to provide information to wards/units about their

  15. Effects of an educational patient safety campaign on patients' safety behaviours and adverse events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwappach, David L B; Frank, Olga; Buschmann, Ute; Babst, Reto

    2013-04-01

    Rationale, aims and objectives  The study aims to investigate the effects of a patient safety advisory on patients' risk perceptions, perceived behavioural control, performance of safety behaviours and experience of adverse incidents. Method  Quasi-experimental intervention study with non-equivalent group comparison was used. Patients admitted to the surgical department of a Swiss large non-university hospital were included. Patients in the intervention group received a safety advisory at their first clinical encounter. Outcomes were assessed using a questionnaire at discharge. Odds ratios for control versus intervention group were calculated. Regression analysis was used to model the effects of the intervention and safety behaviours on the experience of safety incidents. Results  Two hundred eighteen patients in the control and 202 in the intervention group completed the survey (75 and 77% response rates, respectively). Patients in the intervention group were less likely to feel poorly informed about medical errors (OR = 0.55, P = 0.043). There were 73.1% in the intervention and 84.3% in the control group who underestimated the risk for infection (OR = 0.51, CI 0.31-0.84, P = 0.009). Perceived behavioural control was lower in the control group (meanCon  = 3.2, meanInt  = 3.5, P = 0.010). Performance of safety-related behaviours was unaffected by the intervention. Patients in the intervention group were less likely to experience any safety-related incident or unsafe situation (OR for intervention group = 0.57, CI 0.38-0.87, P = 0.009). There were no differences in concerns for errors during hospitalization. There were 96% of patients (intervention) who would recommend other patients to read the advisory. Conclusions  The results suggest that the safety advisory decreases experiences of adverse events and unsafe situations. It renders awareness and perceived behavioural control without increasing concerns for safety and

  16. Priming patient safety: A middle-range theory of safety goal priming via safety culture communication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Groves, Patricia S; Bunch, Jacinda L

    2018-05-18

    The aim of this paper is discussion of a new middle-range theory of patient safety goal priming via safety culture communication. Bedside nurses are key to safe care, but there is little theory about how organizations can influence nursing behavior through safety culture to improve patient safety outcomes. We theorize patient safety goal priming via safety culture communication may support organizations in this endeavor. According to this theory, hospital safety culture communication activates a previously held patient safety goal and increases the perceived value of actions nurses can take to achieve that goal. Nurses subsequently prioritize and are motivated to perform tasks and risk assessment related to achieving patient safety. These efforts continue until nurses mitigate or ameliorate identified risks and hazards during the patient care encounter. Critically, this process requires nurses to have a previously held safety goal associated with a repertoire of appropriate actions. This theory suggests undergraduate educators should foster an outcomes focus emphasizing the connections between nursing interventions and safety outcomes, hospitals should strategically structure patient safety primes into communicative activities, and organizations should support professional development including new skills and the latest evidence supporting nursing practice for patient safety. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  17. Developing patient safety in dentistry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pemberton, M N

    2014-10-01

    Patient safety has always been important and is a source of public concern. Recent high profile scandals and subsequent reports, such as the Francis report into the failings at Mid Staffordshire, have raised those concerns even higher. Mortality and significant morbidity associated with the practice of medicine has led to many strategies to help improve patient safety, however, with its lack of associated mortality and lower associated morbidity, dentistry has been slower at systematically considering how patient safety can be improved. Recently, several organisations, researchers and clinicians have discussed the need for a patient safety culture in dentistry. Strategies are available to help improve patient safety in healthcare and deserve further consideration in dentistry.

  18. Patient safety climate and worker safety behaviours in acute hospitals in Scotland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agnew, Cakil; Flin, Rhona; Mearns, Kathryn

    2013-06-01

    To obtain a measure of hospital safety climate from a sample of National Health Service (NHS) acute hospitals in Scotland and to test whether these scores were associated with worker safety behaviors, and patient and worker injuries. Data were from 1,866 NHS clinical staff in six Scottish acute hospitals. A Scottish Hospital Safety Questionnaire measured hospital safety climate (Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture), worker safety behaviors, and worker and patient injuries. The associations between the hospital safety climate scores and the outcome measures (safety behaviors, worker and patient injury rates) were examined. Hospital safety climate scores were significantly correlated with clinical workers' safety behavior and patient and worker injury measures, although the effect sizes were smaller for the latter. Regression analyses revealed that perceptions of staffing levels and managerial commitment were significant predictors for all the safety outcome measures. Both patient-specific and more generic safety climate items were found to have significant impacts on safety outcome measures. This study demonstrated the influences of different aspects of hospital safety climate on both patient and worker safety outcomes. Moreover, it has been shown that in a hospital setting, a safety climate supporting safer patient care would also help to ensure worker safety. The Scottish Hospital Safety Questionnaire has proved to be a usable method of measuring both hospital safety climate as well as patient and worker safety outcomes. Copyright © 2013 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. 76 FR 9351 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Delisting From West Virginia Center for Patient Safety

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-02-17

    ... Patient Safety, a component entity of West Virginia Hospital Association, West Virginia Medical Institute (WVMI), and West Virginia State Medical. Association (WVSMA), of its status as a Patient Safety... Patient Safety, a component entity of West Virginia Hospital Association, West Virginia Medical Institute...

  20. 77 FR 25179 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From Surgical Safety Institute

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-04-27

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety... voluntary relinquishment from the Surgical Safety Institute of its status as a Patient Safety Organization (PSO). The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act) authorizes the...

  1. National Patient Safety Foundation

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... News Member Testimonials Lifetime Members Stand Up for Patient Safety Welcome Stand Up Members Stand Up e-News ... PLS Webcast Archives Stand Up Templates and Logos Patient Safety Coalition Coalition Overview Coalition Member Roster Members-Only ...

  2. Safety for all: bringing together patient and employee safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stevenson, R Lynn; Moss, Lesley; Newlands, Tracey; Archer, Jana

    2013-01-01

    The safety of patients and of employees in healthcare have historically been separately managed and regulated. Despite efforts to reduce injury rates for employees and adverse events for patients, healthcare organizations continue to see less-than-optimal outcomes in both domains. This article challenges readers to consider how the traditional siloed approach to patient and employee safety can lead to duplication of effort, confusion, missed opportunities and unintended consequences. The authors propose that only through integrating patient and employee safety activities and challenging the paradigms that juxtapose the two will healthcare organizations experience sustained and improved safety practice and outcomes. Copyright © 2013 Longwoods Publishing.

  3. IMPROVING PATIENT SAFETY:

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bagger, Bettan; Taylor Kelly, Hélène; Hørdam, Britta

    Improving patient safety is both a national and international priority as millions of patients Worldwide suffer injury or death every year due to unsafe care. University College Zealand employs innovative pedagogical approaches in educational design. Regional challenges related to geographic......, social and cultural factors have resulted in a greater emphasis upon digital technology. Attempts to improve patient safety by optimizing students’ competencies in relation to the reporting of clinical errors, has resulted in the development of an interdisciplinary e-learning concept. The program makes...

  4. Challenging patient safety culture: survey results

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hellings, Johan; Schrooten, Ward; Klazinga, Niek; Vleugels, Arthur

    2007-01-01

    PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to measure patient safety culture in five Belgian general hospitals. Safety culture plays an important role in the approach towards greater patient safety in hospitals. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The Patient Safety Culture Hospital questionnaire was

  5. Researchers' Roles in Patient Safety Improvement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pietikäinen, Elina; Reiman, Teemu; Heikkilä, Jouko; Macchi, Luigi

    2016-03-01

    In this article, we explore how researchers can contribute to patient safety improvement. We aim to expand the instrumental role researchers have often occupied in relation to patient safety improvement. We reflect on our own improvement model and experiences as patient safety researchers in an ongoing Finnish multi-actor innovation project through self-reflective narration. Our own patient safety improvement model can be described as systemic. Based on the purpose of the innovation project, our improvement model, and the improvement models of the other actors in the project, we have carried out a wide range of activities. Our activities can be summarized in 8 overlapping patient safety improvement roles: modeler, influencer, supplier, producer, ideator, reflector, facilitator, and negotiator. When working side by side with "practice," researchers are offered and engage in several different activities. The way researchers contribute to patient safety improvement and balance between different roles depends on the purpose of the study, as well as on the underlying patient safety improvement models. Different patient safety research paradigms seem to emphasize different improvement roles, and thus, they also face different challenges. Open reflection on the underlying improvement models and roles can help researchers with different backgrounds-as well as other actors involved in patient safety improvement-in structuring their work and collaborating productively.

  6. Innovative Patient Safety Curriculum Using iPAD Game (PASSED) Improved Patient Safety Concepts in Undergraduate Medical Students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kow, A W C; Ang, B L S; Chong, C S; Tan, W B; Menon, K R

    2016-11-01

    While healthcare outcomes have improved significantly, the complex management of diseases in the hospitals has also escalated the risks in patient safety. Therefore, in the process of training medical students to be proficient in medical knowledge and skills, the importance of patient safety cannot be neglected. A new innovation using mobile apps gaming system (PAtient Safety in Surgical EDucation-PASSED) to teach medical students on patient safety was created. Students were taught concepts of patient safety followed by a gaming session using iPad games created by us. This study aims to evaluate the outcome of patient safety perception using the PASSED games created. An interactive iPad game focusing on patient safety issues was created by the undergraduate education team in the Department of Surgery, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore. The game employed the unique touched-screen feature with clinical scenarios extracted from the hospital sentinel events. Some of the questions were time sensitive, with extra bonus marks awarded if the student provided the correct answer within 10 s. Students could reattempt the questions if the initial answer was wrong. However, this entailed demerit points. Third-year medical students posted to the Department of Surgery experienced this gaming system in a cohort of 55-60 students. Baseline understanding of the students on patient safety was evaluated using Attitudes to Patient Safety Questionnaire III (APSQ-III) prior to the game. A 20 min talk on concept of patient safety using the WHO Patient Safety Guidelines was conducted. Following this, students downloaded the apps from ITune store and played with the game for 20-30 min. The session ended with the students completing the postintervention questionnaire. A total of 221 3rd year medical students responded to the survey during the PASSED session. Majority of the students felt that the PASSED game had trained them to understand the

  7. Measuring patient safety culture in Taiwan using the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, I-Chi; Li, Hung-Hui

    2010-06-07

    Patient safety is a critical component to the quality of health care. As health care organizations endeavour to improve their quality of care, there is a growing recognition of the importance of establishing a culture of patient safety. In this research, the authors use the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC) questionnaire to assess the culture of patient safety in Taiwan and attempt to provide an explanation for some of the phenomena that are unique in Taiwan. The authors used HSOPSC to measure the 12 dimensions of the patient safety culture from 42 hospitals in Taiwan. The survey received 788 respondents including physicians, nurses, and non-clinical staff. This study used SPSS 15.0 for Windows and Amos 7 software tools to perform the statistical analysis on the survey data, including descriptive statistics and confirmatory factor analysis of the structural equation model. The overall average positive response rate for the 12 patient safety culture dimensions of the HSOPSC survey was 64%, slightly higher than the average positive response rate for the AHRQ data (61%). The results showed that hospital staff in Taiwan feel positively toward patient safety culture in their organization. The dimension that received the highest positive response rate was "Teamwork within units", similar to the results reported in the US. The dimension with the lowest percentage of positive responses was "Staffing". Statistical analysis showed discrepancies between Taiwan and the US in three dimensions, including "Feedback and communication about error", "Communication openness", and "Frequency of event reporting". The HSOPSC measurement provides evidence for assessing patient safety culture in Taiwan. The results show that in general, hospital staffs in Taiwan feel positively toward patient safety culture within their organization. The existence of discrepancies between the US data and the Taiwanese data suggest that cultural uniqueness should be taken into

  8. PATIENT SAFETY IN SURGERY: THE QUALITY OF IMPLEMENTATION OF PATIENT SAFETY CHECKLISTS IN A REGIONAL HOSPITAL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. Karyadinata

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. Patient safety and the avoidance of inhospital adverse events is a key focus of clinical practice and medical audit. A large of proportion of medical errors affect surgical patients in the peri-operative setting. Safety checklists have been adopted by the medical profession from the aviation industry as a cheap and reliable method of avoiding errors which arise from complex or stressful situations. Current evidence suggests that the use of periooperative checklists has led to a decrease in surgical morbidity and hospital costs. Aim. To assess the quality of implementation of a modified patient safety checklist in a UK district general hospital. Methods. An observational tool was designed to assess in real time the peri-operative performance of the surgical safety checklist in patients undergoing general surgical, urological or orthopaedic procedures. Initiation of the checklist, duration of performance and staff participation were audited in real time. Results. 338 cases were monitored. Nurses were most active in initiating the safety checklist. The checklist was performed successfully in less than a minute in most cases. 11-24% of staff (according to professional group present in the operating room did not participate in the checklist. Critical safety checks (patient identity and procedure name were performed in all cases across all specialties. Variations were noted in checking other categories, such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT prophylaxis or patient warming. Conclusions. There is still a potential for improving the practice and culture of surgical patient safety activities. Staff training and designation of patient safety leadership roles is needed in increasing compliance and implementation of patient safety mechanism, such as peri-operative checklists. There is significant data to advocate the need to implement patient safety surgical checklists internationally

  9. Laboratory safety and the WHO World Alliance for Patient Safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCay, Layla; Lemer, Claire; Wu, Albert W

    2009-06-01

    Laboratory medicine has been a pioneer in the field of patient safety; indeed, the College of American Pathology first called attention to the issue in 1946. Delivering reliable laboratory results has long been considered a priority, as the data produced in laboratory medicine have the potential to critically influence individual patients' diagnosis and management. Until recently, most attention on laboratory safety has focused on the analytic stage of laboratory medicine. Addressing this stage has led to significant and impressive improvements in the areas over which laboratories have direct control. However, recent data demonstrate that pre- and post-analytical phases are at least as vulnerable to errors; to further improve patient safety in laboratory medicine, attention must now be focused on the pre- and post-analytic phases, and the concept of patient safety as a multi-disciplinary, multi-stage and multi-system concept better understood. The World Alliance for Patient Safety (WAPS) supports improvement of patient safety globally and provides a potential framework for considering the total testing process.

  10. Patient participation in patient safety and nursing input - a systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vaismoradi, Mojtaba; Jordan, Sue; Kangasniemi, Mari

    2015-03-01

    This systematic review aims to synthesise the existing research on how patients participate in patient safety initiatives. Ambiguities remain about how patients participate in routine measures designed to promote patient safety. Systematic review using integrative methods. Electronic databases were searched using keywords describing patient involvement, nursing input and patient safety initiatives to retrieve empirical research published between 2007 and 2013. Findings were synthesized using the theoretical domains of Vincent's framework for analysing risk and safety in clinical practice: "patient", "healthcare provider", "task", "work environment", "organisation & management". We identified 17 empirical research papers: four qualitative, one mixed-method and 12 quantitative designs. All 17 papers indicated that patients can participate in safety initiatives. Improving patient participation in patient safety necessitates considering the patient as a person, the nurse as healthcare provider, the task of participation and the clinical environment. Patients' knowledge, health conditions, beliefs and experiences influence their decisions to engage in patient safety initiatives. An important component of the management of long-term conditions is to ensure that patients have sufficient knowledge to participate. Healthcare providers may need further professional development in patient education and patient care management to promote patient involvement in patient safety, and ensure that patients understand that they are 'allowed' to inform nurses of adverse events or errors. A healthcare system characterised by patient-centredness and mutual acknowledgement will support patient participation in safety practices. Further research is required to improve international knowledge of patient participation in patient safety in different disciplines, contexts and cultures. Patients have a significant role to play in enhancing their own safety while receiving hospital care. This

  11. Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aikaterini Toska

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Due to a variety of circumstances and world-wide research findings, patient safety andquality care during hospitalization have emerged as major issues. Patient safety deficits may burdenhealth systems as well as allocated resources. The international community has examined severalproposals covering general and systemic aspects in order to improve patient safety; several long-termprograms and strategies have also been implemented promoting the participation of health-relatedagents, and also government agencies and non-governmental organizations.Aim: Those factors that have negative correlations with patient safety and quality healthcare weredetermined; WHO and EU programs as well as the Greek health policy were also reviewed.Method: Local and international literature was reviewed, including EU and WHO official publications,by using the appropriate keywords.Conclusions: International cooperation on patient safety is necessary in order to improvehospitalization and healthcare quality standards. Such incentives depend heavily on establishing worldwideviable and effective health programs and planning. These improvements also require further stepson safe work procedures, environment safety, hazard management, infection control, safe use ofequipment and medication, and sufficient healthcare staff.

  12. Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality

    OpenAIRE

    Aikaterini Toska; Panagiotis Kyloudis; Maria Rekleiti; Maria Saridi

    2012-01-01

    Introduction: Due to a variety of circumstances and world-wide research findings, patient safety andquality care during hospitalization have emerged as major issues. Patient safety deficits may burdenhealth systems as well as allocated resources. The international community has examined severalproposals covering general and systemic aspects in order to improve patient safety; several long-termprograms and strategies have also been implemented promoting the participation of health-relatedagent...

  13. Acute care patients discuss the patient role in patient safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rathert, Cheryl; Huddleston, Nicole; Pak, Youngju

    2011-01-01

    Patient safety has been a highly researched topic in health care since the year 2000. One strategy for improving patient safety has been to encourage patients to take an active role in their safety during their health care experiences. However, little research has shed light on how patients view their roles. This study attempted to address this deficit by inductively exploring the results of a qualitative study in which patients reported their ideas about what they believe their roles should be. Patients with an overnight stay in the previous 90 days at one of three hospitals were surveyed using a mailing methodology. Of 1,040 respondents, 491 provided an open-ended response regarding what they believe the patient role should be. Qualitative analysis found several prominent themes. The largest proportion of responses (23%) suggested that patients should follow instructions given by care providers. Other prominent themes were that patients should ask questions and become informed about their conditions and treatments, and many implied that they should expect competent care. Our results suggest that patients believe they should be able to trust that they are being provided competent care, as opposed to assuming a leadership role in their safety. Our results suggest that engaging patients in safety efforts may be complex, requiring a variety of strategies. Managers must provide environments conducive to staff and patient interactions to support patients in this effort. Different types of patients may require different engagement strategies.

  14. Patient safety is not elective: a debate at the NPSF Patient Safety Congress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McTiernan, Patricia; Wachter, Robert M; Meyer, Gregg S; Gandhi, Tejal K

    2015-02-01

    The opening keynote session of the 16th Annual National Patient Safety Foundation Patient Safety Congress, held 14-16 May 2014, featured a debate addressing the merits and challenges of accountability with respect to key issues in patient safety. The specific resolution debated was: Certain safety practices should be inviolable, and transgressions should result in penalties, potentially including fines, suspensions, and firing. The themes discussed in the debate are issues that healthcare professionals and leaders commonly struggle with in their day-to-day work. How do we draw a line between systems problems and personal failings? When should clinicians and staff be penalised for failing to follow a known safety protocol? The majority of those who listened to the live debate agreed that it is time to begin holding health professionals accountable when they wilfully or repeatedly violate policies or protocols put in place by their institutions to protect the safety of patients. This article summarises the debate as well as the questions and discussion generated by each side. A video of the original debate can be found at http://bit.ly/Npsf_debate. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  15. Patients' and healthcare workers' perceptions of a patient safety advisory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwappach, David L B; Frank, Olga; Koppenberg, Joachim; Müller, Beat; Wasserfallen, Jean-Blaise

    2011-12-01

    To assess patients' and healthcare workers' (hcw) attitudes and experiences with a patient safety advisory, to investigate predictors for patients' safety-related behaviors and determinants for staff support for the advisory. Cross-sectional surveys of patients (n= 1053) and hcw (n= 275). Three Swiss hospitals. Patients who received the safety advisory and hcw caring for these patients. Patient safety advisory disseminated to patients at the study hospitals. Attitudes towards and experiences with the advisory. Hcw support for the intervention and patients' intentions to apply the recommendations were modelled using regression analyses. Patients (95%) and hcw (78%) agreed that hospitals should educate patients how to prevent errors. Hcw and patients' evaluations of the safety advisory were positive and followed a similar pattern. Patients' intentions to engage in safety were significantly predicted by behavioral control, subjective norms, attitudes, safety behaviors during hospitalization and experiences with taking action. Hcw support for the campaign was predicted by rating of the advisory (Odds ratio (OR) 3.4, confidence interval (CI) 1.8-6.1, Ppatients (OR 1.9, CI 1.1-3.3, P= 0.034) and experience of unpleasant situations (OR 0.6, CI 0.4-1.0, P= 0.035). The safety advisory was well accepted by patients and hcw. To be successful, the advisory should be accompanied by measures that target norms and barriers in patients, and support staff in dealing with difficult situations.

  16. A multilevel model of patient safety culture: cross-level relationship between organizational culture and patient safety behavior in Taiwan's hospitals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, I-Chi; Ng, Hui-Fuang; Li, Hung-Hui

    2012-01-01

    As health-care organizations endeavor to improve their quality of care, there is a growing recognition of the importance of establishing a culture of patient safety. The main objective of this study was to investigate the cross-level influences of organizational culture on patient safety behavior in Taiwan's hospitals. The authors measured organizational culture (bureaucratic, supportive and innovative culture), patient safety culture and behavior from 788 hospital workers among 42 hospitals in Taiwan. Multilevel analysis was applied to explore the relationship between organizational culture (group level) and patient safety behavior (individual level). Patient safety culture had positive impact on patient safety behavior in Taiwan's hospitals. The results also indicated that bureaucratic, innovative and supportive organizational cultures all had direct influence on patient safety behavior. However, only supportive culture demonstrated significant moderation effect on the relationship between patient safety culture and patient safety behavior. Furthermore, organizational culture strength was shown correlated negatively with patient safety culture variability. Overall, organizational culture plays an important role in patient safety activities. Safety behaviors of hospital staff are partly influenced by the prevailing cultural norms in their organizations and work groups. For management implications, constructed patient priority from management commitment to leadership is necessary. For academic implications, research on patient safety should consider leadership, group dynamics and organizational learning. These factors are important for understanding the barriers and the possibilities embedded in patient safety. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  17. Educating future leaders in patient safety

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leotsakos, Agnès; Ardolino, Antonella; Cheung, Ronny; Zheng, Hao; Barraclough, Bruce; Walton, Merrilyn

    2014-01-01

    Education of health care professionals has given little attention to patient safety, resulting in limited understanding of the nature of risk in health care and the importance of strengthening systems. The World Health Organization developed the Patient Safety Curriculum Guide: Multiprofessional Edition to accelerate the incorporation of patient safety teaching into higher educational curricula. The World Health Organization Curriculum Guide uses a health system-focused, team-dependent approach, which impacts all health care professionals and students learning in an integrated way about how to operate within a culture of safety. The guide is pertinent in the context of global educational reforms and growing recognition of the need to introduce patient safety into health care professionals’ curricula. The guide helps to advance patient safety education worldwide in five ways. First, it addresses the variety of opportunities and contexts in which health care educators teach, and provides practical recommendations to learning. Second, it recommends shared learning by students of different professions, thus enhancing student capacity to work together effectively in multidisciplinary teams. Third, it provides guidance on a range of teaching methods and pedagogical activities to ensure that students understand that patient safety is a practical science teaching them to act in evidence-based ways to reduce patient risk. Fourth, it encourages supportive teaching and learning, emphasizing the need to establishing teaching environments in which students feel comfortable to learn and practice patient safety. Finally, it helps educators incorporate patient safety topics across all areas of clinical practice. PMID:25285012

  18. Safety and Efficacy of a Pharmacist-Managed Patient-Controlled Analgesia Service in Postsurgical Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGonigal, Katrina H; Giuliano, Christopher A; Hurren, Jeff

    2017-09-01

    To compare the safety and efficacy of a pharmacist-managed patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) service with physician/midlevel provider-managed (standard) PCA services in postsurgical patients. This was a multicenter, retrospective cohort study performed at 3 major hospitals in the Detroit, Michigan, metropolitan area. Postsurgical patients from October 2012 to December 2013 were included. The primary outcome compared the pain area under the curve adjusted for time on PCA (AUC/T) of patients receiving pharmacist-managed PCA services vs. standard care, up to 72 hours after initiation of PCA. Secondary outcomes included initial opioid selection, programmed PCA settings, duration of PCA use, frequency of adjunct analgesia utilization, and frequency of breakthrough analgesia utilization. Safety outcomes were assessed as a composite safety endpoint and individually. Total pain AUC/T scores did not differ between the pharmacist-managed and standard-managed groups (3.25 vs. 3.25, respectively; P = 0.98). Adjunct pain medications were given with similar frequency in the 2 groups; however, significantly fewer patients required breakthrough pain medication in the pharmacist-managed group (11% vs. 36%, respectively; P patients requiring antiemetic use (46% vs. 32%; P = 0.04). A pharmacist-managed PCA service provided no difference in pain control compared to standard management. The requirement for breakthrough analgesia was decreased in the pharmacist group, while the need for antiemetic use was increased. Further research should be conducted to evaluate different PCA management strategies. © 2016 World Institute of Pain.

  19. Patient safety culture in primary care

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Verbakel, N.J.

    2015-01-01

    Background A constructive patient safety culture is a main prerequisite for patient safety and improvement initiatives. Until now, patient safety culture (PSC) research was mainly focused on hospital care, however, it is of equal importance in primary care. Measuring PSC informs practices on their

  20. Patient Involvement in Patient Safety: A Qualitative Study of Nursing Staff and Patient Perceptions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bishop, Andrea C; Macdonald, Marilyn

    2017-06-01

    The risk associated with receiving health care has called for an increased focus on the role of patients in helping to improve safety. Recent research has highlighted that patient involvement in patient safety practices may be influenced by patient perceptions of patient safety practices and the perceptions of their health care providers. The objective of this research was to describe patient involvement in patient safety practices by exploring patient and nursing staff perceptions of safety. Qualitative focus groups were conducted with a convenience sample of nursing staff and patients who had previously completed a patient safety survey in 2 tertiary hospital sites in Eastern Canada. Six focus groups (June 2011 to January 2012) were conducted and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Four themes were identified: (1) wanting control, (2) feeling connected, (3) encountering roadblocks, and (4) sharing responsibility for safety. Both patient and nursing staff participants highlighted the importance of building a personal connection as a precursor to ensuring that patients are involved in their care and safety. However, perceptions of provider stress and nursing staff workload often reduced the ability of the nursing staff and patient participants to connect with one another and promote involvement. Current strategies aimed at increasing patient awareness of patient safety may not be enough. The findings suggest that providing the context for interaction to occur between nursing staff and patients as well as targeted interventions aimed at increasing patient control may be needed to ensure patient involvement in patient safety.

  1. Projected Impact of Compositional Verification on Current and Future Aviation Safety Risk

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reveley, Mary S.; Withrow, Colleen A.; Leone, Karen M.; Jones, Sharon M.

    2014-01-01

    The projected impact of compositional verification research conducted by the National Aeronautic and Space Administration System-Wide Safety and Assurance Technologies on aviation safety risk was assessed. Software and compositional verification was described. Traditional verification techniques have two major problems: testing at the prototype stage where error discovery can be quite costly and the inability to test for all potential interactions leaving some errors undetected until used by the end user. Increasingly complex and nondeterministic aviation systems are becoming too large for these tools to check and verify. Compositional verification is a "divide and conquer" solution to addressing increasingly larger and more complex systems. A review of compositional verification research being conducted by academia, industry, and Government agencies is provided. Forty-four aviation safety risks in the Biennial NextGen Safety Issues Survey were identified that could be impacted by compositional verification and grouped into five categories: automation design; system complexity; software, flight control, or equipment failure or malfunction; new technology or operations; and verification and validation. One capability, 1 research action, 5 operational improvements, and 13 enablers within the Federal Aviation Administration Joint Planning and Development Office Integrated Work Plan that could be addressed by compositional verification were identified.

  2. Involving patients in patient safety programmes: A scoping review and consensus procedure by the LINNEAUS collaboration on patient safety in primary care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trier, Hans; Valderas, Jose M; Wensing, Michel; Martin, Helle Max; Egebart, Jonas

    2015-09-01

    Patient involvement has only recently received attention as a potentially useful approach to patient safety in primary care. To summarize work conducted on a scoping review of interventions focussing on patient involvement for patient safety; to develop consensus-based recommendations in this area. Scoping review of the literature 2006-2011 about methods and effects of involving patients in patient safety in primary care identified evidence for previous experiences of patient involvement in patient safety. This information was fed back to an expert panel for the development of recommendations for healthcare professionals and policy makers. The scoping review identified only weak evidence in support of the effectiveness of patient involvement. Identified barriers included a number of patient factors but also the healthcare workers' attitudes, abilities and lack of training. The expert panel recommended the integration of patient safety in the educational curricula for healthcare professionals, and expected a commitment from professionals to act as first movers by inviting and encouraging the patients to take an active role. The panel proposed a checklist to be used by primary care clinicians at the point of care for promoting patient involvement. There is only weak evidence on the effectiveness of patient involvement in patient safety. The recommendations of the panel can inform future policy and practice on patient involvement in safety in primary care.

  3. Role of effective nurse-patient relationships in enhancing patient safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conroy, Tiffany; Feo, Rebecca; Boucaut, Rose; Alderman, Jan; Kitson, Alison

    2017-08-02

    Ensuring and maintaining patient safety is an essential aspect of care provision. Safety is a multidimensional concept, which incorporates interrelated elements such as physical and psychosocial safety. An effective nurse-patient relationship should ensure that these elements are considered when planning and providing care. This article discusses the importance of an effective nurse-patient relationship, as well as healthcare environments and working practices that promote safety, thus ensuring optimal patient care.

  4. The root cause of patient safety concerns in an Internet pharmacy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montoya, Isaac D

    2008-07-01

    The Internet has become a revolutionary technology that affords worldwide opportunities never seen before. One such opportunity is the purchase of drugs over the Internet and the business of Internet pharmacies which has become prolific. Associated with this proliferation is the concern for patient safety. Numerous studies have shown that drugs purchased over the Internet come from pharmacies in a country other than the one where the patient resides and these pharmacies are not licensed, sometimes provide drugs without a prescription and that are not of the same composition as they should be, and do not provide adequate directions to the patient. In addition, the packaging of the drugs may be compromised resulting in altered medication. This paper examines the root cause of patient safety issues in Internet pharmacies. A review of the literature including the marketing literature was conducted. Healthcare marketing concepts guide business owners to identify patients' wants and distinguish them from their needs. Marketing principles detail aggressive marketing strategies within an organization's mission and in an ethical manner. Some Internet pharmacies misinterpret proven marketing principles and become overly aggressive in the market place focusing only on sales and profit rather than focusing on patient safety and long-term success of the Internet pharmacy.

  5. Assessment of Contributions to Patient Safety Knowledge by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality-Funded Patient Safety Projects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sorbero, Melony E S; Ricci, Karen A; Lovejoy, Susan; Haviland, Amelia M; Smith, Linda; Bradley, Lily A; Hiatt, Liisa; Farley, Donna O

    2009-01-01

    Objective To characterize the activities of projects funded in Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)' patient safety portfolio and assess their aggregate potential to contribute to knowledge development. Data Sources Information abstracted from proposals for projects funded in AHRQ' patient safety portfolio, information on safety practices from the AHRQ Evidence Report on Patient Safety Practices, and products produced by the projects. Study Design This represented one part of the process evaluation conducted as part of a longitudinal evaluation based on the Context–Input–Process–Product model. Principal Findings The 234 projects funded through AHRQ' patient safety portfolio examined a wide variety of patient safety issues and extended their work beyond the hospital setting to less studied parts of the health care system. Many of the projects implemented and tested practices for which the patient safety evidence report identified a need for additional evidence. The funded projects also generated a substantial body of new patient safety knowledge through a growing number of journal articles and other products. Conclusions The projects funded in AHRQ' patient safety portfolio have the potential to make substantial contributions to the knowledge base on patient safety. The full value of this new knowledge remains to be confirmed through the synthesis of results. PMID:21456108

  6. Selection of indicators for continuous monitoring of patient safety: recommendations of the project 'safety improvement for patients in Europe'

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kristensen, Solvejg; Mainz, Jan; Bartels, Paul

    2009-01-01

    such as culture, infections, surgical complications, medication errors, obstetrics, falls and specific diagnostic areas. CONCLUSION: The patient safety indicators recommended present a set of possible measures of patient safety. One of the future perspectives of implementing patient safety indicators...... for systematic monitoring is that it will be possible to continuously estimate the prevalence and incidence of patient safety quality problems. The lesson learnt from quality improvement is that it will pay off in terms of improving patient safety....

  7. Patients for patient safety in China: a cross sectional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Qiongwen; Li, Yulin; Li, Jing; Mao, Xuanyue; Zhang, Lijuan; Ying, Qinghua; Wei, Xin; Shang, Lili; Zhang, Mingming

    2012-02-01

    To investigate the baseline status of patients' awareness, knowledge, and attitudes to patient safety in China, and to determine the factors that influence patients' involvement in patient safety. We conducted a cross sectional survey using questionnaires adapted from recent studies on patient safety from outside China. The items included medical errors, infection, medication safety, and other aspects of patient safety. The questionnaire included 17 items and 5 domains. The survey was conducted between Jan. 2009 and Dec. 2010 involving 1000 patients from ten grade-A hospitals in seven provinces or cities in China. Most patients from the surgery departments completed the questionnaires voluntarily and anonymously. Five reviewers independently input the data into Microsoft Excel 2003, and the data were double-checked. Data were analyzed using SPSS 15.0 software for differences in the perceptions and attitudes of patients toward patient safety among different genders, ages, and regions. We distributed 1000 questionnaires and collected 959 completed questionnaires (response rate: 96%). Among the respondents, 58% of patients did not know what medical error is. Sixty-five percent of patients wanted disclosure of all medical errors. After errors occurred, 58% of patients wanted explanations of all possible harms that had resulted. Among 187 patients who had experienced medical errors, 83% of patients had sought appropriate legal action. About 52% of patients understood hospital infection, but 28% patients did not know that infections could occur in hospital. Seventy-eight percent of patients thought that medical staff should wash their hands before examining patients. More than half of the patients (68%) were willing to remind the staff of hygiene if they saw unsanitary conditions in a health clinic. Only 14% of patients knew the side effects of medications that they took. The majority of patients surveyed expressed willingness to contribute to patient safety, but their

  8. Patient safety culture in Norwegian nursing homes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bondevik, Gunnar Tschudi; Hofoss, Dag; Husebø, Bettina Sandgathe; Deilkås, Ellen Catharina Tveter

    2017-06-20

    Patient safety culture concerns leader and staff interaction, attitudes, routines, awareness and practices that impinge on the risk of patient-adverse events. Due to their complex multiple diseases, nursing home patients are at particularly high risk of adverse events. Studies have found an association between patient safety culture and the risk of adverse events. This study aimed to investigate safety attitudes among healthcare providers in Norwegian nursing homes, using the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire - Ambulatory Version (SAQ-AV). We studied whether variations in safety attitudes were related to professional background, age, work experience and mother tongue. In February 2016, 463 healthcare providers working in five nursing homes in Tønsberg, Norway, were invited to answer the SAQ-AV, translated and adapted to the Norwegian nursing home setting. Previous validation of the Norwegian SAQ-AV for nursing homes identified five patient safety factors: teamwork climate, safety climate, job satisfaction, working conditions and stress recognition. SPSS v.22 was used for statistical analysis, which included estimations of mean values, standard deviations and multiple linear regressions. P-values safety factors teamwork climate, safety climate, job satisfaction and working conditions. Not being a Norwegian native speaker was associated with a significantly higher mean score for job satisfaction and a significantly lower mean score for stress recognition. Neither professional background nor work experience were significantly associated with mean scores for any patient safety factor. Patient safety factor scores in nursing homes were poorer than previously found in Norwegian general practices, but similar to findings in out-of-hours primary care clinics. Patient safety culture assessment may help nursing home leaders to initiate targeted quality improvement interventions. Further research should investigate associations between patient safety culture and the occurrence

  9. A multicenter prospective study of patients undergoing open ventral hernia repair with intraperitoneal positioning using the monofilament polyester composite ventral patch

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Berrevoet, Frederik; Doerhoff, Carl; Muysoms, Filip

    2017-01-01

    PURPOSE: This study assessed the recurrence rate and other safety and efficacy parameters following ventral hernia repair with a polyester composite prosthesis (Parietex™ Composite Ventral Patch [PCO-VP]). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A single-arm, multicenter prospective study of 126 patients undergoing...

  10. Simulation research to enhance patient safety and outcomes: recommendations of the Simnovate Patient Safety Domain Group

    OpenAIRE

    Pucher, PH; Tamblyn, R; Boorman, D; Dixon-Woods, Mary Margaret; Donaldson, L; Draycott, T; Forster, A; Nadkarni, V; Power, C; Sevdalis, N; Aggarwal, R

    2017-01-01

    The use of simulation-based training has established itself in healthcare but its implementation has been varied and mostly limited to technical and non-technical skills training. This article discusses the possibilities of the use of simulation as part of an overarching approach to improving patient safety, and represents the views of the Simnovate Patient Safety Domain Group, an international multidisciplinary expert group dedicated to the improvement of patient safety. The application and ...

  11. Patient safety culture assessment in oman.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Mandhari, Ahmed; Al-Zakwani, Ibrahim; Al-Kindi, Moosa; Tawilah, Jihane; Dorvlo, Atsu S S; Al-Adawi, Samir

    2014-07-01

    To illustrate the patient safety culture in Oman as gleaned via 12 indices of patient safety culture derived from the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSPSC) and to compare the average positive response rates in patient safety culture between Oman and the USA, Taiwan, and Lebanon. This was a cross-sectional research study employed to gauge the performance of HSPSC safety indices among health workers representing five secondary and tertiary care hospitals in the northern region of Oman. The participants (n=398) represented different professional designations of hospital staff. Analyses were performed using univariate statistics. The overall average positive response rate for the 12 patient safety culture dimensions of the HSPSC survey in Oman was 58%. The indices from HSPSC that were endorsed the highest included 'organizational learning and continuous improvement' while conversely, 'non-punitive response to errors' was ranked the least. There were no significant differences in average positive response rates between Oman and the United States (58% vs. 61%; p=0.666), Taiwan (58% vs. 64%; p=0.386), and Lebanon (58% vs. 61%; p=0.666). This study provides the first empirical study on patient safety culture in Oman which is similar to those rates reported elsewhere. It highlights the specific strengths and weaknesses which may stem from the specific milieu prevailing in Oman.

  12. Patient Safety Culture Assessment in Oman

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Mandhari, Ahmed; Al-Zakwani, Ibrahim; Al-Kindi, Moosa; Tawilah, Jihane; Dorvlo, Atsu S.S.; Al-Adawi, Samir

    2014-01-01

    Objective To illustrate the patient safety culture in Oman as gleaned via 12 indices of patient safety culture derived from the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSPSC) and to compare the average positive response rates in patient safety culture between Oman and the USA, Taiwan, and Lebanon. Methods This was a cross-sectional research study employed to gauge the performance of HSPSC safety indices among health workers representing five secondary and tertiary care hospitals in the northern region of Oman. The participants (n=398) represented different professional designations of hospital staff. Analyses were performed using univariate statistics. Results The overall average positive response rate for the 12 patient safety culture dimensions of the HSPSC survey in Oman was 58%. The indices from HSPSC that were endorsed the highest included ‘organizational learning and continuous improvement’ while conversely, ‘non-punitive response to errors’ was ranked the least. There were no significant differences in average positive response rates between Oman and the United States (58% vs. 61%; p=0.666), Taiwan (58% vs. 64%; p=0.386), and Lebanon (58% vs. 61%; p=0.666). Conclusion This study provides the first empirical study on patient safety culture in Oman which is similar to those rates reported elsewhere. It highlights the specific strengths and weaknesses which may stem from the specific milieu prevailing in Oman. PMID:25170407

  13. Safety Evaluation Report: Development of Improved Composite Pressure Vessels for Hydrogen Storage, Lincoln Composites, Lincoln, NE, May 25, 2010

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fort, III, William C. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Kallman, Richard A. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Maes, Miguel [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Skolnik, Edward G. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Weiner, Steven C. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

    2010-12-22

    Lincoln Composites operates a facility for designing, testing, and manufacturing composite pressure vessels. Lincoln Composites also has a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded project to develop composite tanks for high-pressure hydrogen storage. The initial stage of this project involves testing the permeation of high-pressure hydrogen through polymer liners. The company recently moved and is constructing a dedicated research/testing laboratory at their new location. In the meantime, permeation tests are being performed in a corner of a large manufacturing facility. The safety review team visited the Lincoln Composites site on May 25, 2010. The project team presented an overview of the company and project and took the safety review team on a tour of the facility. The safety review team saw the entire process of winding a carbon fiber/resin tank on a liner, installing the boss and valves, and curing and painting the tank. The review team also saw the new laboratory that is being built for the DOE project and the temporary arrangement for the hydrogen permeation tests.

  14. Building patient safety in intensive care nursing : Patient safety culture, team performance and simulation-based training

    OpenAIRE

    Ballangrud, Randi

    2013-01-01

    Aim: The overall aim of the thesis was to investigate patient safety culture, team performance and the use of simulation-based team training for building patient safety in intensive care nursing. Methods: Quantitative and qualitative methods were used. In Study I, 220 RNs from ten ICUs responded to a patient safety culture questionnaire analysed with statistics. Studies II-IV were based on an evaluation of a simulation-based team training programme. Studies II-III included 53 RNs from seven I...

  15. The relationship between organizational leadership for safety and learning from patient safety events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ginsburg, Liane R; Chuang, You-Ta; Berta, Whitney Blair; Norton, Peter G; Ng, Peggy; Tregunno, Deborah; Richardson, Julia

    2010-06-01

    To examine the relationship between organizational leadership for patient safety and five types of learning from patient safety events (PSEs). Forty-nine general acute care hospitals in Ontario, Canada. A nonexperimental design using cross-sectional surveys of hospital patient safety officers (PSOs) and patient care managers (PCMs). PSOs provided data on organization-level learning from (a) minor events, (b) moderate events, (c) major near misses, (d) major event analysis, and (e) major event dissemination/communication. PCMs provided data on organizational leadership (formal and informal) for patient safety. Hospitals were the unit of analysis. Seemingly unrelated regression was used to examine the influence of formal and informal leadership for safety on the five types of learning from PSEs. The interaction between leadership and hospital size was also examined. Formal organizational leadership for patient safety is an important predictor of learning from minor, moderate, and major near-miss events, and major event dissemination. This relationship is significantly stronger for small hospitals (learning from safety events. Formal leadership support for safety is of particular importance in small organizations where the economic burden of safety programs is disproportionately large and formal leadership is closer to the front lines.

  16. Safety evaluation of the radioactive waste-cement composites, (4)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsuzuru, Hideo; Wadachi, Yoshiki; Ito, Akihiko

    1976-10-01

    The leaching behavior of 137 Cs has been studied to evaluate safety of sea and ground disposal of the cement composites. The rate depends on flow rate of the external solution, particle radius and composition of the cement composite. The rate-determining step of the leaching in the dynamic condition is the internal diffusion through the matrix cement composite. The rate in the static condition, on the other hand is controlled by external diffusion through the interface layer between solid and liquid. The cement composites containing mineral zeolite(25%) give very low leachability; the leaching fraction is 0.001 - 0.02 for the portland cement and 0.001 - 0.002 for the slag cement. (auth.)

  17. John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety Awards. System innovation: Veterans Health Administration National Center for Patient Safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heget, Jeffrey R; Bagian, James P; Lee, Caryl Z; Gosbee, John W

    2002-12-01

    In 1998 the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) created the National Center for Patient Safety (NCPS) to lead the effort to reduce adverse events and close calls systemwide. NCPS's aim is to foster a culture of safety in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) by developing and providing patient safety programs and delivering standardized tools, methods, and initiatives to the 163 VA facilities. To create a system-oriented approach to patient safety, NCPS looked for models in fields such as aviation, nuclear power, human factors, and safety engineering. Core concepts included a non-punitive approach to patient safety activities that emphasizes systems-based learning, the active seeking out of close calls, which are viewed as opportunities for learning and investigation, and the use of interdisciplinary teams to investigate close calls and adverse events through a root cause analysis (RCA) process. Participation by VA facilities and networks was voluntary. NCPS has always aimed to develop a program that would be applicable both within the VA and beyond. NCPS's full patient safety program was tested and implemented throughout the VA system from November 1999 to August 2000. Program components included an RCA system for use by caregivers at the front line, a system for the aggregate review of RCA results, information systems software, alerts and advisories, and cognitive acids. Following program implementation, NCPS saw a 900-fold increase in reporting of close calls of high-priority events, reflecting the level of commitment to the program by VHA leaders and staff.

  18. Involving patients in patient safety programmes: A scoping review and consensus procedure by the LINNEAUS collaboration on patient safety in primary care

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Trier, H.; Valderas, J.M.; Wensing, M.; Martin, H.M.; Egebart, J.

    2015-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Patient involvement has only recently received attention as a potentially useful approach to patient safety in primary care. OBJECTIVE: To summarize work conducted on a scoping review of interventions focussing on patient involvement for patient safety; to develop consensus-based

  19. Implementing Patient Safety Initiatives in Rural Hospitals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klingner, Jill; Moscovice, Ira; Tupper, Judith; Coburn, Andrew; Wakefield, Mary

    2009-01-01

    Implementation of patient safety initiatives can be costly in time and energy. Because of small volumes and limited resources, rural hospitals often are not included in nationally driven patient safety initiatives. This article describes the Tennessee Rural Hospital Patient Safety Demonstration project, whose goal was to strengthen capacity for…

  20. Evaluation of Patient Safety Culture and Organizational Culture as a Step in Patient Safety Improvement in a Hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Afrisya Iriviranty

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Establishment of patient safety culture is the first step in the improvement of patient safety. As such, assessment of patient safety culture in hospitals is of paramount importance. Patient safety culture is an inherent component of organizational culture, so that the study of organizational culture is required in developing patient safety. This study aimed to evaluate patient safety culture among the clinical staff of a hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia and identify organizational culture profile. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive, qualitative study was conducted in a hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2014. Sample population consisted of nurses, midwives, physicians, pediatricians, obstetrics and gynecology specialists, laboratory personnel, and pharmacy staff (n=152. Data were collected using the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ and Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI. Results: Teamwork within units” was the strongest dimension of patient safety culture (91.7%, while “staffing” and “non-punitive response to error” were the weakest dimensions (22.7%. Moreover, clan culture was the most dominant type of organizational culture in the studied hospital. This culture serves as a guide for the changes in the healthcare organization, especially in the development of patient safety culture. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, healthcare providers were positively inclined toward the patient safety culture within the organization. As such, the action plan was designed through consensus decision-making and deemed effective in articulating patient safety in the vision and mission of the organization.

  1. Leadership, safety climate, and continuous quality improvement: impact on process quality and patient safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McFadden, Kathleen L; Stock, Gregory N; Gowen, Charles R

    2014-10-01

    Successful amelioration of medical errors represents a significant problem in the health care industry. There is a need for greater understanding of the factors that lead to improved process quality and patient safety outcomes in hospitals. We present a research model that shows how transformational leadership, safety climate, and continuous quality improvement (CQI) initiatives are related to objective quality and patient safety outcome measures. The proposed framework is tested using structural equation modeling, based on data collected for 204 hospitals, and supplemented with objective outcome data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The results provide empirical evidence that a safety climate, which is connected to the chief executive officer's transformational leadership style, is related to CQI initiatives, which are linked to improved process quality. A unique finding of this study is that, although CQI initiatives are positively associated with improved process quality, they are also associated with higher hospital-acquired condition rates, a measure of patient safety. Likewise, safety climate is directly related to improved patient safety outcomes. The notion that patient safety climate and CQI initiatives are not interchangeable or universally beneficial is an important contribution to the literature. The results confirm the importance of using CQI to effectively enhance process quality in hospitals, and patient safety climate to improve patient safety outcomes. The overall pattern of findings suggests that simultaneous implementation of CQI initiatives and patient safety climate produces greater combined benefits.

  2. Managing patient safety through NPSGs and employee performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adair, Liberty

    2010-01-01

    Patient safety can only exist in a culture of patient safety, which implies it is a value perceived by all. Culture predicts safety outcomes and leadership predicts the culture. Leaders are obligated to continually mitigate hazard and take action consciously. Healthcare workers should focus on preventing and reporting mistakes with the National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs) in mind. These include: accuracy of patient identification, effectiveness of communication among caregivers, improving safety of medications, reducing infections, reducing risk of falls, and encouraging patients to be involved in care. Poor performers and reckless behavior need to be mitigated. If employees recognize their roles in the process, feel empowered,and have appropriate tools, resources,and data to implement solutions, errors can be avoided and patient safety becomes paramount.

  3. Laboratory test requesting appropriateness and patient safety

    CERN Document Server

    Blasco, Álvaro; Carratalá, Arturo; Lopez-Garrígos, Maite; Rodriguez-Borja, Enrique

    2016-01-01

    Patient Safety emphasizes the reporting, analysis and prevention of medical errors that very often leads to adverse healthcare situations.1 in 10 patients are impacted by medical errors.The WHO calls the patient safety issue an endemic concern. A number of well-known experts of all areas in the medical field have collectedvery valuable information for a better patient treatment and higher safety culture in all medical disciplines.

  4. 78 FR 17212 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From Universal Safety Solution PSO

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-20

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety... Research and Quality (AHRQ), HHS. ACTION: Notice of delisting. SUMMARY: The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act), Public Law 109-41, 42 U.S.C. 299b-21--b-26, provides for the...

  5. The Danish patient safety experience: the Act on Patient Safety in the Danish Health care system

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lundgaard, Mette; Rabøl, Louise; Jensen, Elisabeth Agnete Brøgger

    2005-01-01

    This paper describes the process that lead to the passing of the Act for Patient Safety in the Danisk health care sytem, the contents of the act and how the act is used in the Danish health care system. The act obligates frontline health care personnel to report adverse events, hospital owners...... to act on the reports and the National Board of Health to commuicate the learning nationally. The act protects health care providers from sanctions as a result of reporting. In January 2004, the Act on Patient Safety in the Danish health care system was put into force. In the first twelve months 5740...... adverse events were reported. the reports were analyzed locally (hospital and region), anonymized ad then sent to the National Board af Health. The Act on Patient Safety has driven the work with patient safety forward but there is room for improvement. Continuous and improved feedback from all parts...

  6. Patients' evaluations of patient safety in English general practices: a cross-sectional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ricci-Cabello, Ignacio; Marsden, Kate S; Avery, Anthony J; Bell, Brian G; Kadam, Umesh T; Reeves, David; Slight, Sarah P; Perryman, Katherine; Barnett, Jane; Litchfield, Ian; Thomas, Sally; Campbell, Stephen M; Doos, Lucy; Esmail, Aneez; Valderas, Jose M

    2017-07-01

    Description of safety problems and harm in general practices has previously relied on information from health professionals, with scarce attention paid to experiences of patients. To examine patient-reported experiences and outcomes of patient safety in primary care. Cross-sectional study in 45 general practices across five regions in the north, centre, and south of England. A version of the Patient Reported Experiences and Outcomes of Safety in Primary Care (PREOS-PC) questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 6736 patients. Main outcome measures included 'practice activation' (what a practice does to create a safe environment); 'patient activation' (how proactive are patients in ensuring safe healthcare delivery); 'experiences of safety events' (safety errors); 'outcomes of safety' (harm); and 'overall perception of safety' (how safe patients rate their practice). Questionnaires were returned by 1244 patients (18.4%). Scores were high for 'practice activation' (mean [standard error] = 80.4 out of 100 [2.0]) and low for 'patient activation' (26.3 out of 100 [2.6]). Of the patients, 45% reported experiencing at least one safety problem in the previous 12 months, mostly related to appointments (33%), diagnosis (17%), patient provider communication (15%), and coordination between providers (14%). Twenty-three per cent of the responders reported some degree of harm in the previous 12 months. The overall assessment of level of safety of practices was generally high (86.0 out of 100 [16.8]). Priority areas for patient safety improvement in general practices in England include appointments, diagnosis, communication, coordination, and patient activation. © British Journal of General Practice 2017.

  7. A research agenda on patient safety in primary care. Recommendations by the LINNEAUS collaboration on patient safety in primary care

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verstappen, Wim; Gaal, Sander; Bowie, Paul; Parker, Diane; Lainer, Miriam; Valderas, Jose M.; Wensing, Michel; Esmail, Aneez

    2015-01-01

    ABSTRACT Background: Healthcare can cause avoidable serious harm to patients. Primary care is not an exception, and the relative lack of research in this area lends urgency to a better understanding of patient safety, the future research agenda and the development of primary care oriented safety programmes. Objective: To outline a research agenda for patient safety improvement in primary care in Europe and beyond. Methods: The LINNEAUS collaboration partners analysed existing research on epidemiology and classification of errors, diagnostic and medication errors, safety culture, and learning for and improving patient safety. We discussed ideas for future research in several meetings, workshops and congresses with LINNEAUS collaboration partners, practising GPs, researchers in this field, and policy makers. Results: This paper summarizes and integrates the outcomes of the LINNEAUS collaboration on patient safety in primary care. It proposes a research agenda on improvement strategies for patient safety in primary care. In addition, it provides background information to help to connect research in this field with practicing GPs and other healthcare workers in primary care. Conclusion: Future research studies should target specific primary care domains, using prospective methods and innovative methods such as patient involvement. PMID:26339841

  8. A research agenda on patient safety in primary care. Recommendations by the LINNEAUS collaboration on patient safety in primary care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verstappen, Wim; Gaal, Sander; Bowie, Paul; Parker, Diane; Lainer, Miriam; Valderas, Jose M; Wensing, Michel; Esmail, Aneez

    2015-09-01

    Healthcare can cause avoidable serious harm to patients. Primary care is not an exception, and the relative lack of research in this area lends urgency to a better understanding of patient safety, the future research agenda and the development of primary care oriented safety programmes. To outline a research agenda for patient safety improvement in primary care in Europe and beyond. The LINNEAUS collaboration partners analysed existing research on epidemiology and classification of errors, diagnostic and medication errors, safety culture, and learning for and improving patient safety. We discussed ideas for future research in several meetings, workshops and congresses with LINNEAUS collaboration partners, practising GPs, researchers in this field, and policy makers. This paper summarizes and integrates the outcomes of the LINNEAUS collaboration on patient safety in primary care. It proposes a research agenda on improvement strategies for patient safety in primary care. In addition, it provides background information to help to connect research in this field with practicing GPs and other healthcare workers in primary care. Future research studies should target specific primary care domains, using prospective methods and innovative methods such as patient involvement.

  9. Applying importance-performance analysis to patient safety culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Yii-Ching; Wu, Hsin-Hung; Hsieh, Wan-Lin; Weng, Shao-Jen; Hsieh, Liang-Po; Huang, Chih-Hsuan

    2015-01-01

    The Sexton et al.'s (2006) safety attitudes questionnaire (SAQ) has been widely used to assess staff's attitudes towards patient safety in healthcare organizations. However, to date there have been few studies that discuss the perceptions of patient safety both from hospital staff and upper management. The purpose of this paper is to improve and to develop better strategies regarding patient safety in healthcare organizations. The Chinese version of SAQ based on the Taiwan Joint Commission on Hospital Accreditation is used to evaluate the perceptions of hospital staff. The current study then lies in applying importance-performance analysis technique to identify the major strengths and weaknesses of the safety culture. The results show that teamwork climate, safety climate, job satisfaction, stress recognition and working conditions are major strengths and should be maintained in order to provide a better patient safety culture. On the contrary, perceptions of management and hospital handoffs and transitions are important weaknesses and should be improved immediately. Research limitations/implications - The research is restricted in generalizability. The assessment of hospital staff in patient safety culture is physicians and registered nurses. It would be interesting to further evaluate other staff's (e.g. technicians, pharmacists and others) opinions regarding patient safety culture in the hospital. Few studies have clearly evaluated the perceptions of healthcare organization management regarding patient safety culture. Healthcare managers enable to take more effective actions to improve the level of patient safety by investigating key characteristics (either strengths or weaknesses) that healthcare organizations should focus on.

  10. Emotional influences in patient safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Croskerry, Pat; Abbass, Allan; Wu, Albert W

    2010-12-01

    The way that health care providers feel, both within themselves and toward their patients, may influence their clinical performance and impact patient safety, yet this aspect of provider behavior has received relatively little attention. How providers feel, their emotional or affective state, may exert a significant, unintended influence on their patients, and may compromise safety. We examined a broad literature across multiple disciplines to review the interrelationships between emotion, decision making, and behavior, and to assess their potential impact on patient safety. There is abundant evidence that the emotional state of the health care provider may be influenced by factors including characteristics of the patient, ambient conditions in the health care setting, diurnal, circadian, infradian, and seasonal variables, as well as endogenous disorders of the individual provider. These influences may lead to affective biases in decision making, resulting in errors and adverse events. Clinical reasoning and judgment may be particularly susceptible to emotional influence, especially those processes that rely on intuitive judgments. There are many ways that the emotional state of the health care provider can influence patient care. To reduce emotional errors, the level of awareness of these factors should be raised. Emotional skills training should be incorporated into the education of health care professionals. Specifically, clinical teaching should promote more openness and discussion about the provider's feelings toward patients. Strategies should be developed to help providers identify and de-bias themselves against emotional influences that may impact care, particularly in the emotionally evocative patient. Psychiatric conditions within the provider, which may compromise patient safety, need to be promptly detected, diagnosed, and managed.

  11. [Operating Room Nurses' Experiences of Securing for Patient Safety].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Kwang Ok; Kim, Jong Kyung; Kim, Myoung Sook

    2015-10-01

    This study was done to evaluate the experience of securing patient safety in hospital operating rooms. Experiential data were collected from 15 operating room nurses through in-depth interviews. The main question was "Could you describe your experience with patient safety in the operating room?". Qualitative data from the field and transcribed notes were analyzed using Strauss and Corbin's grounded theory methodology. The core category of experience with patient safety in the operating room was 'trying to maintain principles of patient safety during high-risk surgical procedures'. The participants used two interactional strategies: 'attempt continuous improvement', 'immersion in operation with sharing issues of patient safety'. The results indicate that the important factors for ensuring the safety of patients in the operating room are manpower, education, and a system for patient safety. Successful and safe surgery requires communication, teamwork and recognition of the importance of patient safety by the surgical team.

  12. Processing and storage of blood components: strategies to improve patient safety

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pietersz RNI

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Ruby NI Pietersz, Pieter F van der Meer Department of Product and Process Development, Sanquin Blood Bank, Amsterdam, the Netherlands Abstract: This review focuses on safety improvements of blood processing of various blood components and their respective storage. A solid quality system to ensure safe and effective blood components that are traceable from a donor to the patient is the foundation of a safe blood supply. To stimulate and guide this process, National Health Authorities should develop guidelines for blood transfusion, including establishment of a quality system. Blood component therapy enabled treatment of patients with blood constituents that were missing, only thus preventing reactions to unnecessarily transfused elements. Leukoreduction prevents many adverse reactions and also improves the quality of the blood components during storage. The safety of red cells and platelets is improved by replacement of plasma with preservative solutions, which results in the reduction of isoantibodies and plasma proteins. Automation of blood collection, separation of whole blood into components, and consecutive processing steps, such as preparation of platelet concentrate from multiple donations, improves the consistent composition of blood components. Physicians can better prescribe the number of transfusions and therewith reduce donor exposure and/or the risk of pathogen transmission. Pathogen reduction in cellular blood components is the latest development in improving the safety of blood transfusions for patients. Keywords: blood components, red cell concentrates, platelet concentrates, plasma, transfusion, safety 

  13. Culture matters: indigenizing patient safety in Bhutan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pelzang, Rinchen; Johnstone, Megan-Jane; Hutchinson, Alison M

    2017-09-01

    Studies show that if quality of healthcare in a country is to be achieved, due consideration must be given to the importance of the core cultural values as a critical factor in improving patient safety outcomes. The influence of Bhutan's traditional (core) cultural values on the attitudes and behaviours of healthcare professionals regarding patient care are not known. This study aimed to explore the possible influence of Bhutan's traditional cultural values on staff attitudes towards patient safety and quality care. Undertaken as a qualitative exploratory descriptive inquiry, a purposeful sample of 94 healthcare professionals and managers were recruited from three levels of hospitals, a training institute and the Ministry of Health. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis strategies. The findings of the study suggest that Bhutanese traditional cultural values have both productive and counterproductive influences on staff attitudes towards healthcare delivery and the processes that need to be in place to ensure patient safety. Productive influences encompassed: karmic incentives to avoid preventable harm and promote safe patient care; and the prospective adoption of the 'four harmonious friends' as a culturally meaningful frame for improving understanding of the role and importance of teamwork in enhancing patient safety. Counterproductive influences included: the adoption of hierarchical and authoritative styles of management; unilateral decision-making; the legitimization of karmic beliefs; differential treatment of patients; and preferences for traditional healing practices and rituals. Although problematic in some areas, Bhutan's traditional cultural values could be used positively to inform and frame an effective model for improving patient safety in Bhutan's hospitals. Such a model must entail the institution of an 'indigenized' patient safety program, with patient safety research and reporting systems framed around local

  14. 76 FR 7855 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Delisting From Community Medical Foundation for Patient...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-02-11

    ... Organizations: Voluntary Delisting From Community Medical Foundation for Patient Safety AGENCY: Agency for... Medical Foundation for Patient Safety, of its status as a Patient Safety Organization (PSO). The Patient... notification from Community Medical Foundation for Patient Safety, PSO number P0029, to voluntarily relinquish...

  15. 78 FR 12065 - Patient Safety Organizations: Delisting for Cause for Independent Data Safety Monitoring, Inc.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-02-21

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety... Safety Monitoring, Inc. due to its failure to correct a deficiency. The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act) authorizes the listing of PSOs, which are entities or component...

  16. 75 FR 57281 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary delisting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-09-20

    ... Organizations: Voluntary delisting AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), HHS ACTION: Notice... Patient Safety Corporation of its status as a Patient Safety Organization (PSO). The Patient Safety and... the listing of PSOs, which are entities or component organizations whose mission and primary activity...

  17. Patient safety in otolaryngology: a descriptive review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Danino, Julian; Muzaffar, Jameel; Metcalfe, Chris; Coulson, Chris

    2017-03-01

    Human evaluation and judgement may include errors that can have disastrous results. Within medicine and healthcare there has been slow progress towards major changes in safety. Healthcare lags behind other specialised industries, such as aviation and nuclear power, where there have been significant improvements in overall safety, especially in reducing risk of errors. Following several high profile cases in the USA during the 1990s, a report titled "To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System" was published. The report extrapolated that in the USA approximately 50,000 to 100,000 patients may die each year as a result of medical errors. Traditionally otolaryngology has always been regarded as a "safe specialty". A study in the USA in 2004 inferred that there may be 2600 cases of major morbidity and 165 deaths within the specialty. MEDLINE via PubMed interface was searched for English language articles published between 2000 and 2012. Each combined two or three of the keywords noted earlier. Limitations are related to several generic topics within patient safety in otolaryngology. Other areas covered have been current relevant topics due to recent interest or new advances in technology. There has been a heightened awareness within the healthcare community of patient safety; it has become a major priority. Focus has shifted from apportioning blame to prevention of the errors and implementation of patient safety mechanisms in healthcare delivery. Type of Errors can be divided into errors due to action and errors due to knowledge or planning. In healthcare there are several factors that may influence adverse events and patient safety. Although technology may improve patient safety, it also introduces new sources of error. The ability to work with people allows for the increase in safety netting. Team working has been shown to have a beneficial effect on patient safety. Any field of work involving human decision-making will always have a risk of error. Within

  18. Implementation of patient safety strategies in European hospitals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suñol, R; Vallejo, P; Groene, O; Escaramis, G; Thompson, A; Kutryba, B; Garel, P

    2009-02-01

    This study is part of the Methods of Assessing Response to Quality Improvement Strategies (MARQuIS) research project on cross-border care, investigating quality improvement strategies in healthcare systems across the European Union (EU). To explore to what extent a sample of acute care European hospitals have implemented patient safety strategies and mechanisms and whether the implementation is related to the type of hospital. Data were collected on patient safety structures and mechanisms in 389 acute care hospitals in eight EU countries using a web-based questionnaire. Subsequently, an on-site audit was carried out by independent surveyors in 89 of these hospitals to assess patient safety outputs. This paper presents univariate and bivariate statistics on the implementation and explores the associations between implementation of patient safety strategies and hospital type using the chi(2) test and Fisher exact test. Structures and plans for safety (including responsibilities regarding patient safety management) are well developed in most of the hospitals that participated in this study. The study found greater variation regarding the implementation of mechanisms or activities to promote patient safety, such as electronic drug prescription systems, guidelines for prevention of wrong patient, wrong site and wrong surgical procedure, and adverse events reporting systems. In the sample of hospitals that underwent audit, a considerable proportion do not comply with basic patient safety strategies--for example, using bracelets for adult patient identification and correct labelling of medication.

  19. 42 CFR 3.212 - Nonidentification of patient safety work product.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Nonidentification of patient safety work product. 3... PROVISIONS PATIENT SAFETY ORGANIZATIONS AND PATIENT SAFETY WORK PRODUCT Confidentiality and Privilege Protections of Patient Safety Work Product § 3.212 Nonidentification of patient safety work product. (a...

  20. Patient safety in out-of-hours primary care: a review of patient records

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wensing Michel

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Most patients receive healthcare in primary care settings, but relatively little is known about patient safety. Out-of-hours contacts are of particular importance to patient safety. Our aim was to examine the incidence, types, causes, and consequences of patient safety incidents at general practice cooperatives for out-of-hours primary care and to examine which factors were associated with the occurrence of patient safety incidents. Methods A retrospective study of 1,145 medical records concerning patient contacts with four general practice cooperatives. Reviewers identified records with evidence of a potential patient safety incident; a physician panel determined whether a patient safety incident had indeed occurred. In addition, the panel determined the type, causes, and consequences of the incidents. Factors associated with incidents were examined in a random coefficient logistic regression analysis. Results In 1,145 patient records, 27 patient safety incidents were identified, an incident rate of 2.4% (95% CI: 1.5% to 3.2%. The most frequent incident type was treatment (56%. All incidents had at least partly been caused by failures in clinical reasoning. The majority of incidents did not result in patient harm (70%. Eight incidents had consequences for the patient, such as additional interventions or hospitalisation. The panel assessed that most incidents were unlikely to result in patient harm in the long term (89%. Logistic regression analysis showed that age was significantly related to incident occurrence: the likelihood of an incident increased with 1.03 for each year increase in age (95% CI: 1.01 to 1.04. Conclusion Patient safety incidents occur in out-of-hours primary care, but most do not result in harm to patients. As clinical reasoning played an important part in these incidents, a better understanding of clinical reasoning and guideline adherence at GP cooperatives could contribute to patient safety.

  1. 42 CFR 3.204 - Privilege of patient safety work product.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Privilege of patient safety work product. 3.204... PROVISIONS PATIENT SAFETY ORGANIZATIONS AND PATIENT SAFETY WORK PRODUCT Confidentiality and Privilege Protections of Patient Safety Work Product § 3.204 Privilege of patient safety work product. (a) Privilege...

  2. Improving Patient Safety: Improving Communication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bittner-Fagan, Heather; Davis, Joshua; Savoy, Margot

    2017-12-01

    Communication among physicians, staff, and patients is a critical element in patient safety. Effective communication skills can be taught and improved through training and awareness. The practice of family medicine allows for long-term relationships with patients, which affords opportunities for ongoing, high-quality communication. There are many barriers to effective communication, including patient factors, clinician factors, and system factors, but tools and strategies exist to address these barriers, improve communication, and engage patients in their care. Use of universal precautions for health literacy, appropriate medical interpreters, and shared decision-making are evidence-based tools that improve communication and increase patient safety. Written permission from the American Academy of Family Physicians is required for reproduction of this material in whole or in part in any form or medium.

  3. Patient safety initiatives in Central and Eastern Europe: A mixed methods approach by the LINNEAUS collaboration on patient safety in primary care

    Science.gov (United States)

    Godycki-Cwirko, Maciek; Esmail, Aneez; Dovey, Susan; Wensing, Michel; Parker, Dianne; Kowalczyk, Anna; Błaszczyk, Honorata; Kosiek, Katarzyna

    2015-01-01

    ABSTRACT Background: Despite patient safety being recognized as an important healthcare issue in the European Union, there has been variable implementation of patient safety initiatives in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Objective: To assess the status of patient safety initiatives in countries in CEE; to describe a process of engagement in Poland, which can serve as a template for the implementation of patient safety initiatives in primary care. Methods: A mixed methods design was used. We conducted a review of literature focusing on publications from CEE, an inventory of patient safety initiatives in CEE countries, interviews with key informants, international survey, review of national reporting systems, and pilot demonstrator project in Poland with implementation of patient safety toolkits assessment. Results: There was no published patient safety research from Albania, Belarus, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, or Russia. Nine papers were found from Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Serbia, and Slovenia. In most of the CEE countries, patient safety had been addressed at the policy level although the focus was mainly in hospital care. There was a dearth of activity in primary care. The use of patient improvement strategies was low. Conclusion: International cooperation as exemplified in the demonstrator project can help in the development and implementation of patient safety initiatives in primary care in changing the emphasis away from a blame culture to one where greater emphasis is placed on improvement and learning. PMID:26339839

  4. Culture, language, and patient safety: Making the link.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnstone, Megan-Jane; Kanitsaki, Olga

    2006-10-01

    It has been well recognized internationally that hospitals are not as safe as they should be. In order to redress this situation, health care services around the world have turned their attention to strategically implementing robust patient safety and quality care programmes to identify circumstances that put patients at risk of harm and then acting to prevent or control those risks. Despite the progress that has been made in improving hospital safety in recent years, there is emerging evidence that patients of minority cultural and language backgrounds are disproportionately at risk of experiencing preventable adverse events while in hospital compared with mainstream patient groups. One reason for this is that patient safety programmes have tended to underestimate and understate the critical relationship that exists between culture, language, and the safety and quality of care of patients from minority racial, ethno-cultural, and language backgrounds. This article suggests that the failure to recognize the critical link between culture and language (of both the providers and recipients of health care) and patient safety stands as a 'resident pathogen' within the health care system that, if not addressed, unacceptably exposes patients from minority ethno-cultural and language backgrounds to preventable adverse events in hospital contexts. It is further suggested that in order to ensure that minority as well as majority patient interests in receiving safe and quality care are properly protected, the culture-language-patient-safety link needs to be formally recognized and the vulnerabilities of patients from minority cultural and language backgrounds explicitly identified and actively addressed in patient safety systems and processes.

  5. Nurses' perceptions of patient safety culture in Jordanian hospitals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khater, W A; Akhu-Zaheya, L M; Al-Mahasneh, S I; Khater, R

    2015-03-01

    Patients' safety culture is a key aspect in determining healthcare organizations' ability to address and reduce risks of patients. Nurses play a major role in patients' safety because they are accountable for direct and continuous patient care. There is little known information about patients' safety culture in Jordanian hospitals, particularly from the perspective of healthcare providers. The study aimed to assess patient safety culture in Jordanian hospitals from nurses' perspective. A cross-sectional, descriptive design was utilized. A total number of 658 nurses participated in the current study. Data were collected using an Arabic version of the hospital survey of patients' safety culture. Teamwork within unit dimensions had a high positive response, and was perceived by nurses to be the only strong suit in Jordanian hospitals. Areas that required improvement, as perceived by nurses, are as follows: communication openness, staffing, handoff and transition, non-punitive responses to errors, and teamwork across units. Regression analysis revealed factors, from nurses' perspectives, that influenced patients' safety culture in Jordanian hospital. Factors included age, total years of experience, working in university hospitals, utilizing evidence-based practice and working in hospitals that consider patient safety to be a priority. Participants in this study were limited to nurses. Therefore, there is a need to assess patient safety culture from other healthcare providers' perspectives. Moreover, the use of a self-reported questionnaire introduced the social desirability biases. The current study provides insight into how nurses perceive patient safety culture. Results of this study have revealed that there is a need to replace the traditional culture of shame/blame with a non-punitive culture. Study results implied that improving patient safety culture requires a fundamental transformation of nurses' work environment. New policies to improve collaboration between

  6. Method for selection of optimal road safety composite index with examples from DEA and TOPSIS method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosić, Miroslav; Pešić, Dalibor; Kukić, Dragoslav; Antić, Boris; Božović, Milan

    2017-01-01

    Concept of composite road safety index is a popular and relatively new concept among road safety experts around the world. As there is a constant need for comparison among different units (countries, municipalities, roads, etc.) there is need to choose an adequate method which will make comparison fair to all compared units. Usually comparisons using one specific indicator (parameter which describes safety or unsafety) can end up with totally different ranking of compared units which is quite complicated for decision maker to determine "real best performers". Need for composite road safety index is becoming dominant since road safety presents a complex system where more and more indicators are constantly being developed to describe it. Among wide variety of models and developed composite indexes, a decision maker can come to even bigger dilemma than choosing one adequate risk measure. As DEA and TOPSIS are well-known mathematical models and have recently been increasingly used for risk evaluation in road safety, we used efficiencies (composite indexes) obtained by different models, based on DEA and TOPSIS, to present PROMETHEE-RS model for selection of optimal method for composite index. Method for selection of optimal composite index is based on three parameters (average correlation, average rank variation and average cluster variation) inserted into a PROMETHEE MCDM method in order to choose the optimal one. The model is tested by comparing 27 police departments in Serbia. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Ethnic inequalities in patient safety in Dutch hospital care

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Rosse, F.

    2015-01-01

    This thesis shows the first results of Dutch studies on the relation between ethnicity and patient safety. We used mixed methods to identify patient safety outcomes and patient safety risks in a cohort study in 4 urban hospitals among 763 Dutch patients and 576 ethnic minority patients. In a record

  8. An integrative review of patient safety in studies on the care and safety of patients with communication disabilities in hospital.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hemsley, Bronwyn; Georgiou, Andrew; Hill, Sophie; Rollo, Megan; Steel, Joanne; Balandin, Susan

    2016-04-01

    To review the research literature on the experiences of patients with communication disabilities in hospital according to the Generic Model of patient safety. In 2014 and 2015, we searched four scientific databases for studies with an aim or result relevant to safety of hospital patients with communication disabilities. The review included 27 studies. A range of adverse event types were outlined in qualitative research. Little detail was provided about contributing or protective factors for safety incidents in hospital for these patients or the impact of the incidents on the patient or organisations involved. Further research addressing the safety of patients with communication disabilities is needed. Sufficient detail is required to identify the nature, timing, and detection of incidents; factors that contribute to or prevent adverse events; and detail the impact of the adverse events. In order to provide safe and effective care to people with communication disabilities in hospital, a priority for health and disability services must be the design and evaluation of ecologically appropriate and evidence-based interventions to improve patient care, communication, and reduce the risk of costly and harmful patient safety incidents. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Measuring and improving patient safety through health information technology: The Health IT Safety Framework.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Hardeep; Sittig, Dean F

    2016-04-01

    Health information technology (health IT) has potential to improve patient safety but its implementation and use has led to unintended consequences and new safety concerns. A key challenge to improving safety in health IT-enabled healthcare systems is to develop valid, feasible strategies to measure safety concerns at the intersection of health IT and patient safety. In response to the fundamental conceptual and methodological gaps related to both defining and measuring health IT-related patient safety, we propose a new framework, the Health IT Safety (HITS) measurement framework, to provide a conceptual foundation for health IT-related patient safety measurement, monitoring, and improvement. The HITS framework follows both Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) and sociotechnical approaches and calls for new measures and measurement activities to address safety concerns in three related domains: 1) concerns that are unique and specific to technology (e.g., to address unsafe health IT related to unavailable or malfunctioning hardware or software); 2) concerns created by the failure to use health IT appropriately or by misuse of health IT (e.g. to reduce nuisance alerts in the electronic health record (EHR)), and 3) the use of health IT to monitor risks, health care processes and outcomes and identify potential safety concerns before they can harm patients (e.g. use EHR-based algorithms to identify patients at risk for medication errors or care delays). The framework proposes to integrate both retrospective and prospective measurement of HIT safety with an organization's existing clinical risk management and safety programs. It aims to facilitate organizational learning, comprehensive 360 degree assessment of HIT safety that includes vendor involvement, refinement of measurement tools and strategies, and shared responsibility to identify problems and implement solutions. A long term framework goal is to enable rigorous measurement that helps achieve the safety

  10. Improving patient safety: lessons from rock climbing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robertson, Nic

    2012-02-01

    How to improve patient safety remains an intractable problem, despite large investment and some successes. Academics have argued that the root of the problem is a lack of a comprehensive 'safety culture' in hospitals. Other safety-critical industries such as commercial aviation invest heavily in staff training to develop such a culture, but comparable programmes are almost entirely absent from the health care sector. In rock climbing and many other dangerous activities, the 'buddy system' is used to ensure that safety systems are adhered to despite adverse circumstances. This system involves two or more people using simple checks and clear communication to prevent problems causing harm. Using this system as an example could provide a simple, original and entertaining way of introducing medical students to the idea that human factors are central to ensuring patient safety. Teaching the buddy system may improve understanding and acceptance of other patient safety initiatives, and could also be used by junior doctors as a tool to improve the safety of their practice. © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2012.

  11. 76 FR 7854 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Delisting From Lumetra PSO

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-02-11

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety... Safety Organization (PSO). The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act... delivery. The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Final Rule (Patient Safety Rule), 42 CFR part 3...

  12. Effects of the Smartphone Application "Safe Patients" on Knowledge of Patient Safety Issues Among Surgical Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cho, Sumi; Lee, Eunjoo

    2017-12-01

    Recently, the patient's role in preventing adverse events has been emphasized. Patients who are more knowledgeable about safety issues are more likely to engage in safety initiatives. Therefore, nurses need to develop techniques and tools that increase patients' knowledge in preventing adverse events. For this reason, an educational smartphone application for patient safety called "Safe Patients" was developed through an iterative process involving a literature review, expert consultations, and pilot testing of the application. To determine the effect of "Safe Patients," it was implemented for patients in surgical units in a tertiary hospital in South Korea. The change in patients' knowledge about patient safety was measured using seven true/false questions developed in this study. A one-group pretest and posttest design was used, and a total of 123 of 190 possible participants were tested. The percentage of correct answers significantly increased from 64.5% to 75.8% (P effectively improve patients' knowledge of safety issues. This will ultimately empower patients to engage in safe practices and prevent adverse events related to surgery.

  13. Patient safety: break the silence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Hope L; Kimsey, Diane

    2012-05-01

    A culture of patient safety requires commitment and full participation from all staff members. In 2008, results of a culture of patient safety survey conducted in the perioperative division of the Lehigh Valley Health Network in Pennsylvania revealed a lack of patient-centered focus, teamwork, and positive communication. As a result, perioperative leaders assembled a multidisciplinary team that designed a safety training program focusing on Crew Resource Management, TeamSTEPPS, and communication techniques. The team used video vignettes and an audience response system to engage learners and promote participation. Topics included using preprocedural briefings and postprocedural debriefings, conflict resolution, and assertiveness techniques. Postcourse evaluations showed that the majority of respondents believed they were better able to question the decisions or actions of someone with more authority. The facility has experienced a marked decrease in the number of incidents requiring a root cause analysis since the program was conducted. Copyright © 2012 AORN, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Knowledge Representation in Patient Safety Reporting: An Ontological Approach

    OpenAIRE

    Liang Chen; Yang Gong

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: The current development of patient safety reporting systems is criticized for loss of information and low data quality due to the lack of a uniformed domain knowledge base and text processing functionality. To improve patient safety reporting, the present paper suggests an ontological representation of patient safety knowledge. Design/methodology/approach: We propose a framework for constructing an ontological knowledge base of patient safety. The present paper describes our desig...

  15. Patient Safety Threat - Syringe Reuse

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Safety Stakeholder Meeting December 2009 The One & Only Campaign Patient Notification Toolkit Developing Documents for a Patient Notification Planning Media and Communication Strategies Writing for the Media Spokesperson Preparation Planning the ...

  16. 76 FR 60494 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From HPI-PSO

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-09-29

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety... a Patient Safety Organization (PSO). The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient... delivery. The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Final Rule (Patient Safety Rule), 42 CFR Part 3...

  17. Fundamentals of a patient safety program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frush, Karen S.

    2008-01-01

    Thousands of people are injured or die from medical errors and adverse events each year, despite being cared for by hard-working, intelligent and well-intended health care professionals, working in the highly complex and high-risk environment of the American health care system. Patient safety leaders have described a need for health care organizations to make error prevention a major strategic objective while at the same time recognizing the importance of transforming the traditional health care culture. In response, comprehensive patient safety programs have been developed with the aim of reducing medical errors and adverse events and acting as a catalyst in the development of a culture of safety. Components of these programs are described, with an emphasis on strategies to improve pediatric patient safety. Physicians, as leaders of the health care team, have a unique opportunity to foster the culture and commitment required to address the underlying systems causes of medical error and harm. (orig.)

  18. Patient safety and nutrition: is there a connection? | Nieuwoudt ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Nutrition care is not always recognised as a patient safety issue. This article explores the origins of the patient safety initiative and seeks to identify possible connections between nutrition care and patient safety. Examples of tools that can be used to improve the safety of nutrition care are provided. This is also a call to action ...

  19. Patient safety improvement programmes for primary care. Review of a Delphi procedure and pilot studies by the LINNEAUS collaboration on patient safety in primary care

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verstappen, Wim; Gaal, Sander; Esmail, Aneez; Wensing, Michel

    2015-01-01

    ABSTRACT Background: To improve patient safety it is necessary to identify the causes of patient safety incidents, devise solutions and measure the (cost-) effectiveness of improvement efforts. Objective: This paper provides a broad overview with practical guidance on how to improve patient safety. Methods: We used modified online Delphi procedures to reach consensus on methods to improve patient safety and to identify important features of patient safety management in primary care. Two pilot studies were carried out to assess the value of prospective risk analysis (PRA), as a means of identifying the causes of a patient safety incident. Results: A range of different methods can be used to improve patient safety but they have to be contextually specific. Practice organization, culture, diagnostic errors and medication safety were found to be important domains for further improvement. Improvement strategies for patient safety could benefit from insights gained from research on implementation of evidence-based practice. Patient involvement and prospective risk analysis are two promising and innovative strategies for improving patient safety in primary care. Conclusion: A range of methods is available to improve patient safety, but there is no ‘magic bullet.’ Besides better use of the available methods, it is important to use new and potentially more effective strategies, such as prospective risk analysis. PMID:26339837

  20. PWR composite materials use. A particular case of safety-related service water pipes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pays, M.F.; Le Courtois, T.

    1997-11-01

    This paper shows the present and future uses of composite materials in French nuclear and fossil-fuel power plants. Electricite de France has decided to install composite materials in service water piping in its future nuclear power plant (PWR) at Civaux (West of France) and for the firs time in France, in safety-related applications. A wide range of studies has been performed about the durability, the control and damage mechanisms of those materials under service conditions among an ongoing Research and Development project. The main results are presented under the following headlines: selection of basic materials and manufacturing processes; aging processes (mechanical behavior during 'lifetime'); design rules; non destructive examination during manufacturing process and during operation. The studies have been focused on epoxy pipings. The importance of strong quality insurance policy requirements are outlined. A study of the use of composite pipes in power plants (hydraulic, fossil fuel, and nuclear) in France and around the world (USA, Japan, Western Europe) are presented whether it be safety related or non safety-related applications. The different technical solutions for materials and manufacturing processes are presented and an economic comparison is made between steel and composite pipes. (author)

  1. PWR composite materials use. A particular case of safety-related service water pipes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pays, M.F.; Le Courtois, T

    1997-11-01

    This paper shows the present and future uses of composite materials in French nuclear and fossil-fuel power plants. Electricite de France has decided to install composite materials in service water piping in its future nuclear power plant (PWR) at Civaux (West of France) and for the firs time in France, in safety-related applications. A wide range of studies has been performed about the durability, the control and damage mechanisms of those materials under service conditions among an ongoing Research and Development project. The main results are presented under the following headlines: selection of basic materials and manufacturing processes; aging processes (mechanical behavior during `lifetime`); design rules; non destructive examination during manufacturing process and during operation. The studies have been focused on epoxy pipings. The importance of strong quality insurance policy requirements are outlined. A study of the use of composite pipes in power plants (hydraulic, fossil fuel, and nuclear) in France and around the world (USA, Japan, Western Europe) are presented whether it be safety related or non safety-related applications. The different technical solutions for materials and manufacturing processes are presented and an economic comparison is made between steel and composite pipes. (author) 2 refs.

  2. Dimensions of patient safety culture in family practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palacios-Derflingher, Luz; O'Beirne, Maeve; Sterling, Pam; Zwicker, Karen; Harding, Brianne K; Casebeer, Ann

    2010-01-01

    Safety culture has been shown to affect patient safety in healthcare. While the United States and United Kingdom have studied the dimensions that reflect patient safety culture in family practice settings, to date, this has not been done in Canada. Differences in the healthcare systems between these countries and Canada may affect the dimensions found to be relevant here. Thus, it is important to identify and compare the dimensions from the United States and the United Kingdom in a Canadian context. The objectives of this study were to explore the dimensions of patient safety culture that relate to family practice in Canada and to determine if differences and similarities exist between dimensions found in Canada and those found in previous studies undertaken in the United States and the United Kingdom. A qualitative study was undertaken applying thematic analysis using focus groups with family practice offices and supplementary key stakeholders. Analysis of the data indicated that most of the dimensions from the United States and United Kingdom are appropriate in our Canadian context. Exceptions included owner/managing partner/leadership support for patient safety, job satisfaction and overall perceptions of patient safety and quality. Two unique dimensions were identified in the Canadian context: disclosure and accepting responsibility for errors. Based on this early work, it is important to consider differences in care settings when understanding dimensions of patient safety culture. We suggest that additional research in family practice settings is critical to further understand the influence of context on patient safety culture.

  3. 77 FR 42738 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From the Coalition for Quality and Patient...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-20

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From the Coalition for Quality and Patient Safety of Chicagoland (CQPS.... SUMMARY: The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act), Public Law 109-41,42...

  4. Patient safety trilogy: perspectives from clinical engineering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gieras, Izabella; Sherman, Paul; Minsent, Dennis

    2013-01-01

    This article examines the role a clinical engineering or healthcare technology management (HTM) department can play in promoting patient safety from three different perspectives: a community hospital, a national government health system, and an academic medical center. After a general overview, Izabella Gieras from Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, CA, leads off by examining the growing role of human factors in healthcare technology, and describing how her facility uses clinical simulations in medical equipment evaluations. A section by Paul Sherman follows, examining patient safety initiatives from the perspective of the Veterans Health Administration with a focus on hazard alerts and recalls. Dennis Minsent from Oregon Health & Science University writes about patient safety from an academic healthcare perspective, and details how clinical engineers can engage in multidisciplinary safety opportunities.

  5. 42 CFR 3.208 - Continued protection of patient safety work product.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Continued protection of patient safety work product... GENERAL PROVISIONS PATIENT SAFETY ORGANIZATIONS AND PATIENT SAFETY WORK PRODUCT Confidentiality and Privilege Protections of Patient Safety Work Product § 3.208 Continued protection of patient safety work...

  6. A patient safety objective structured clinical examination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Ranjit; Singh, Ashok; Fish, Reva; McLean, Don; Anderson, Diana R; Singh, Gurdev

    2009-06-01

    There are international calls for improving education for health care workers around certain core competencies, of which patient safety and quality are integral and transcendent parts. Although relevant teaching programs have been developed, little is known about how best to assess their effectiveness. The objective of this work was to develop and implement an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) to evaluate the impact of a patient safety curriculum. The curriculum was implemented in a family medicine residency program with 47 trainees. Two years after commencing the curriculum, a patient safety OSCE was developed and administered at this program and, for comparison purposes, to incoming residents at the same program and to residents at a neighboring residency program. All 47 residents exposed to the training, all 16 incoming residents, and 10 of 12 residents at the neighboring program participated in the OSCE. In a standardized patient case, error detection and error disclosure skills were better among trained residents. In a chart-based case, trained residents showed better performance in identifying deficiencies in care and described more appropriate means of addressing them. Third year residents exposed to a "Systems Approach" course performed better at system analysis and identifying system-based solutions after the course than before. Results suggest increased systems thinking and inculcation of a culture of safety among residents exposed to a patient safety curriculum. The main weaknesses of the study are its small size and suboptimal design. Much further investigation is needed into the effectiveness of patient safety curricula.

  7. A Spanish-language patient safety questionnaire to measure medical and nursing students' attitudes and knowledge

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José J. Mira

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To design and validate a questionnaire for assessing attitudes and knowledge about patient safety using a sample of medical and nursing students undergoing clinical training in Spain and four countries in Latin America. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, a literature review was carried out and total of 786 medical and nursing students were surveyed at eight universities from five countries (Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Spain to develop and refine a Spanish-language questionnaire on knowledge and attitudes about patient safety. The scope of the questionnaire was based on five dimensions (factors presented in studies related to patient safety culture found in PubMed and Scopus. Based on the five factors, 25 reactive items were developed. Composite reliability indexes and Cronbach's alpha statistics were estimatedfor each factor, and confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to assess validity. After a pilot test, the questionnaire was refined using confirmatory models, maximum-likelihood estimation, and the variance-covariance matrix (as input. Multiple linear regression models were used to confirm external validity, considering variables related to patient safety culture as dependent variables and the five factors as independent variables. RESULTS: The final instrument was a structured five-point Likert self-administered survey (the "Latino Student Patient Safety Questionnaire" consisting of 21 items grouped into five factors. Compound reliability indexes (Cronbach's alpha statistic calculated for the five factors were about 0.7 or higher. The results of the multiple linear regression analyses indicated good model fit (goodness-of-fit index: 0.9. Item-total correlations were higher than 0.3 in all cases. The convergent-discriminant validity was adequate. CONCLUSIONS: The questionnaire designed and validated in this study assesses nursing and medical students' attitudes and knowledge about patient safety. This

  8. A Spanish-language patient safety questionnaire to measure medical and nursing students' attitudes and knowledge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mira, José J; Navarro, Isabel M; Guilabert, Mercedes; Poblete, Rodrigo; Franco, Astolfo L; Jiménez, Pilar; Aquino, Margarita; Fernández-Trujillo, Francisco J; Lorenzo, Susana; Vitaller, Julián; de Valle, Yohana Díaz; Aibar, Carlos; Aranaz, Jesús M; De Pedro, José A

    2015-08-01

    To design and validate a questionnaire for assessing attitudes and knowledge about patient safety using a sample of medical and nursing students undergoing clinical training in Spain and four countries in Latin America. In this cross-sectional study, a literature review was carried out and total of 786 medical and nursing students were surveyed at eight universities from five countries (Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Spain) to develop and refine a Spanish-language questionnaire on knowledge and attitudes about patient safety. The scope of the questionnaire was based on five dimensions (factors) presented in studies related to patient safety culture found in PubMed and Scopus. Based on the five factors, 25 reactive items were developed. Composite reliability indexes and Cronbach's alpha statistics were estimated for each factor, and confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to assess validity. After a pilot test, the questionnaire was refined using confirmatory models, maximum-likelihood estimation, and the variance-covariance matrix (as input). Multiple linear regression models were used to confirm external validity, considering variables related to patient safety culture as dependent variables and the five factors as independent variables. The final instrument was a structured five-point Likert self-administered survey (the "Latino Student Patient Safety Questionnaire") consisting of 21 items grouped into five factors. Compound reliability indexes (Cronbach's alpha statistic) calculated for the five factors were about 0.7 or higher. The results of the multiple linear regression analyses indicated good model fit (goodness-of-fit index: 0.9). Item-total correlations were higher than 0.3 in all cases. The convergent-discriminant validity was adequate. The questionnaire designed and validated in this study assesses nursing and medical students' attitudes and knowledge about patient safety. This instrument could be used to indirectly evaluate whether or

  9. From Safe Systems to Patient Safety

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Aarts, J.; Nøhr, C.

    2010-01-01

    for the third conference with the theme: The ability to design, implement and evaluate safe, useable and effective systems within complex health care organizations. The theme for this conference was "Designing and Implementing Health IT: from safe systems to patient safety". The contributions have reflected...... and implementation of safe systems and thus contribute to the agenda of patient safety? The contributions demonstrate how the health informatics community has contributed to the performance of significant research and to translating research findings to develop health care delivery and improve patient safety......This volume presents the papers from the fourth International Conference on Information Technology in Health Care: Socio-technical Approaches held in Aalborg, Denmark in June 2010. In 2001 the first conference was held in Rotterdam, The Netherlands with the theme: Sociotechnical' approaches...

  10. Are long physician working hours harmful to patient safety?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ehara, Akira

    2008-04-01

    Pediatricians of Japanese hospitals including not only residents but also attending physicians work long hours, and 8% work for >79 h per week. Most of them work consecutively for >or=32 h when they are on call. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of long work hours on patient safety. The electronic databases MEDLINE and EMBASE to searched identify the English- and Japanese-language literature for studies on work hours, medical errors, patient safety, and malpractice for years 1966-2005. Studies that analyzed the relationship between physician work hours and outcomes directly related to patient safety were selected. Seven studies met the criteria. Four studies suggest that reduction of work hours has a favorable effect on patient safety indicators. In the other three studies no significant changes of the indicators were observed, but no report found that shorter work hours were harmful to patient safety. Decrease of physician work hours is not harmful but favorable to patient safety.

  11. Ethical issues in patient safety: Implications for nursing management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kangasniemi, Mari; Vaismoradi, Mojtaba; Jasper, Melanie; Turunen, Hannele

    2013-12-01

    The purpose of this article is to discuss the ethical issues impacting the phenomenon of patient safety and to present implications for nursing management. Previous knowledge of this perspective is fragmented. In this discussion, the main drivers are identified and formulated in 'the ethical imperative' of patient safety. Underlying values and principles are considered, with the aim of increasing their visibility for nurse managers' decision-making. The contradictory nature of individual and utilitarian safety is identified as a challenge in nurse management practice, together with the context of shared responsibility and identification of future challenges. As a conclusion, nurse managers play a strategic role in patient safety. Their role is to incorporate ethical values of patient safety into decision-making at all levels in an organization, and also to encourage clinical nurses to consider values in the provision of care to patients. Patient safety that is sensitive to ethics provides sustainable practice where the humanity and dignity of all stakeholders are respected.

  12. Influence of workplace demands on nurses' perception of patient safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramanujam, Rangaraj; Abrahamson, Kathleen; Anderson, James G

    2008-06-01

    Patient safety is an ongoing challenge in the design and delivery of health-care services. As registered nurses play an integral role in patient safety, further examination of the link between nursing work and patient safety is warranted. The present study examines the relationship between nurses' perceptions of job demands and nurses' perceptions of patient safety. Structural equation modeling is used to analyze the data collected from a survey of 430 registered nurses at two community hospitals in the USA. As hypothesized, nurses' perception of patient safety decreases as the job demands increase. The level of personal control over practice directly affects nurses' perception of the ability to assure patient well-being. Nurses who work full-time and are highly educated have a decreased perception of patient safety, as well. The significant relationship between job demands and patient safety confirms that nurses make a connection between their working conditions and the ability to deliver safe care.

  13. Collaborating with nurse leaders to develop patient safety practices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kanerva, Anne; Kivinen, Tuula; Lammintakanen, Johanna

    2017-07-03

    Purpose The organisational level and leadership development are crucial elements in advancing patient safety, because patient safety weaknesses are often caused by system failures. However, little is known about how frontline leader and director teams can be supported to develop patient safety practices. The purpose of this study is to describe the patient safety development process carried out by nursing leaders and directors. The research questions were: how the chosen development areas progressed in six months' time and how nursing leaders view the participatory development process. Design/methodology/approach Participatory action research was used to engage frontline nursing leaders and directors into developing patient safety practices. Semi-structured group interviews ( N = 10) were used in data collection at the end of a six-month action cycle, and data were analysed using content analysis. Findings The participatory development process enhanced collaboration and gave leaders insights into patient safety as a part of the hospital system and their role in advancing it. The chosen development areas advanced to different extents, with the greatest improvements in those areas with simple guidelines to follow and in which the leaders were most participative. The features of high-reliability organisation were moderately identified in the nursing leaders' actions and views. For example, acting as a change agent to implement patient safety practices was challenging. Participatory methods can be used to support leaders into advancing patient safety. However, it is important that the participants are familiar with the method, and there are enough facilitators to steer development processes. Originality/value Research brings more knowledge of how leaders can increase their effectiveness in advancing patient safety and promoting high-reliability organisation features in the healthcare organisation.

  14. Assessing the relationship between patient safety culture and EHR strategy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ford, Eric W; Silvera, Geoffrey A; Kazley, Abby S; Diana, Mark L; Huerta, Timothy R

    2016-07-11

    Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between hospitals' electronic health record (EHR) adoption characteristics and their patient safety cultures. The "Meaningful Use" (MU) program is designed to increase hospitals' adoption of EHR, which will lead to better care quality, reduce medical errors, avoid unnecessary cost, and promote a patient safety culture. To reduce medical errors, hospital leaders have been encouraged to promote safety cultures common to high-reliability organizations. Expecting a positive relationship between EHR adoption and improved patient safety cultures appears sound in theory, but it has yet to be empirically demonstrated. Design/methodology/approach - Providers' perceptions of patient safety culture and counts of patient safety incidents are explored in relationship to hospital EHR adoption patterns. Multi-level modeling is employed to data drawn from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's surveys on patient safety culture (level 1) and the American Hospital Association's survey and healthcare information technology supplement (level 2). Findings - The findings suggest that the early adoption of EHR capabilities hold a negative association to the number of patient safety events reported. However, this relationship was not present in providers' perceptions of overall patient safety cultures. These mixed results suggest that the understanding of the EHR-patient safety culture relationship needs further research. Originality/value - Relating EHR MU and providers' care quality attitudes is an important leading indicator for improved patient safety cultures. For healthcare facility managers and providers, the ability to effectively quantify the impact of new technologies on efforts to change organizational cultures is important for pinpointing clinical areas for process improvements.

  15. Patient Safety, Present and Future

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amalberti, R.

    2016-01-01

    Health care tends to oversimplify patient safety concepts. We tend to think about patient safety as a linear dimension that is only associated with the progressive reduction in the number of errors and accidents, with the simple notion that fewer are always better. We consider figures in isolation from the underlying context and prerequisites that drive safety models and the reality of the clinical fields. There is no one ultimate reference model of safety, but many models that can be adapted to fit the various clinical fields requirements and constraints. It is therefore not necessarily a bad result to observe a lower safety figure in a medical domain compared to the figures obtained in nonmedical ultra-safe models. The poor figures may represent the best local safety optimization while coping with the special health care requirements such as a high frequency of unplanned and nonstandard challenges. The paper distinguishes three classes of safety models that fit different field demands: the resilient and adaptive model, the high reliability (HRO) model, and the ultra-safe model. The lecture benchmarks the traits of each model while highlighting the specific dimensions for optimization. The conclusion is that firstly, that since the task requirements dictate the relevance and choice of the model and not the other way around, it is counterproductive to impose a model that is inadequate for the task requirements. Either you move the requirements and change the model, or you keep the constraints, and try to locally optimize the model to the clinical and organizational needs. (author)

  16. 21 CFR 312.88 - Safeguards for patient safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 5 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Safeguards for patient safety. 312.88 Section 312... Severely-debilitating Illnesses § 312.88 Safeguards for patient safety. All of the safeguards incorporated within parts 50, 56, 312, 314, and 600 of this chapter designed to ensure the safety of clinical testing...

  17. Teamwork, organizational learning, patient safety and job outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goh, Swee C; Chan, Christopher; Kuziemsky, Craig

    2013-01-01

    This article aims to encourage healthcare administrators to consider the learning organization concept and foster collaborative learning among teams in their attempt to improve patient safety. Relevant healthcare, organizational behavior and human resource management literature was reviewed. A patient safety culture, fostered by healthcare leaders, should include an organizational culture that encourages collaborative learning, replaces the blame culture, prioritizes patient safety and rewards individuals who identify serious mistakes. As healthcare institution staffs are being asked to deliver more complex medical services with fewer resources, there is a need to understand how hospital staff can learn from other organizational settings, especially the non-healthcare sectors. The paper provides suggestions for improving patient safety which are drawn from the health and business management literature.

  18. Patient Drug Safety Reporting: Diabetes Patients' Perceptions of Drug Safety and How to Improve Reporting of Adverse Events and Product Complaints.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patel, Puja; Spears, David; Eriksen, Betina Østergaard; Lollike, Karsten; Sacco, Michael

    2018-03-01

    Global health care manufacturer Novo Nordisk commissioned research regarding awareness of drug safety department activities and potential to increase patient feedback. Objectives were to examine patients' knowledge of pharmaceutical manufacturers' responsibilities and efforts regarding drug safety, their perceptions and experiences related to these efforts, and how these factors influence their thoughts and behaviors. Data were collected before and after respondents read a description of a drug safety department and its practices. We conducted quantitative survey research across 608 health care consumers receiving treatment for diabetes in the United States, Germany, United Kingdom, and Italy. This research validated initial, exploratory qualitative research (across 40 comparable consumers from the same countries) which served to guide design of the larger study. Before reading a drug safety department description, 55% of respondents were unaware these departments collect safety information on products and patients. After reading the description, 34% reported the department does more than they expected to ensure drug safety, and 56% reported "more confidence" in the industry as a whole. Further, 66% reported themselves more likely to report an adverse event or product complaint, and 60% reported that they were more likely to contact a drug safety department with questions. The most preferred communication methods were websites/online forums (39%), email (27%), and telephone (25%). Learning about drug safety departments elevates consumers' confidence in manufacturers' safety efforts and establishes potential for patients to engage in increased self-monitoring and reporting. Study results reveal potentially actionable insights for the industry across patient and physician programs and communications.

  19. Electronic health records and patient safety: co-occurrence of early EHR implementation with patient safety practices in primary care settings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanner, C; Gans, D; White, J; Nath, R; Pohl, J

    2015-01-01

    The role of electronic health records (EHR) in enhancing patient safety, while substantiated in many studies, is still debated. This paper examines early EHR adopters in primary care to understand the extent to which EHR implementation is associated with the workflows, policies and practices that promote patient safety, as compared to practices with paper records. Early adoption is defined as those who were using EHR prior to implementation of the Meaningful Use program. We utilized the Physician Practice Patient Safety Assessment (PPPSA) to compare primary care practices with fully implemented EHR to those utilizing paper records. The PPPSA measures the extent of adoption of patient safety practices in the domains: medication management, handoffs and transition, personnel qualifications and competencies, practice management and culture, and patient communication. Data from 209 primary care practices responding between 2006-2010 were included in the analysis: 117 practices used paper medical records and 92 used an EHR. Results showed that, within all domains, EHR settings showed significantly higher rates of having workflows, policies and practices that promote patient safety than paper record settings. While these results were expected in the area of medication management, EHR use was also associated with adoption of patient safety practices in areas in which the researchers had no a priori expectations of association. Sociotechnical models of EHR use point to complex interactions between technology and other aspects of the environment related to human resources, workflow, policy, culture, among others. This study identifies that among primary care practices in the national PPPSA database, having an EHR was strongly empirically associated with the workflow, policy, communication and cultural practices recommended for safe patient care in ambulatory settings.

  20. The relationship between patient safety climate and occupational safety climate in healthcare - A multi-level investigation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pousette, Anders; Larsman, Pernilla; Eklöf, Mats; Törner, Marianne

    2017-06-01

    Patient safety climate/culture is attracting increasing research interest, but there is little research on its relation with organizational climates regarding other target domains. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between patient safety climate and occupational safety climate in healthcare. The climates were assessed using two questionnaires: Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture and Nordic Occupational Safety Climate Questionnaire. The final sample consisted of 1154 nurses, 886 assistant nurses, and 324 physicians, organized in 150 work units, within hospitals (117units), primary healthcare (5units) and elderly care (28units) in western Sweden, which represented 56% of the original sample contacted. Within each type of safety climate, two global dimensions were confirmed in a higher order factor analysis; one with an external focus relative the own unit, and one with an internal focus. Two methods were used to estimate the covariation between the global climate dimensions, in order to minimize the influence of bias from common method variance. First multilevel analysis was used for partitioning variances and covariances in a within unit part (individual level) and a between unit part (unit level). Second, a split sample technique was used to calculate unit level correlations based on aggregated observations from different respondents. Both methods showed associations similar in strength between the patient safety climate and the occupational safety climate domains. The results indicated that patient safety climate and occupational safety climate are strongly positively related at the unit level, and that the same organizational processes may be important for the development of both types of organizational climate. Safety improvement interventions should not be separated in different organizational processes, but be planned so that both patient safety and staff safety are considered concomitantly. Copyright © 2017 National Safety

  1. [Innovative training for enhancing patient safety. Safety culture and integrated concepts].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rall, M; Schaedle, B; Zieger, J; Naef, W; Weinlich, M

    2002-11-01

    Patient safety is determined by the performance safety of the medical team. Errors in medicine are amongst the leading causes of death of hospitalized patients. These numbers call for action. Backgrounds, methods and new forms of training are introduced in this article. Concepts from safety research are transformed to the field of emergency medical treatment. Strategies from realistic patient simulator training sessions and innovative training concepts are discussed. The reasons for the high numbers of errors in medicine are not due to a lack of medical knowledge, but due to human factors and organisational circumstances. A first step towards an improved patient safety is to accept this. We always need to be prepared that errors will occur. A next step would be to separate "error" from guilt (culture of blame) allowing for a real analysis of accidents and establishment of meaningful incident reporting systems. Concepts with a good success record from aviation like "crew resource management" (CRM) training have been adapted my medicine and are ready to use. These concepts require theoretical education as well as practical training. Innovative team training sessions using realistic patient simulator systems with video taping (for self reflexion) and interactive debriefing following the sessions are very promising. As the need to reduce error rates in medicine is very high and the reasons, methods and training concepts are known, we are urged to implement these new training concepts widely and consequently. To err is human - not to counteract it is not.

  2. The complexity of patient safety reporting systems in UK dentistry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Renton, T; Master, S

    2016-10-21

    Since the 'Francis Report', UK regulation focusing on patient safety has significantly changed. Healthcare workers are increasingly involved in NHS England patient safety initiatives aimed at improving reporting and learning from patient safety incidents (PSIs). Unfortunately, dentistry remains 'isolated' from these main events and continues to have a poor record for reporting and learning from PSIs and other events, thus limiting improvement of patient safety in dentistry. The reasons for this situation are complex.This paper provides a review of the complexities of the existing systems and procedures in relation to patient safety in dentistry. It highlights the conflicting advice which is available and which further complicates an overly burdensome process. Recommendations are made to address these problems with systems and procedures supporting patient safety development in dentistry.

  3. Evaluation and Customization of WHO Safety Checklist for Patient Safety in Otorhinolaryngology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dabholkar, Yogesh; Velankar, Haritosh; Suryanarayan, Sneha; Dabholkar, Twinkle Y; Saberwal, Akanksha A; Verma, Bhavika

    2018-03-01

    The WHO has designed a safe surgery checklist to enhance communication and awareness of patient safety during surgery and to minimise complications. WHO recommends that the check-list be evaluated and customised by end users as a tool to promote safe surgery. The aim of present study was to evaluate the impact of WHO safety checklist on patient safety awareness in otorhinolaryngology and to customise it for the speciality. A prospective structured questionnaire based study was done in ENT operating room for duration of 1 month each for cases, before and after implementation of safe surgery checklist. The feedback from respondents (surgeons, nurses and anaesthetists) was used to arrive at a customised checklist for otolaryngology as per WHO guidelines. The checklist significantly improved team member's awareness of patient's identity (from 17 to 86%) and each other's identity and roles (from 46 to 94%) and improved team communication (from 73 to 92%) in operation theatre. There was a significant improvement in preoperative check of equipment and critical events were discussed more frequently. The checklist could be effectively customised to suit otolaryngology needs as per WHO guidelines. The modified checklist needs to be validated by otolaryngology associations. We conclude from our study that the WHO Surgical safety check-list has a favourable impact on patient safety awareness, team-work and communication of operating team and can be customised for otolaryngology setting.

  4. Validating the Danish adaptation of the World Health Organization's International Classification for Patient Safety classification of patient safety incident types

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mikkelsen, Kim Lyngby; Thommesen, Jacob; Andersen, Henning Boje

    2013-01-01

    Objectives Validation of a Danish patient safety incident classification adapted from the World Health Organizaton's International Classification for Patient Safety (ICPS-WHO). Design Thirty-three hospital safety management experts classified 58 safety incident cases selected to represent all types.......513 (range: 0.193–0.804). Kappa and ICC showed high correlation (r = 0.99). An inverse correlation was found between the prevalence of type and inter-rater reliability. Results are discussed according to four factors known to determine the inter-rater agreement: skill and motivation of raters; clarity...

  5. Using safety crosses for patient self-reflection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silverton, Sarah

    The Productive Mental Health Ward programme has been developed to improve efficiency and safety in the NHS. Patients in a medium-secure mental health unit used patient safety crosses as a tool for self-reflection as part of their recovery journey. This article describes how the project was set up as well as initial findings.

  6. Improving patient safety in radiation oncology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hendee, William R.; Herman, Michael G.

    2011-01-01

    Beginning in the 1990s, and emphasized in 2000 with the release of an Institute of Medicine report, healthcare providers and institutions have dedicated time and resources to reducing errors that impact the safety and well-being of patients. But in January 2010 the first of a series of articles appeared in the New York Times that described errors in radiation oncology that grievously impacted patients. In response, the American Association of Physicists in Medicine and the American Society of Radiation Oncology sponsored a working meeting entitled ''Safety in Radiation Therapy: A Call to Action''. The meeting attracted 400 attendees, including medical physicists, radiation oncologists, medical dosimetrists, radiation therapists, hospital administrators, regulators, and representatives of equipment manufacturers. The meeting was cohosted by 14 organizations in the United States and Canada. The meeting yielded 20 recommendations that provide a pathway to reducing errors and improving patient safety in radiation therapy facilities everywhere.

  7. Knowledge Representation in Patient Safety Reporting: An Ontological Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liang Chen

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: The current development of patient safety reporting systems is criticized for loss of information and low data quality due to the lack of a uniformed domain knowledge base and text processing functionality. To improve patient safety reporting, the present paper suggests an ontological representation of patient safety knowledge. Design/methodology/approach: We propose a framework for constructing an ontological knowledge base of patient safety. The present paper describes our design, implementation, and evaluation of the ontology at its initial stage. Findings: We describe the design and initial outcomes of the ontology implementation. The evaluation results demonstrate the clinical validity of the ontology by a self-developed survey measurement. Research limitations: The proposed ontology was developed and evaluated using a small number of information sources. Presently, US data are used, but they are not essential for the ultimate structure of the ontology. Practical implications: The goal of improving patient safety can be aided through investigating patient safety reports and providing actionable knowledge to clinical practitioners. As such, constructing a domain specific ontology for patient safety reports serves as a cornerstone in information collection and text mining methods. Originality/value: The use of ontologies provides abstracted representation of semantic information and enables a wealth of applications in a reporting system. Therefore, constructing such a knowledge base is recognized as a high priority in health care.

  8. 77 FR 25179 - Patient Safety Organizations: Expired Listing for Medkinetics, LLC

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-04-27

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety... Medkinetics, LLC of its status as a Patient Safety Organization (PSO). The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act) authorizes the listing of PSOs, which are entities or component...

  9. Patient-reported safety incidents in older patients with long-term conditions: a large cross-sectional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Panagioti, Maria; Blakeman, Thomas; Hann, Mark; Bower, Peter

    2017-05-30

    Increasing evidence suggests that patient safety is a serious concern for older patients with long-term conditions. Despite this, there is a lack of research on safety incidents encountered by this patient group. In this study, we sought to examine patient reports of safety incidents and factors associated with reports of safety incidents in older patients with long-term conditions. The baseline cross-sectional data from a longitudinal cohort study were analysed. Older patients (n=3378 aged 65 years and over) with a long-term condition registered in general practices were included in the study. The main outcome was patient-reported safety incidents including availability and appropriateness of medical tests and prescription of wrong types or doses of medication. Binary univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were undertaken to examine factors associated with patient-reported safety incidents. Safety incidents were reported by 11% of the patients. Four factors were significantly associated with patient-reported safety incidents in multivariate analyses. The experience of multiple long-term conditions (OR=1.09, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.13), a probable diagnosis of depression (OR=1.36, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.74) and greater relational continuity of care (OR=1.28, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.52) were associated with increased odds for patient-reported safety incidents. Perceived greater support and involvement in self-management was associated with lower odds for patient-reported safety incidents (OR=0.95, 95% CI 0.93 to 0.97). We found that older patients with multimorbidity and depression are more likely to report experiences of patient safety incidents. Improving perceived support and involvement of patients in their care may help prevent patient-reported safety incidents. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  10. Training and Action for Patient Safety: Embedding Interprofessional Education for Patient Safety within an Improvement Methodology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slater, Beverley L.; Lawton, Rebecca; Armitage, Gerry; Bibby, John; Wright, John

    2012-01-01

    Introduction: Despite an explosion of interest in improving safety and reducing error in health care, one important aspect of patient safety that has received little attention is a systematic approach to education and training for the whole health care workforce. This article describes an evaluation of an innovative multiprofessional, team-based…

  11. Safer Roads: Comparisons Between Road Assessment Program and Composite Road Safety Index Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohd Razelan Intan Suhana

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available In most countries, crash statistics have becoming very crucial in evaluating road’s safety level. In Malaysia, these data are very important in deciding crash-prone areas known as black spot where specific road improvements plan will be proposed. However due to the unavailability of reliable crash data in many developing countries, appropriate road maintenance measures are facing great troubles. In light of that, several proactive methods in defining road’s safety level such as Road Assessment Program (RAP have emerged. This research aim to compare two proactive methods that have been tested in Malaysian roads ; road assessment program and road environment risk index which was developed based on composite index theory in defining road’s safety level. Composite road environment risk index was combining several crucial environment indicators, assigning weight and aggregating the individual index together to form a single value representing the road’s safety level. Based on the results, it can be concluded that both road assessment program and composite road environment risk index are contradicted in six different ways such as type of speed used, type of analysis used and their final outcomes. However, with an aim to promote safer roads, these two methods can be used concurrently as the outcomes in both methods seems to fulfil each other’s gap very well.

  12. Healthcare professionals’ views of feedback on patient safety culture assessment.

    OpenAIRE

    Zwijnenberg, N.C.; Hendriks, M.; Hoogervorst-Schilp, J.; Wagner, C.

    2016-01-01

    Background: By assessing patient safety culture, healthcare providers can identify areas for improvement in patient safety culture. To achieve this, these assessment outcomes have to be relevant and presented clearly. The aim of our study was to explore healthcare professionals’ views on the feedback of a patient safety culture assessment. Methods: Twenty four hospitals participated in a patient safety culture assessment in 2012. Hospital departments received feedback in a report and on a web...

  13. Improving patient safety: patient-focused, high-reliability team training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McKeon, Leslie M; Cunningham, Patricia D; Oswaks, Jill S Detty

    2009-01-01

    Healthcare systems are recognizing "human factor" flaws that result in adverse outcomes. Nurses work around system failures, although increasing healthcare complexity makes this harder to do without risk of error. Aviation and military organizations achieve ultrasafe outcomes through high-reliability practice. We describe how reliability principles were used to teach nurses to improve patient safety at the front line of care. Outcomes include safety-oriented, teamwork communication competency; reflections on safety culture and clinical leadership are discussed.

  14. The sociotechnical configuration of the problem of Patient Safety

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Danholt, Peter

    2010-01-01

    Abstract. This paper presents and discusses two approaches to “the sociotechnical”, one coming from the Tavistock tradition and the other from actor network theory. These two differ in important ways and from the latter it follows that what patient safety means must be scrutinized and unpacked....... The paper thus rudimentarily discusses central contributions to the problematization of patient safety. Last it is argued that research that provide data on the processes of medical interventions where events, decisions and entities become transformed through their interactions is needed in order to further...... nuance the problem of patient safety. Keywords. Sociotechnical, patient safety, actor network theory, adverse events....

  15. Patient safety in undergraduate radiography curricula: A European perspective

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    England, A.; Azevedo, K.B.; Bezzina, P.; Henner, A.; McNulty, J.P.

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: To establish an understanding of patient safety within radiography education across Europe by surveying higher education institutions registered as affiliate members of the European Federation of Radiographer Societies (EFRS). Method: An online survey was developed to ascertain data on: programme type, patient safety definitions, relevant safety topics, specific areas taught, teaching and assessment methods, levels of teaching and curriculum drivers. Responses were identifiable in terms of educational institution and country. All 54 affiliated educational institutions were invited to participate. Descriptive and thematic analyses are reported. Results: A response rate of 61.1% (n = 33) was achieved from educational institutions representing 19 countries. Patient safety topics appear to be extremely well covered across curricula, however, topics including radiation protection and optimisation were not reported as being taught at an ‘advanced level’ by five and twelve respondents, respectively. Respondents identified the clinical department as the location of most patient safety-related teaching. Conclusions: Patient safety topics are deeply embedded within radiography curricula across Europe. Variations exist in terms of individual safety topics including, teaching and assessment methods, and the depth in which subjects are taught. Results from this study provide a baseline for assessing developments in curricula and can also serve as a benchmark for comparisons. - Highlights: • First European report on patient safety (PS). • PS deeply embedded within training curricula. • Terms and definitions largely consistent. • Some variety in the delivery and assessment methods. • Report provides baseline and opportunities for comparisons.

  16. The impact of health information technology on patient safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alotaibi, Yasser K; Federico, Frank

    2017-12-01

    Since the original Institute of Medicine (IOM) report was published there has been an accelerated development and adoption of health information technology with varying degrees of evidence about the impact of health information technology on patient safety.  This article is intended to review the current available scientific evidence on the impact of different health information technologies on improving patient safety outcomes. We conclude that health information technology improves patient's safety by reducing medication errors, reducing adverse drug reactions, and improving compliance to practice guidelines. There should be no doubt that health information technology is an important tool for improving healthcare quality and safety. Healthcare organizations need to be selective in which technology to invest in, as literature shows that some technologies have limited evidence in improving patient safety outcomes.

  17. 76 FR 60495 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From Illinois PSO

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-09-29

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety... voluntary relinquishment from the Illinois PSO of its status as a Patient Safety Organization (PSO). The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act), Public Law 109-41, 42 U.S.C. 299b...

  18. Towards an international classification for patient safety : the conceptual framework

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sherman, H.; Castro, G.; Fletcher, M.; Hatlie, M.; Hibbert, P.; Jakob, R.; Koss, R.; Lewalle, P.; Loeb, J.; Perneger, Th.; Runciman, W.; Thomson, R.; Schaaf, van der T.W.; Virtanen, M.

    2009-01-01

    Global advances in patient safety have been hampered by the lack of a uniform classification of patient safety concepts. This is a significant barrier to developing strategies to reduce risk, performing evidence-based research and evaluating existing healthcare policies relevant to patient safety.

  19. Implementing Protocols to Improve Patient Safety in the Medical Imaging Department.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carrizales, Gwen; Clark, Kevin R

    2015-01-01

    Patient safety is a focal point in healthcare because of recent changes issued by CMS. Hospital reimbursement rates have fallen, and these reimbursement rates are governed by CMS mandates regarding patient safety procedures. Reimbursement changes are reflected in the National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs) administered annually by The Joint Commission. Medical imaging departments have multiple areas of patient safety concerns including effective handoff communication, proper patient identification, and safe medication/contrast administration. This literature review examines those areas of patient safety within the medical imaging department and reveals the need for continued protocol and policy changes to keep patients safe.

  20. 2011 John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Awards. The effect of a novel Housestaff Quality Council on quality and patient safety. Innovation in patient safety and quality at the local level.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fleischut, Peter M; Faggiani, Susan L; Evans, Adam S; Brenner, Samantha; Liebowitz, Richard S; Forese, Laura; Kerr, Gregory E; Lazar, Eliot J

    2012-07-01

    In 2008 New York-Presbyterian Hospital (NYP)/Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York City, the largest not-for-profit, nonsectarian hospital in the United States, created and implemented a novel approach--the Housestaff Quality Council (HQC)--to engaging house-staff in quality and patient safety activities. The HQC represented an innovative collaboration between the housestaff, the Department of Anesthesiology, the Division of Quality and Patient Safety, the Office of Graduate Medical Education, and senior leadership. As key managers of patient care, the housestaff sought to become involved in the quality and patient safety decision- and policy-making processes at the hospital. Its members were determined to decrease or minimize adverse events by facilitating multimodal communication, ensuring smart work flow, and measuring outcomes to determine best practices. The HQC, which also included frontline hospital staff or managers from areas such as nursing, pharmacy, and information technology, aligned its initiatives with those of the division of quality and patient safety and embarked on two projects--medication reconciliation and use of the electronic medical record. More than three years later, the resulting improvements have been sustained and three new projects--hand hygiene, central line-associated bloodstream infections, and patient handoffs--have been initiated. The HQC model is highly replicable at other teaching institutions as a complementary approach to their other quality and patient safety initiatives. However, the ability to sustain positive momentum is dependent on the ability of residents to invest time and effort in the face of a demanding residency training schedule and focus on specialty-specific clinical and research activities.

  1. Explaining Ethnic Disparities in Patient Safety: A Qualitative Analysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Suurmond, Jeanine; Uiters, Ellen; de Bruijne, Martine C.; Stronks, Karien; Essink-Bot, Marie-Louise

    2010-01-01

    Objectives. We explored characteristics of in-hospital care and treatment of immigrant patients to better understand the processes underlying ethnic disparities in patient safety. Methods. We conducted semistructured interviews with care providers regarding patient safety events involving immigrant

  2. Focus on patient safety all day, every day.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-06-01

    Case managers may think their job doesn't involve patient safety, but they promote safety by ensuring a safe discharge and are in a position to see safety breaches and mistakes all over the hospital. CMS includes discharge planning in its worksheets for surveyors to use to assess a hospital's compliance with Medicare Conditions of Participation. Because they work with patients from admission to discharge, case managers know which clinicians are competent, those who are not, and may observe safety breaches like failure to wash hands and leaving the catheter in too long. Case managers should spend enough time with their patients to know their situations at home and their support systems and use the information to create workable and safe discharge plans. Hospitals should create an environment and a culture where case managers and other clinicians feel comfortable speaking up when they see safety breaches.

  3. 75 FR 57477 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Delisting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-09-21

    ... Organizations: Voluntary Delisting AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), HHS. ACTION... Creighton Center for Health Services Research and Patient Safety (CHRP) Patient Safety Organization (PSO... the listing of PSOs, which are entities or component organizations whose mission and primary activity...

  4. Expediting Clinician Adoption of Safety Practices: The UCSF Venous Access Patient Safety Interdisciplinary Education Project

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Donaldson, Nancy E; Plank, Rosemary K; Williamson, Ann; Pearl, Jeffrey; Kellogg, Jerry; Ryder, Marcia

    2005-01-01

    ...) Venous Access Device (VAD) Patient Safety Interdisciplinary Education Project was to develop a 30-hour/one clinical academic unit VAD patient safety course with the aim of expediting clinician adoption of critical concepts...

  5. Patient Education May Improve Perioperative Safety.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Haan, L.S.; Calsbeek, H; Wolff, André

    2016-01-01

    Importance: There is a growing interest in enabling ways for patients to participate in their own care to improve perioperative safety, but little is known about the effectiveness of interventions enhancing an active patient role. Objective: To evaluate the effect of patient participation on

  6. [Does simulator-based team training improve patient safety?].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trentzsch, H; Urban, B; Sandmeyer, B; Hammer, T; Strohm, P C; Lazarovici, M

    2013-10-01

    Patient safety became paramount in medicine as well as in emergency medicine after it was recognized that preventable, adverse events significantly contributed to morbidity and mortality during hospital stay. The underlying errors cannot usually be explained by medical technical inadequacies only but are more due to difficulties in the transition of theoretical knowledge into tasks under the conditions of clinical reality. Crew Resource Management and Human Factors which determine safety and efficiency of humans in complex situations are suitable to control such sources of error. Simulation significantly improved safety in high reliability organizations, such as the aerospace industry.Thus, simulator-based team training has also been proposed for medical areas. As such training is consuming in cost, time and human resources, the question of the cost-benefit ratio obviously arises. This review outlines the effects of simulator-based team training on patient safety. Such course formats are not only capable of creating awareness and improvements in safety culture but also improve technical team performance and emphasize team performance as a clinical competence. A few studies even indicated improvement of patient-centered outcome, such as a reduced rate of adverse events but further studies are required in this respect. In summary, simulator-based team training should be accepted as a suitable strategy to improve patient safety.

  7. Identifying organizational cultures that promote patient safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singer, Sara J; Falwell, Alyson; Gaba, David M; Meterko, Mark; Rosen, Amy; Hartmann, Christine W; Baker, Laurence

    2009-01-01

    Safety climate refers to shared perceptions of what an organization is like with regard to safety, whereas safety culture refers to employees' fundamental ideology and orientation and explains why safety is pursued in the manner exhibited within a particular organization. Although research has sought to identify opportunities for improving safety outcomes by studying patterns of variation in safety climate, few empirical studies have examined the impact of organizational characteristics such as culture on hospital safety climate. This study explored how aspects of general organizational culture relate to hospital patient safety climate. In a stratified sample of 92 U.S. hospitals, we sampled 100% of senior managers and physicians and 10% of other hospital workers. The Patient Safety Climate in Healthcare Organizations and the Zammuto and Krakower organizational culture surveys measured safety climate and group, entrepreneurial, hierarchical, and production orientation of hospitals' culture, respectively. We administered safety climate surveys to 18,361 personnel and organizational culture surveys to a 5,894 random subsample between March 2004 and May 2005. Secondary data came from the 2004 American Hospital Association Annual Hospital Survey and Dun & Bradstreet. Hierarchical linear regressions assessed relationships between organizational culture and safety climate measures. Aspects of general organizational culture were strongly related to safety climate. A higher level of group culture correlated with a higher level of safety climate, but more hierarchical culture was associated with lower safety climate. Aspects of organizational culture accounted for more than threefold improvement in measures of model fit compared with models with controls alone. A mix of culture types, emphasizing group culture, seemed optimal for safety climate. Safety climate and organizational culture are positively related. Results support strategies that promote group orientation and

  8. Does lean management improve patient safety culture? An extensive evaluation of safety culture in a radiotherapy institute.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simons, Pascale A M; Houben, Ruud; Vlayen, Annemie; Hellings, Johan; Pijls-Johannesma, Madelon; Marneffe, Wim; Vandijck, Dominique

    2015-02-01

    The importance of a safety culture to maximize safety is no longer questioned. However, achieving sustainable culture improvements are less evident. Evidence is growing for a multifaceted approach, where multiple safety interventions are combined. Lean management is such an integral approach to improve safety, quality and efficiency and therefore, could be expected to improve the safety culture. This paper presents the effects of lean management activities on the patient safety culture in a radiotherapy institute. Patient safety culture was evaluated over a three year period using triangulation of methodologies. Two surveys were distributed three times, workshops were performed twice, data from an incident reporting system (IRS) was monitored and results were explored using structured interviews with professionals. Averages, chi-square, logistical and multi-level regression were used for analysis. The workshops showed no changes in safety culture, whereas the surveys showed improvements on six out of twelve dimensions of safety climate. The intention to report incidents not reaching patient-level decreased in accordance with the decreasing number of reports in the IRS. However, the intention to take action in order to prevent future incidents improved (factorial survey presented β: 1.19 with p: 0.01). Due to increased problem solving and improvements in equipment, the number of incidents decreased. Although the intention to report incidents not reaching patient-level decreased, employees experienced sustained safety awareness and an increased intention to structurally improve. The patient safety culture improved due to the lean activities combined with an organizational restructure, and actual patient safety outcomes might have improved as well. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. 75 FR 75471 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Delisting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-12-03

    ... Organizations: Voluntary Delisting AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, HHS. ACTION: Notice of..., LLC of its status as a Patient Safety Organization (PSO). The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement... or component organizations whose mission and primary activity is to conduct activities to improve...

  10. 75 FR 57048 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Delisting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-09-17

    ... Organizations: Voluntary Delisting AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), HHS. ACTION... Organization (PSO). The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act), Public Law 109... the listing of PSOs, which are entities or component organizations whose mission and primary activity...

  11. 42 CFR 3.206 - Confidentiality of patient safety work product.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Confidentiality of patient safety work product. 3... individually identifiable health information in such patient safety work product, the direct identifiers listed at 45 CFR 164.514(e)(2) have been removed. (5) Disclosure of nonidentifiable patient safety work...

  12. Managing risk in healthcare: understanding your safety culture using the Manchester Patient Safety Framework (MaPSaF).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parker, Dianne

    2009-03-01

    To provide sufficient information about the Manchester Patient Safety Framework (MaPSaF) to allow healthcare professionals to assess its potential usefulness. The assessment of safety culture is an important aspect of risk management, and one in which there is increasing interest among healthcare organizations. Manchester Patient Safety Framework offers a theory-based framework for assessing safety culture, designed specifically for use in the NHS. The framework covers multiple dimensions of safety culture, and five levels of safety culture development. This allows the generation of a profile of an organization's safety culture in terms of areas of relative strength and challenge, which can be used to identify focus issues for change and improvement. Manchester Patient Safety Framework provides a useful method for engaging healthcare professionals in assessing and improving the safety culture in their organization, as part of a programme of risk management.

  13. Safety coaches in radiology: decreasing human error and minimizing patient harm

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dickerson, Julie M.; Adams, Janet M. [Cincinnati Children' s Hospital Medical Center, Department of Radiology, MLC 5031, Cincinnati, OH (United States); Koch, Bernadette L.; Donnelly, Lane F. [Cincinnati Children' s Hospital Medical Center, Department of Radiology, MLC 5031, Cincinnati, OH (United States); Cincinnati Children' s Hospital Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati, OH (United States); Goodfriend, Martha A. [Cincinnati Children' s Hospital Medical Center, Department of Quality Improvement, Cincinnati, OH (United States)

    2010-09-15

    Successful programs to improve patient safety require a component aimed at improving safety culture and environment, resulting in a reduced number of human errors that could lead to patient harm. Safety coaching provides peer accountability. It involves observing for safety behaviors and use of error prevention techniques and provides immediate feedback. For more than a decade, behavior-based safety coaching has been a successful strategy for reducing error within the context of occupational safety in industry. We describe the use of safety coaches in radiology. Safety coaches are an important component of our comprehensive patient safety program. (orig.)

  14. Safety coaches in radiology: decreasing human error and minimizing patient harm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dickerson, Julie M.; Adams, Janet M.; Koch, Bernadette L.; Donnelly, Lane F.; Goodfriend, Martha A.

    2010-01-01

    Successful programs to improve patient safety require a component aimed at improving safety culture and environment, resulting in a reduced number of human errors that could lead to patient harm. Safety coaching provides peer accountability. It involves observing for safety behaviors and use of error prevention techniques and provides immediate feedback. For more than a decade, behavior-based safety coaching has been a successful strategy for reducing error within the context of occupational safety in industry. We describe the use of safety coaches in radiology. Safety coaches are an important component of our comprehensive patient safety program. (orig.)

  15. Safety coaches in radiology: decreasing human error and minimizing patient harm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dickerson, Julie M; Koch, Bernadette L; Adams, Janet M; Goodfriend, Martha A; Donnelly, Lane F

    2010-09-01

    Successful programs to improve patient safety require a component aimed at improving safety culture and environment, resulting in a reduced number of human errors that could lead to patient harm. Safety coaching provides peer accountability. It involves observing for safety behaviors and use of error prevention techniques and provides immediate feedback. For more than a decade, behavior-based safety coaching has been a successful strategy for reducing error within the context of occupational safety in industry. We describe the use of safety coaches in radiology. Safety coaches are an important component of our comprehensive patient safety program.

  16. Safety and patient comfort with iodixanol: a postmarketing surveillance study in 9515 patients undergoing diagnostic CT examinations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haeussler, Marc D.

    2010-01-01

    Background: Iodinated radiographic contrast media are considered safe diagnostic drugs with a low incidence of adverse drug reactions. Purpose: To determine prospectively the incidence and nature of immediate and delayed adverse drug reactions occurring after administration of iodixanol for contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) in routine practice in nonselected patients, and to assess patient comfort (pain and sensations of heat or coldness). Material and Methods: Patient characteristics (including demographics, risk factors, indication for CT, and status of the vein used to administer iodixanol) and aspects of iodixanol administration (including dose and volume) were documented on a standardized case report form. Patients were asked to report immediate (during the visit) or delayed (occurring up to 7 days after administration of iodixanol) adverse reactions; those deemed related or possibly related to iodixanol were documented on a standardized adverse drug reaction form. Discomfort was rated by patients on a scale of 0-10 for pain, heat, and coldness; individual scores were combined into a composite score (0-30). Results: Evaluable documentation was provided for 9515 patients in 77 centers across Germany. Adverse drug reactions were reported in 70 patients (0.74%), including hypersensitivity reactions in 55 patients. Thirty patients experienced immediate reactions and 40 experienced delayed reactions. Serious adverse drug reactions were evident in five patients (0.05%). Patients with allergic diathesis appeared to be at increased risk of immediate and delayed adverse drug reactions. Discomfort was generally mild, with 72% of patients reporting a composite score of 0-3. Conclusion: In the outpatient setting, where it is often difficult to properly assess patients for specific risk factors, it was reassuring that iodixanol demonstrated an excellent safety profile in over 9500 patients undergoing diagnostic CT examinations. There were no unexpected serious

  17. Safety and patient comfort with iodixanol: a postmarketing surveillance study in 9515 patients undergoing diagnostic CT examinations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Haeussler, Marc D. (Gemeinschaftspraxis fuer Radiologie und Neurologie, Praxis Mosbach, Mosbach (Germany)), e-mail: info@praxis-mosbach.de

    2010-10-15

    Background: Iodinated radiographic contrast media are considered safe diagnostic drugs with a low incidence of adverse drug reactions. Purpose: To determine prospectively the incidence and nature of immediate and delayed adverse drug reactions occurring after administration of iodixanol for contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) in routine practice in nonselected patients, and to assess patient comfort (pain and sensations of heat or coldness). Material and Methods: Patient characteristics (including demographics, risk factors, indication for CT, and status of the vein used to administer iodixanol) and aspects of iodixanol administration (including dose and volume) were documented on a standardized case report form. Patients were asked to report immediate (during the visit) or delayed (occurring up to 7 days after administration of iodixanol) adverse reactions; those deemed related or possibly related to iodixanol were documented on a standardized adverse drug reaction form. Discomfort was rated by patients on a scale of 0-10 for pain, heat, and coldness; individual scores were combined into a composite score (0-30). Results: Evaluable documentation was provided for 9515 patients in 77 centers across Germany. Adverse drug reactions were reported in 70 patients (0.74%), including hypersensitivity reactions in 55 patients. Thirty patients experienced immediate reactions and 40 experienced delayed reactions. Serious adverse drug reactions were evident in five patients (0.05%). Patients with allergic diathesis appeared to be at increased risk of immediate and delayed adverse drug reactions. Discomfort was generally mild, with 72% of patients reporting a composite score of 0-3. Conclusion: In the outpatient setting, where it is often difficult to properly assess patients for specific risk factors, it was reassuring that iodixanol demonstrated an excellent safety profile in over 9500 patients undergoing diagnostic CT examinations. There were no unexpected serious

  18. The role of the ward manager in promoting patient safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pinnock, David

    In this article the role of the ward manager in promoting patient safety is explored. The background to the development of the patient safety agenda is briefly discussed and the relationship between quality and safety is illustrated. The pivotal importance of the role of the ward manager in delivering services to patients is underlined and literature on patient safety is examined to identify what a ward manager can do to make care safer. Possible actions of the ward manager to improve safety discussed in the literature are structured around the Leadership Framework. This framework identifies seven domains for the leadership of service delivery. Ward managers use their personal qualities, and network and work within teams, while managing performance and facilitating innovation, change and measurement for improvement. The challenge of promoting patient safety for ward managers is briefly explored and recommendations for further research are made.

  19. Assessing patient safety culture in hospitals across countries

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wagner, C.; Smits, M.; Sorra, J.; Huang, C.C.

    2013-01-01

    Objective. It is believed that in order to reduce the number of adverse events, hospitals have to stimulate a more open culture and reflective attitude towards errors and patient safety. The objective is to examine similarities and differences in hospital patient safety culture in three countries:

  20. Assessing patient safety culture in hospitals across countries.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wagner, C.; Smits, M.; Sorra, J.; Huang, C.C.

    2013-01-01

    Objective: It is believed that in order to reduce the number of adverse events, hospitals have to stimulate a more open culture and reflective attitude towards errors and patient safety. The objective is to examine similarities and differences in hospital patient safety culture in three countries:

  1. Assessing patient safety culture in hospitals across countries

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wagner, C.; Smits, M.; Sorra, J.; Huang, C.C.

    2013-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: It is believed that in order to reduce the number of adverse events, hospitals have to stimulate a more open culture and reflective attitude towards errors and patient safety. The objective is to examine similarities and differences in hospital patient safety culture in three countries:

  2. 75 FR 63498 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Delisting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-15

    ... Healthcare Technology Foundation of its status as a Patient Safety Organization (PSO). The Patient Safety and... notification from the ACCE Healthcare Technology Foundation, PSO number P0017, to voluntarily relinquish its status as a PSO. Accordingly, the ACCE Healthcare Technology Foundation was delisted effective at 12:00...

  3. 75 FR 75473 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Delisting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-12-03

    ... Organizations: Voluntary Delisting AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, HHS. ACTION: Notice of... entity of Harbor Medical, Inc., of its status as a Patient Safety Organization (PSO). The Patient Safety... the listing of PSOs, which are entities or component organizations whose mission and primary activity...

  4. 75 FR 75472 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Delisting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-12-03

    ... Organizations: Voluntary Delisting AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, HHS. ACTION: Notice of.... Patient Safety Group (A Component of Helmet Fire, Inc. of its status as a Patient Safety Organization (PSO... the listing of PSOs, which are entities or component organizations whose mission and primary activity...

  5. Ensuring a proactive, evidence-based, patient safety approach to patient assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Considine, Julie; Currey, Judy

    2015-01-01

    To argue that if all nurses were to adopt the primary survey approach (assessment of airway, breathing, circulation and disability) as the first element of patient assessment, they would be more focused on active detection of clinical deterioration rather than passive collection of patient data. Nurses are the professional group that carry the highest level of responsibility for patient assessment, accurate data collection and interpretation. The timely recognition of, and response to deteriorating patients, is dependent on the measurement and interpretation of pertinent physiological data by nurses. Discursive paper. Traditionally taught and commonly used approaches to patient assessment such as 'vital signs' and 'body systems' are not evidence-based nor framed in patient safety. The primary survey approach as the first element in patient assessment has three major advantages: (1) data are collected according to clinical importance; (2) data are collected using the same framework as most organisation's rapid response system activation criteria; and (3) the primary survey acts as a patient safety checklist, thereby decreasing the risk of failure to recognise, and therefore respond to, deteriorating patients. The vital signs and body systems approaches to patient assessment have significant limitations in identifying clinical deterioration. The primary survey approach provides nurses with a consistent, evidence-based and sequenced approach to patient assessment in every clinical setting. All nurses should use a primary survey approach as the first element of patient assessment in every patient encounter as a patient safety strategy. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  6. Strengthening leadership as a catalyst for enhanced patient safety culture

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kristensen, Solvejg; Christensen, Karl Bang; Jaquet, Annette

    2016-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: Current literature emphasises that clinical leaders are in a position to enable a culture of safety, and that the safety culture is a performance mediator with the potential to influence patient outcomes. This paper aims to investigate staff's perceptions of patient safety culture...... in a Danish psychiatric department before and after a leadership intervention. METHODS: A repeated cross-sectional experimental study by design was applied. In 2 surveys, healthcare staff were asked about their perceptions of the patient safety culture using the 7 patient safety culture dimensions...... in the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire. To broaden knowledge and strengthen leadership skills, a multicomponent programme consisting of academic input, exercises, reflections and discussions, networking, and action learning was implemented among the clinical area level leaders. RESULTS: In total, 358 and 325...

  7. The impact of a medical procedure service on patient safety, procedure quality and resident training opportunities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tukey, Melissa H; Wiener, Renda Soylemez

    2014-03-01

    At some academic hospitals, medical procedure services are being developed to provide supervision for residents performing bedside procedures in hopes of improving patient safety and resident education. There is limited knowledge of the impact of such services on procedural complication rates and resident procedural training opportunities. To determine the impact of a medical procedure service (MPS) on patient safety and resident procedural training opportunities. Retrospective cohort analysis comparing characteristics and outcomes of procedures performed by the MPS versus the primary medical service. Consecutive adults admitted to internal medicine services at a large academic hospital who underwent a bedside medical procedure (central venous catheterization, thoracentesis, paracentesis, lumbar puncture) between 1 July 2010 and 31 December 2011. The primary outcome was a composite rate of major complications. Secondary outcomes included resident participation in bedside procedures and use of "best practice" safety process measures. We evaluated 1,707 bedside procedures (548 by the MPS, 1,159 by the primary services). There were no differences in the composite rate of major complications (1.6 % vs. 1.9 %, p = 0.71) or resident participation in bedside procedures (57.0 % vs. 54.3 %, p = 0.31) between the MPS and the primary services. Procedures performed by the MPS were more likely to be successfully completed (95.8 % vs. 92.8 %, p = 0.02) and to use best practice safety process measures, including use of ultrasound guidance when appropriate (96.8 % vs. 90.0 %, p = 0.0004), avoidance of femoral venous catheterization (89.5 vs. 82.7 %, p = 0.02) and involvement of attending physicians (99.3 % vs. 57.0 %, p < 0.0001). Although use of a MPS did not significantly affect the rate of major complications or resident opportunities for training in bedside procedures, it was associated with increased use of best practice safety process measures.

  8. The association between EMS workplace safety culture and safety outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weaver, Matthew D; Wang, Henry E; Fairbanks, Rollin J; Patterson, Daniel

    2012-01-01

    Prior studies have highlighted wide variation in emergency medical services (EMS) workplace safety culture across agencies. To determine the association between EMS workplace safety culture scores and patient or provider safety outcomes. We administered a cross-sectional survey to EMS workers affiliated with a convenience sample of agencies. We recruited these agencies from a national EMS management organization. We used the EMS Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (EMS-SAQ) to measure workplace safety culture and the EMS Safety Inventory (EMS-SI), a tool developed to capture self-reported safety outcomes from EMS workers. The EMS-SAQ provides reliable and valid measures of six domains: safety climate, teamwork climate, perceptions of management, working conditions, stress recognition, and job satisfaction. A panel of medical directors, emergency medical technicians and paramedics, and occupational epidemiologists developed the EMS-SI to measure self-reported injury, medical errors and adverse events, and safety-compromising behaviors. We used hierarchical linear models to evaluate the association between EMS-SAQ scores and EMS-SI safety outcome measures. Sixteen percent of all respondents reported experiencing an injury in the past three months, four of every 10 respondents reported an error or adverse event (AE), and 89% reported safety-compromising behaviors. Respondents reporting injury scored lower on five of the six domains of safety culture. Respondents reporting an error or AE scored lower for four of the six domains, while respondents reporting safety-compromising behavior had lower safety culture scores for five of the six domains. Individual EMS worker perceptions of workplace safety culture are associated with composite measures of patient and provider safety outcomes. This study is preliminary evidence of the association between safety culture and patient or provider safety outcomes.

  9. [Electronic patient record as the tool for better patient safety].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schneider, Henning

    2015-01-01

    Recent studies indicate again that there is a deficit in the use of electronic health records (EHR) in German hospitals. Despite good arguments in favour of their use, such as the rapid availability of data, German hospitals shy away from a wider implementation. The reason is the high cost of installing and maintaining the EHRs, for the benefit is difficult to evaluate in monetary terms for the hospital. Even if a benefit can be shown it is not necessarily evident within the hospital, but manifests itself only in the health system outside. Many hospitals only manage to partly implement EHR resulting in increased documentation requirements which reverse their positive effect.In the United States, electronic medical records are also viewed in light of their positive impact on patient safety. In particular, electronic medication systems prove the benefits they can provide in the context of patient safety. As a result, financing systems have been created to promote the digitalisation of hospitals in the United States. This has led to a large increase in the use of IT systems in the United States in recent years. The Universitätsklinikum Eppendorf (UKE) introduced electronic patient records in 2009. The benefits, in particular as regards patient safety, are numerous and there are many examples to illustrate this position. These positive results are intended to demonstrate the important role EHR play in hospitals. A financing system of the ailing IT landscape based on the American model is urgently needed to benefit-especially in terms of patient safety-from electronic medical records in the hospital.

  10. Health IT for Patient Safety and Improving the Safety of Health IT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magrabi, Farah; Ong, Mei-Sing; Coiera, Enrico

    2016-01-01

    Alongside their benefits health IT applications can pose new risks to patient safety. Problems with IT have been linked to many different types of clinical errors including prescribing and administration of medications; as well as wrong-patient, wrong-site errors, and delays in procedures. There is also growing concern about the risks of data breach and cyber-security. IT-related clinical errors have their origins in processes undertaken to design, build, implement and use software systems in a broader sociotechnical context. Safety can be improved with greater standardization of clinical software and by improving the quality of processes at different points in the technology life cycle, spanning design, build, implementation and use in clinical settings. Oversight processes can be set up at a regional or national level to ensure that clinical software systems meet specific standards. Certification and regulation are two mechanisms to improve oversight. In the absence of clear standards, guidelines are useful to promote safe design and implementation practices. Processes to identify and mitigate hazards can be formalised via a safety management system. Minimizing new patient safety risks is critical to realizing the benefits of IT.

  11. Assessment of Patient Safety Culture in a Selected Number of Pharmacies Affiliated to Mashhad University of Medical Sciences Using the Pharmacy Survey on Patient Safety Culture (SOPS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sara Jamili

    2016-07-01

    Conclusion: According to the results of this study, commitment of healthcare authorities to patient safety culture is the most important factor in the promotion of organizational patient safety. Considering that the lowest score of patient safety culture belonged to the dimension of “overall perceptions of patient safety”,it is recommended that related training interventions be implemented for healthcare staff in order to establish and promote the patient safety culture in pharmacies.

  12. Assessing medical students' perceptions of patient safety: the medical student safety attitudes and professionalism survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liao, Joshua M; Etchegaray, Jason M; Williams, S Tyler; Berger, David H; Bell, Sigall K; Thomas, Eric J

    2014-02-01

    To develop and test the psychometric properties of a survey to measure students' perceptions about patient safety as observed on clinical rotations. In 2012, the authors surveyed 367 graduating fourth-year medical students at three U.S. MD-granting medical schools. They assessed the survey's reliability and construct and concurrent validity. They examined correlations between students' perceptions of organizational cultural factors, organizational patient safety measures, and students' intended safety behaviors. They also calculated percent positive scores for cultural factors. Two hundred twenty-eight students (62%) responded. Analyses identified five cultural factors (teamwork culture, safety culture, error disclosure culture, experiences with professionalism, and comfort expressing professional concerns) that had construct validity, concurrent validity, and good reliability (Cronbach alphas > 0.70). Across schools, percent positive scores for safety culture ranged from 28% (95% confidence interval [CI], 13%-43%) to 64% (30%-98%), while those for teamwork culture ranged from 47% (32%-62%) to 74% (66%-81%). They were low for error disclosure culture (range: 10% [0%-20%] to 27% [20%-35%]), experiences with professionalism (range: 7% [0%-15%] to 23% [16%-30%]), and comfort expressing professional concerns (range: 17% [5%-29%] to 38% [8%-69%]). Each cultural factor correlated positively with perceptions of overall patient safety as observed in clinical rotations (r = 0.37-0.69, P safety behavioral intent item. This study provided initial evidence for the survey's reliability and validity and illustrated its applicability for determining whether students' clinical experiences exemplify positive patient safety environments.

  13. Examination of the relationship between management and clinician perception of patient safety climate and patient satisfaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazurenko, Olena; Richter, Jason; Kazley, Abby Swanson; Ford, Eric

    2017-04-25

    The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between managers and clinicians' agreement on deeming the patient safety climate as high or low and the patients' satisfaction with those organizations. We used two secondary data sets: the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (2012) and the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (2012). We used ordinary least squares regressions to analyze the relationship between the extent of agreement between managers and clinicians' perceptions of safety climate in relationship to patient satisfaction. The dependent variables were four Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems patient satisfaction scores: communication with nurses, communication with doctors, communication about medicines, and discharge information. The main independent variables were four groups that were formed based on the extent of managers and clinicians' agreement on four patient safety climate domains: communication openness, feedback and communication about errors, teamwork within units, and teamwork across units. After controlling for hospital and market-level characteristics, we found that patient satisfaction was significantly higher if managers and clinicians reported that patient safety climate is high or if only clinicians perceived the climate as high. Specifically, manager and clinician agreement on high levels of communication openness (β = 2.25, p = .01; β = 2.46, p = .05), feedback and communication about errors (β = 3.0, p = .001; β = 2.89, p = .01), and teamwork across units (β = 2.91, p = .001; β = 3.34, p = .01) was positively and significantly associated with patient satisfaction with discharge information and communication about medication. In addition, more favorable perceptions about patient safety climate by clinicians only yielded similar findings. Organizations should measure and examine patient safety climate from multiple perspectives and be aware that individuals

  14. Modelling of Safety Factors in the Design of GRP Composite Products

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Babu, B.J.C.; Prabhakaran, R.T. Durai; Lystrup, Aage

    2010-01-01

    as independent, while in real applications these factors may interact/influence each other. Following the concept developed by the authors, a simple graph theoretic model has been used to determine overall factor of safety. This is described with the help of an example and it has been demonstrated......An attempt has been made in this paper to arrive at the safety factor design of glass fibre reinforced polymer (GRP) composite products using graph theoretic model. In the conventional design and recommendations of the standards, these design factors affecting properties have been considered...

  15. Nurse working conditions and patient safety outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stone, Patricia W; Mooney-Kane, Cathy; Larson, Elaine L; Horan, Teresa; Glance, Laurent G; Zwanziger, Jack; Dick, Andrew W

    2007-06-01

    System approaches, such as improving working conditions, have been advocated to improve patient safety. However, the independent effect of many working condition variables on patient outcomes is unknown. To examine effects of a comprehensive set of working conditions on elderly patient safety outcomes in intensive care units. Observational study, with patient outcome data collected using the National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance system protocols and Medicare files. Several measures of health status and fixed setting characteristics were used to capture distinct dimensions of patient severity of illness and risk for disease. Working condition variables included organizational climate measured by nurse survey; objective measures of staffing, overtime, and wages (derived from payroll data); and hospital profitability and magnet accreditation. The sample comprised 15,846 patients in 51 adult intensive care units in 31 hospitals depending on the outcome analyzed; 1095 nurses were surveyed. Central line associated bloodstream infections (CLBSI), ventilator-associated pneumonia, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, 30-day mortality, and decubiti. Units with higher staffing had lower incidence of CLBSI, ventilator-associated pneumonia, 30-day mortality, and decubiti (P working conditions were associated with all outcomes measured. Improving working conditions will most likely promote patient safety. Future researchers and policymakers should consider a broad set of working condition variables.

  16. [Patient safety in education and training of healthcare professionals in Germany].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoffmann, Barbara; Siebert, H; Euteneier, A

    2015-01-01

    In order to improve patient safety, healthcare professionals who care for patients directly or indirectly are required to possess specific knowledge and skills. Patient safety education is not or only poorly represented in education and examination regulations of healthcare professionals in Germany; therefore, it is only practiced rarely and on a voluntary basis. Meanwhile, several training curricula and concepts have been developed in the past 10 years internationally and recently in Germany, too. Based on these concepts the German Coalition for Patient Safety developed a catalogue of core competencies required for safety in patient care. This catalogue will serve as an important orientation when patient safety is to be implemented as a subject of professional education in Germany in the future. Moreover, teaching staff has to be trained and educational and training activities have to be evaluated. Patient safety education and training for (undergraduate) healthcare professional will require capital investment.

  17. Can we improve patient safety?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corbally, Martin Thomas

    2014-01-01

    Despite greater awareness of patient safety issues especially in the operating room and the widespread implementation of surgical time out World Health Organization (WHO), errors, especially wrong site surgery, continue. Most such errors are due to lapses in communication where decision makers fail to consult or confirm operative findings but worryingly where parental concerns over the planned procedure are ignored or not followed through. The WHO Surgical Pause/Time Out aims to capture these errors and prevent them, but the combination of human error and complex hospital environments can overwhelm even robust safety structures and simple common sense. Parents are the ultimate repository of information on their child's condition and planned surgery but are traditionally excluded from the process of Surgical Pause and Time Out, perhaps to avoid additional stress. In addition, surgeons, like pilots, are subject to the phenomenon of "plan-continue-fail" with potentially disastrous outcomes. If we wish to improve patient safety during surgery and avoid wrong site errors then we must include parents in the Surgical Pause/Time Out. A recent pilot study has shown that neither staff nor parents found it added to their stress, but, moreover, 100% of parents considered that it should be a mandatory component of the Surgical Pause nor does it add to the stress of surgery. Surgeons should be required to confirm that the planned procedure is in keeping with the operative findings especially in extirpative surgery and this "step back" should be incorporated into the standard Surgical Pause. It is clear that we must improve patient safety further and these simple measures should add to that potential.

  18. Designing a Safety Reporting Smartphone Application to Improve Patient Safety After Total Hip Arthroplasty.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krumsvik, Ole Andreas; Babic, Ankica

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents a safety reporting smartphone application which is expected to reduce the occurrence of postoperative adverse events after total hip arthroplasty (THA). A user-centered design approach was utilized to facilitate optimal user experience. Two main implemented functionalities capture patient pain levels and well-being, the two dimensions of patient status that are intuitive and commonly checked. For these and other functionalities, mobile technology could enable timely safety reporting and collection of patient data out of a hospital setting. The HCI expert, and healthcare professionals from the Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen have assessed the design with respect to the interaction flow, information content, and self-reporting functionalities. They have found it to be practical, intuitive, sufficient and simple for users. Patient self-reporting could help recognizing safety issues and adverse events.

  19. The impact of health information technology on patient safety

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yasser K. Alotaibi

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Since the original Institute of Medicine (IOM report was published there has been an accelerated development and adoption of health information technology with varying degrees of evidence about the impact of health information technology on patient safety. This article is intended to review the current available scientific evidence on the impact of different health information technologies on improving patient safety outcomes. We conclude that health information technology improves patient’s safety by reducing medication errors, reducing adverse drug reactions, and improving compliance to practice guidelines. There should be no doubt that health information technology is an important tool for improving healthcare quality and safety. Healthcare organizations need to be selective in which technology to invest in, as literature shows that some technologies have limited evidence in improving patient safety outcomes.

  20. Patient safety problem identification and solution sharing among rural community pharmacists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galt, Kimberly A; Fuji, Kevin T; Faber, Jennifer

    2013-01-01

    To implement a communication network for safety problem identification and solution sharing among rural community pharmacists and to report participating pharmacists' perceived value and impact of the network on patient safety after 1 year of implementation. Action research study. Rural community pharmacies in Nebraska from January 2010 to April 2011. Rural community pharmacists who voluntarily agreed to join the Pharmacists for Patient Safety Network in Nebraska. Pharmacists reported errors, near misses, and safety concerns through Web-based event reporting. A rapid feedback process was used to provide patient safety solutions to consider implementing across the network. Qualitative interviews were conducted 1 year after program implementation with participating pharmacists to assess use of the reporting system, value of the disseminated safety solutions, and perceived impact on patient safety in pharmacies. 30 of 38 pharmacists participating in the project completed the interviews. The communication network improved pharmacist awareness, promoted open discussion and knowledge sharing, contributed to practice vigilance, and led to incorporation of proactive safety prevention practices. Despite low participation in error and near-miss reporting, a dynamic communication network designed to rapidly disseminate evidence-based patient safety strategies to reduce risk was valued and effective at improving patient safety practices in rural community pharmacies.

  1. Patient Safety and Workplace Bullying: An Integrative Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Houck, Noreen M; Colbert, Alison M

    Workplace bullying is strongly associated with negative nursing outcomes, such as work dissatisfaction, turnover, and intent to leave; however, results of studies examining associations with specific patient safety outcomes are limited or nonspecific. This integrative review explores and synthesizes the published articles that address the impact of workplace nurse bullying on patient safety.

  2. Involvement of patients with cancer in patient safety: a qualitative study of current practices, potentials and barriers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, Helle Max; Navne, Laura Emdal; Lipczak, Henriette

    2013-10-01

    Patient involvement in patient safety is widely advocated but knowledge regarding implementation of the concept in clinical practice is sparse. To investigate existing practices for patient involvement in patient safety, and opportunities and barriers for further involvement. A qualitative study of patient safety involvement practices in patient trajectories for prostate, uterine and colorectal cancer in Denmark. Observations from four hospital wards and interviews with 25 patients with cancer, 11 hospital doctors, 10 nurses, four general practitioners and two private practicing gynaecologists were conducted using ethnographic methodology. Patient safety was not a topic of attention for patients or dominant in communication between patients and healthcare professionals. The understanding of patient safety in clinical practice is almost exclusively linked to disease management. Involvement of patients is not systematic, but healthcare professionals and patients express willingness to engage. Invitation and encouragement of patients to become involved could be further systematised and developed. Barriers include limited knowledge of patient safety, of specific patient safety involvement techniques and concern regarding potential negative impact on doctor-patient relationship. Involvement of patients in patient safety must take into account that despite stated openness to the idea of involvement, patients and health professionals may not in practice show immediate concern. Lack of systematic involvement can also be attributed to limited knowledge about how to implement involvement beyond the focus of self-monitoring and compliance and a concern about the consequences of patient involvement for treatment outcomes. To realise the potential of patients' and health professionals' shared openness towards involvement, there is a need for more active facilitation and concrete guidance on how involvement can be practiced by both parties.

  3. 78 FR 70560 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From GE-PSO

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-11-26

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety...), HHS. ACTION: Notice of delisting. SUMMARY: The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act), Public Law 109-41, 42 U.S.C. 299b-21-b-26, provides for the formation of Patient...

  4. 77 FR 26280 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From CareRise LLC

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-05-03

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety... relinquishment from CareRise LLC of its status as a Patient Safety Organization (PSO). The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act) authorizes the listing of PSOs, which are entities or...

  5. Healthcare professionals? views on feedback of a patient safety culture assessment

    OpenAIRE

    Zwijnenberg, Nicolien C.; Hendriks, Michelle; Hoogervorst-Schilp, Janneke; Wagner, Cordula

    2016-01-01

    Background By assessing patient safety culture, healthcare providers can identify areas for improvement in patient safety culture. To achieve this, these assessment outcomes have to be relevant and presented clearly. The aim of our study was to explore healthcare professionals? views on the feedback of a patient safety culture assessment. Methods Twenty four hospitals participated in a patient safety culture assessment in 2012. Hospital departments received feedback in a report and on a websi...

  6. Improving patient safety in Libya: insights from a British health system perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elmontsri, Mustafa; Almashrafi, Ahmed; Dubois, Elizabeth; Banarsee, Ricky; Majeed, Azeem

    2018-04-16

    Purpose Patient safety programmes aim to make healthcare safe for both patients and health professionals. The purpose of this paper is to explore the UK's patient safety improvement programmes over the past 15 years and explore what lessons can be learnt to improve Libyan healthcare patient safety. Design/methodology/approach Publications focusing on UK patient safety were searched in academic databases and content analysed. Findings Several initiatives have been undertaken over the past 15 years to improve British healthcare patient safety. Many stakeholders are involved, including regulatory and professional bodies, educational providers and non-governmental organisations. Lessons can be learnt from the British journey. Practical implications Developing a national patient safety strategy for Libya, which reflects context and needs is paramount. Above all, Libyan patient safety programmes should reference internationally approved guidelines, evidence, policy and learning from Britain's unique experience. Originality/value This review examines patient safety improvement strategies adopted in Britain to help developing country managers to progress local strategies based on lessons learnt from Britain's unique experience.

  7. The effect of organisational culture on patient safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaufman, Gerri; McCaughan, Dorothy

    This article explores the links between organisational culture and patient safety. The key elements associated with a safety culture, most notably effective leadership, good teamwork, a culture of learning and fairness, and fostering patient-centred care, are discussed. The broader aspects of a systems approach to promoting quality and safety, with specific reference to clinical governance, human factors, and ergonomics principles and methods, are also briefly explored, particularly in light of the report of the public inquiry into care failings at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.

  8. Denying a patient's final will: public safety vs. medical confidentiality and patient autonomy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaertner, Jan; Vent, Julia; Greinwald, Ralf; Rothschild, Markus A; Ostgathe, Christoph; Kessel, Rene; Voltz, Raymond

    2011-12-01

    Especially when caring for patients approaching the end of life, physicians and nursing staff feel committed to fulfilling as many patient desires as possible. However, sometimes a patient's "final will" may threaten public safety. This can lead to severe conflicts, outweighing the physician's obligation and dedication to care for the patient and to respect his autonomy. Yet, public safety can be threatened if confidentiality is not broken. This article provides a concise summary of the medicolegal and ethical fundamentals concerning this difficult situation. If the patient's and others' health and safety are at risk, physicians may (and in some countries must) break medical confidentiality and disclose confidential patient information to the police and other authorities. Physicians should be able to professionally deal with such a conflict in all patients, not only in patients with advanced illness. Copyright © 2011 U.S. Cancer Pain Relief Committee. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Perception is reality: How patients contribute to poor workplace safety perceptions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCaughey, Deirdre; McGhan, Gwen; DelliFraine, Jami L; Brannon, S Diane

    2011-01-01

    Nurses and aides are among the occupational subgroups with the highest injury rates and workdays lost to illness and injury in North America. Many studies have shown that these incidents frequently happen during provision of patient care. Moreover, health care workplaces are a source of numerous safety risks that contribute to worker injuries. These findings identify health care as a high-risk occupation for employee injury or illness. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among patient care, employee safety perceptions, and employee stress. Using the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Model of Job Stress and Health as a foundation, we developed and tested a conceptual workplace safety climate-stress model that explicates how caring for high-risk patients is a safety stressor that has negative outcomes for health care providers, including poor workplace safety perceptions and increasing stress levels. We introduced the concept of "high-risk patients" and define them as those who put providers at greater risk for injury or illness. Using a nonexperimental survey design, we examined patient types and safety perceptions of health care providers (nurses, aides, and allied health) in an acute care hospital. Health care providers who care for high-risk patients more frequently have poor safety climate perceptions and higher stress levels. Safety climate was found to mediate the relationship between high-risk patients and stress. These findings bring insight into actions health care organizations can pursue to improve health care provider well-being. Recognizing that different patients present different risks and pursuing staffing, training, and equipment to minimize employee risk of injury will help reduce the staggering injury rates experienced by these employees. Moreover, minimizing employee stress over poor workplace safety is achievable through comprehensive workplace safety climate programs that include supervisor, management

  10. Enteral feeding pumps: efficacy, safety, and patient acceptability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    White H

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Helen White, Linsey King Nutrition and Dietetic Group, School of Health and Wellbeing, Faculty Health and Social Science, Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds, United Kingdom Abstract: Enteral feeding is a long established practice across pediatric and adult populations, to enhance nutritional intake and prevent malnutrition. Despite recognition of the importance of nutrition within the modern health agenda, evaluation of the efficacy of how such feeds are delivered is more limited. The accuracy, safety, and consistency with which enteral feed pump systems dispense nutritional formulae are important determinants of their use and acceptability. Enteral feed pump safety has received increased interest in recent years as enteral pumps are used across hospital and home settings. Four areas of enteral feed pump safety have emerged: the consistent and accurate delivery of formula; the minimization of errors associated with tube misconnection; the impact of continuous feed delivery itself (via an enteral feed pump; and the chemical composition of the casing used in enteral feed pump manufacture. The daily use of pumps in delivery of enteral feeds in a home setting predominantly falls to the hands of parents and caregivers. Their understanding of the use and function of their pump is necessary to ensure appropriate, safe, and accurate delivery of enteral nutrition; their experience with this is important in informing clinicians and manufacturers of the emerging needs and requirements of this diverse patient population. The review highlights current practice and areas of concern and establishes our current knowledge in this field. Keywords: nutrition, perceptions, experience

  11. [The road to patient safety: facts and desire].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aibar-Remón, Carlos; Barrasa-Villar, Ignacio; Moliner-Lahoz, Javier; Gutiérrez-Cía, Isabel; Aibar-Villán, Laura; Obón-Azuara, Blanca; Mareca-Doñate, Rosa; Ríos-Faure, David

    2018-01-27

    To evaluate differences between the need and degree of implementation of safe practices recommended for patient safety and to check the usefulness of traffic sign iconicity to promote their implementation. The study was developed in two stages: 1) review of safe practices recommended by different organizations and 2) a survey to assess the perceptions for the need and implementation of them and the usefulness of signs to improve their implementation. The sample consisted of professionals from Spain and Latin America working in healthcare settings and in the academic field related to patient safety. 365 questionnaires were collected. All safe practices included were considered necessary (mean and lower limit of confidence interval over 3 out of 5 points). However, in six of the patient safety practices evaluated the implementation was considered insufficient: illegible handwriting, medication reconciliation, standardization of communication systems, early warning systems, procedures performed or equipment used only by trained people, and compliance with patient preferences at the end of life. Improve compliance of with hand hygiene and barrier precautions to prevent infections, ensure the correct identification of patients and the use of checklists are the four practices in which more than 75% of respondents found a high degree of consensus on the usefulness of traffic sings to broaden their use. The differences between perceived need and actual implementation in some safe practices indicate areas for improvement in patient safety. With this aim, the common language and the iconicity of traffic signs could constitute a simple instrument to improve compliance with safe practices for patient safety. Copyright © 2018 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  12. Bilateral effects of hospital patient-safety procedures on nurses' job satisfaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inoue, T; Karima, R; Harada, K

    2017-09-01

    The aim of this study was to examine how hospital patient-safety procedures affect the job satisfaction of hospital nurses. Additionally, we investigated the association between perceived autonomy and hospital patient-safety procedures and job satisfaction. Recently, measures for patient safety have been recognized as an essential requirement in hospitals. Hospital patient-safety procedures may enhance the job satisfaction of nurses by improving the quality of their work. However, such procedures may also decrease their job satisfaction by imposing excessive stress on nurses because they cannot make mistakes. The participants included 537 nurses at 10 private hospitals in Japan (The surveys were collected from March to July 2012). Factors related to hospital patient-safety procedures were demonstrated using factor analysis, and the associations between these factors and nurses' self-perceived autonomy and job satisfaction were examined using structural equation modelling. Five factors regarding hospital patient-safety procedures were extracted. Additionally, structural equation modelling revealed statistically significant associations between these factors and the nurses' self-perceived autonomy and job satisfaction. The findings showed that nurses' perceived autonomy of the workplace enhanced their job satisfaction and that their perceptions of hospital patient-safety procedures promoted their job satisfaction. However, some styles of chief nurses' leadership regarding patient safety restrict nurses' independent and autonomous decision-making and actions, resulting in a lowering of job satisfaction. This study demonstrated that hospital patient-safety procedures have ambiguous effects on nurses' job satisfaction. In particular, chief nurses' leadership relating to patient safety can have a positive or negative effect on nurses' job satisfaction. The findings indicated that hospital managers should demonstrate positive attitudes to improve patient safety for

  13. Patient Safety Based Knowledge Management SECI to Improve Nusrsing Students Competency

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joanggi Wiriatarina Harianto

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Patient safety is an important component of health services quality,and  basic principles of patient care. Nursing students also have a great potential to make an action that could endanger the patient, because hospital is one of student practice area. The purpose of this study was to improve the nursing students competency in patient safety by using knowledge management SECI approached. Method: The study used exploratory survey, and quasy experiment. The samples were some of nursing students of STIKes Muhammadiyah Samarinda who were on internship programme that selected using simple random sampling technique, in total of 54 students. This research’s variables were the knowledge management SECI based-patient safety and nursing student’s competency. The data were collected by using questionnaires and observation. The data were analyze by using Partial Least Square (PLS. Result: The result showed that there were significant influence the implementation of a model patient safety based knowledge management seci on increased competence nursing students. Discussion: Improved student competency in patient safety using SECI knowledge management was carried out in four phases, that is Socialization, Externalization, Combination, and Internalization. The result was a new knowledge related to patient safety that able to improve the student’s competency.. Keywords: Patient safety, Knowledge management, SECI, competency

  14. 76 FR 74788 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From HealthWatch, Inc.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-12-01

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety... relinquishment from HealthWatch, Inc. of its status as a Patient Safety Organization (PSO). The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act), Public Law 109-41, 42 U.S.C. 299b-21--b-26...

  15. 76 FR 7853 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Delisting From HealthDataPSO

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-02-11

    ... Medical Error Management, LLC, of its status as a Patient Safety Organization (PSO). The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act), Public Law 109-41, 42 U.S.C. 299b-21--b-26... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety...

  16. Examining the Relationship of an All-Cause Harm Patient Safety Measure and Critical Performance Measures at the Frontline of Care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sammer, Christine; Hauck, Loran D; Jones, Cason; Zaiback-Aldinger, Julie; Li, Michael; Classen, David

    2018-02-07

    In 2015, the Institute of Medicine Vital Signs report called for a new patient safety composite measure to lessen the reporting burden of patient harm. Before this report, two patient safety organizations had developed an electronic all-cause harm measurement system leveraging data from the electronic health record, which identified and grouped harms into five broad categories and consolidated them into one all-cause harm outcome measure. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between this all-cause harm patient safety measure and the following three performance measures important to overall hospital safety performance: safety culture, employee engagement, and patient experience. We studied the relationship between all-cause harm and three performance measures on eight inpatient care units at one hospital for 7 months. The findings demonstrated strong correlations between an all-cause harm measure and patient safety culture, employee engagement, and patient experience at the hospital unit level. Four safety culture domains showed significant negative correlations with all-cause harm at a P value of 0.05 or less. Six employee engagement domains were significantly negatively correlated with all-cause harm at a P value of 0.01 or less, and six of the ten patient experience measures were significantly correlated with all-cause harm at a P value of 0.05 or less. The results show that there is a strong relationship between all-cause harm and these performance measures indicating that when there is a positive patient safety culture, a more engaged employee, and a more satisfying patient experience, there may be less all-cause harm.This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License 4.0 (CCBY-NC-ND), where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the

  17. Trust, temporality and systems: how do patients understand patient safety in primary care? A qualitative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rhodes, Penny; Campbell, Stephen; Sanders, Caroline

    2016-04-01

    Patient safety research has tended to focus on hospital settings, although most clinical encounters occur in primary care, and to emphasize practitioner errors, rather than patients' own understandings of safety. To explore patients' understandings of safety in primary care. Qualitative interviews were conducted with patients recruited from general practices in northwest England. Participants were asked basic socio-demographic information; thereafter, topics were largely introduced by interviewees themselves. Transcripts were coded and analysed using NVivo10 (qualitative data software), following a process of constant comparison. Thirty-eight people (14 men, 24 women) from 19 general practices in rural, small town and city locations were interviewed. Many of their concerns (about access, length of consultation, relationship continuity) have been discussed in terms of quality, but, in the interviews, were raised as matters of safety. Three broad themes were identified: (i) trust and psycho-social aspects of professional-patient relationships; (ii) choice, continuity, access, and the temporal underpinnings of safety; and (iii) organizational and systems-level tensions constraining safety. Conceptualizations of safety included common reliance on a bureaucratic framework of accreditation, accountability, procedural rules and regulation, but were also individual and context-dependent. For patients, safety is not just a property of systems, but personal and contingent and is realized in the interaction between doctor and patient. However, it is the systems approach that has dominated safety thinking, and patients' individualistic and relational conceptualizations are poorly accommodated within current service organization. © 2015 The Authors Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  18. Assessment of patient safety culture in private and public hospitals in Peru.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arrieta, Alejandro; Suárez, Gabriela; Hakim, Galed

    2018-04-01

    To assess the patient safety culture in Peruvian hospitals from the perspective of healthcare professionals, and to test for differences between the private and public healthcare sectors. Patient safety is defined as the avoidance and prevention of patient injuries or adverse events resulting from the processes of healthcare delivery. A non-random cross-sectional study conducted online. An online survey was administered from July to August 2016, in Peru. This study reports results from Lima and Callao, which are the capital and the port region of Peru. A total of 1679 healthcare professionals completed the survey. Participants were physicians, medical residents and nurses working in healthcare facilities from the private sector and public sector. Assessment of the degree of patient safety and 12 dimensions of patient safety culture in hospital units as perceived by healthcare professionals. Only 18% of healthcare professionals assess the degree of patient safety in their unit of work as excellent or very good. Significant differences are observed between the patient safety grades in the private sector (37%) compared to the public sub-sectors (13-15%). Moreover, in all patient safety culture dimensions, healthcare professionals from the private sector give more favorable responses for patient safety, than those from the public sub-systems. The most significant difference in support comes from patient safety administrators through communication and information about errors. Overall, the degree of patient safety in Peru is low, with significant gaps that exist between the private and the public sectors.

  19. Colorectal Cancer Safety Net: Is It Catching Patients Appropriately?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Althans, Alison R; Brady, Justin T; Times, Melissa L; Keller, Deborah S; Harvey, Alexis R; Kelly, Molly E; Patel, Nilam D; Steele, Scott R

    2018-01-01

    Disparities in access to colorectal cancer care are multifactorial and are affected by socioeconomic elements. Uninsured and Medicaid patients present with advanced stage disease and have worse outcomes compared with similar privately insured patients. Safety net hospitals are a major care provider to this vulnerable population. Few studies have evaluated outcomes for safety net hospitals compared with private institutions in colorectal cancer. The purpose of this study was to compare demographics, screening rates, presentation stage, and survival rates between a safety net hospital and a tertiary care center. Comparative review of patients at 2 institutions in the same metropolitan area were conducted. The study included colorectal cancer care delivered either at 1 safety net hospital or 1 private tertiary care center in the same city from 2010 to 2016. A total of 350 patients with colorectal cancer from each hospital were evaluated. Overall survival across hospital systems was measured. The safety net hospital had significantly more uninsured and Medicaid patients (46% vs 13%; p presentation, a similar percentage of patients at each hospital presented with stage IV disease (26% vs 20%; p = 0.06). For those undergoing resection, final pathologic stage distribution was similar across groups (p = 0.10). After a comparable median follow-up period (26.6 mo for safety net hospital vs 29.2 mo for tertiary care center), log-rank test for overall survival favored the safety net hospital (p = 0.05); disease-free survival was similar between hospitals (p = 0.40). This was a retrospective review, reporting from medical charts. Our results support the value of safety net hospitals for providing quality colorectal cancer care, with survival and recurrence outcomes equivalent or improved compared with a local tertiary care center. Because safety net hospitals can provide equivalent outcomes despite socioeconomic inequalities and financial constraints, emphasis should be focused

  20. Evaluation of Patient and Family Engagement Strategies to Improve Medication Safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Julia M; Suarez-Cuervo, Catalina; Berger, Zackary; Lee, Joy; Gayleard, Jessica; Rosenberg, Carol; Nagy, Natalia; Weeks, Kristina; Dy, Sydney

    2018-04-01

    Patient and family engagement (PFE) is critical for patient safety. We systematically reviewed types of PFE strategies implemented and their impact on medication safety. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, reference lists and websites to August 2016. Two investigators independently reviewed all abstracts and articles, and articles were additionally reviewed by two senior investigators for selection. One investigator abstracted data and two investigators reviewed the data for accuracy. Study quality was determined by consensus. Investigators developed a framework for defining the level of patient engagement: informing patients about medications (Level 1), informing about engagement with health care providers (Level 2), empowering patients with communication tools and skills (Level 3), partnering with patients in their care (Level 4), and integrating patients as full care team members (Level 5). We included 19 studies that mostly targeted older adults taking multiple medications. The median level of engagement was 2, ranging from 2-4. We identified no level 5 studies. Key themes for patient engagement strategies impacting medication safety were patient education and medication reconciliation, with a subtheme of patient portals. Most studies (84%) reported implementation outcomes. The most commonly reported medication safety outcomes were medication errors, including near misses and discrepancies (47%), and medication safety knowledge (37%). Most studies (63%) were of medium to low quality, and risk of bias was generally moderate. Among the 11 studies with control groups, 55% (n = 6) reported statistically significant improvement on at least one medication safety outcome. Further synthesis of medication safety measures was limited due to intervention and outcome heterogeneity. Key strategies for engaging patients in medication safety are education and medication reconciliation. Patient engagement levels were generally low, as defined by a novel framework for determining

  1. Patient safety: lessons learned

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bagian, James P.

    2006-01-01

    The traditional approach to patient safety in health care has ranged from reticence to outward denial of serious flaws. This undermines the otherwise remarkable advances in technology and information that have characterized the specialty of medical practice. In addition, lessons learned in industries outside health care, such as in aviation, provide opportunities for improvements that successfully reduce mishaps and errors while maintaining a standard of excellence. This is precisely the call in medicine prompted by the 1999 Institute of Medicine report ''To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System.'' However, to effect these changes, key components of a successful safety system must include: (1) communication, (2) a shift from a posture of reliance on human infallibility (hence ''shame and blame'') to checklists that recognize the contribution of the system and account for human limitations, and (3) a cultivation of non-punitive open and/or de-identified/anonymous reporting of safety concerns, including close calls, in addition to adverse events. (orig.)

  2. Editorial: Advances in healthcare provider and patient training to improve the quality and safety of patient care

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elizabeth M. Borycki

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available This special issue of the Knowledge Management & E-Learning: An International Journal is dedicated to describing “Advances in Healthcare Provider and Patient Training to Improve the Quality and Safety of Patient Care.” Patient safety is an important and fundamental requirement of ensuring the quality of patient care. Training and education has been identified as a key to improving healthcare provider patient safety competencies especially when working with new technologies such as electronic health records and mobile health applications. Such technologies can be harnessed to improve patient safety; however, if not used properly they can negatively impact on patient safety. In this issue we focus on advances in training that can improve patient safety and the optimal use of new technologies in healthcare. For example, use of clinical simulations and online computer based training can be employed both to facilitate learning about new clinical discoveries as well as to integrate technology into day to day healthcare practices. In this issue we are publishing papers that describe advances in healthcare provider and patient training to improve patient safety as it relates to the use of educational technologies, health information technology and on-line health resources. In addition, in the special issue we describe new approaches to training and patient safety including, online communities, clinical simulations, on-the-job training, computer based training and health information systems that educate about and support safer patient care in real-time (i.e. when health professionals are providing care to patients. These educational and technological initiatives can be aimed at health professionals (i.e. students and those who are currently working in the field. The outcomes of this work are significant as they lead to safer care for patients and their family members. The issue has both theoretical and applied papers that describe advances in patient

  3. Can patients report patient safety incidents in a hospital setting? A systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ward, Jane K; Armitage, Gerry

    2012-08-01

    Patients are increasingly being thought of as central to patient safety. A small but growing body of work suggests that patients may have a role in reporting patient safety problems within a hospital setting. This review considers this disparate body of work, aiming to establish a collective view on hospital-based patient reporting. This review asks: (a) What can patients report? (b) In what settings can they report? (c) At what times have patients been asked to report? (d) How have patients been asked to report? 5 databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, (Kings Fund) HMIC and PsycINFO) were searched for published literature on patient reporting of patient safety 'problems' (a number of search terms were utilised) within a hospital setting. In addition, reference lists of all included papers were checked for relevant literature. 13 papers were included within this review. All included papers were quality assessed using a framework for comparing both qualitative and quantitative designs, and reviewed in line with the study objectives. Patients are clearly in a position to report on patient safety, but included papers varied considerably in focus, design and analysis, with all papers lacking a theoretical underpinning. In all papers, reports were actively solicited from patients, with no evidence currently supporting spontaneous reporting. The impact of timing upon accuracy of information has yet to be established, and many vulnerable patients are not currently being included in patient reporting studies, potentially introducing bias and underestimating the scale of patient reporting. The future of patient reporting may well be as part of an 'error detection jigsaw' used alongside other methods as part of a quality improvement toolkit.

  4. [Patient safety in home care - A review of international recommendations].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Czakert, Judith; Lehmann, Yvonne; Ewers, Michael

    2018-06-08

    In recent years there has been a growing trend towards nursing care at home in general as well as towards intensive home care being provided by specialized home care services in Germany. However, resulting challenges for patient safety have rarely been considered. Against this background we aimed to explore whether international recommendations for patient safety in home care in general and in intensive home care in particular already exist and how they can stimulate further practice development in Germany. A review of online English documents containing recommendations for patient safety in intensive home care was conducted. Available documents were analyzed and compared in terms of their form and content. Overall, a small number of relevant documents could be identified. None of these documents exclusively refer to the intensive home care sector. Despite their differences, however, the analysis of four selected documents showed similarities, e. g., regarding specific topics of patient safety (communication, involvement of patients and their relatives, risk assessment, medication management, qualification). Furthermore, strengths and weaknesses of the documents became apparent: e. g., an explicit understanding of patient safety, a literature-based introduction to safety topics or an adaptation of the recommendations to the specific features of home care were occasionally lacking. This document analysis provides interesting input to the formal and content-related development of specific recommendations and to practice development in Germany to improve patient safety in home care. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

  5. Long-term safety and feasibility of three-vessel multimodality intravascular imaging in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Taniwaki, Masanori; Radu, Maria D; Garcia-Garcia, Hector M

    2015-01-01

    We assessed the feasibility and the procedural and long-term safety of intracoronary (i.c) imaging for documentary purposes with optical coherence tomography (OCT) and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) in patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary PCI in the s......We assessed the feasibility and the procedural and long-term safety of intracoronary (i.c) imaging for documentary purposes with optical coherence tomography (OCT) and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) in patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary PCI...... in the setting of IBIS-4 study. IBIS4 (NCT00962416) is a prospective cohort study conducted at five European centers including 103 STEMI patients who underwent serial three-vessel coronary imaging during primary PCI and at 13 months. The feasibility parameter was successful imaging, defined as the number...... of pullbacks suitable for analysis. Safety parameters included the frequency of peri-procedural complications, and major adverse cardiac events (MACE), a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction (MI) and any clinically-indicated revascularization at 2 years. Clinical outcomes were compared...

  6. Variability of patient safety culture in Belgian acute hospitals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vlayen, Annemie; Schrooten, Ward; Wami, Welcome; Aerts, Marc; Barrado, Leandro Garcia; Claes, Neree; Hellings, Johan

    2015-06-01

    The aim of this study was to measure differences in safety culture perceptions within Belgian acute hospitals and to examine variability based on language, work area, staff position, and work experience. The Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture was distributed to hospitals participating in the national quality and safety program (2007-2009). Hospitals were invited to participate in a comparative study. Data of 47,136 respondents from 89 acute hospitals were used for quantitative analysis. Percentages of positive response were calculated on 12 dimensions. Generalized estimating equations models were fitted to explore differences in safety culture. Handoffs and transitions, staffing, and management support for patient safety were considered as major problem areas. Dutch-speaking hospitals had higher odds of positive perceptions for most dimensions in comparison with French-speaking hospitals. Safety culture scores were more positive for respondents working in pediatrics, psychiatry, and rehabilitation compared with the emergency department, operating theater, and multiple hospital units. We found an important gap in safety culture perceptions between leaders and assistants within disciplines. Administration and middle management had lower perceptions toward patient safety. Respondents working less than 1 year in the current hospital had more positive safety culture perceptions in comparison with all other respondents. Large comparative databases provide the opportunity to identify distinct high and low scoring groups. In our study, language, work area, and profession were identified as important safety culture predictors. Years of experience in the hospital had only a small effect on safety culture perceptions.

  7. Systems Thinking and Patient Safety

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Schyve, Paul M

    2005-01-01

    Patient safety is a prominent theme in health care delivery today. This should come as no surprise, given that "first, do no harm" has been the ethical watchword throughout the history of medicine, nursing, and pharmacy...

  8. Applying health education theory to patient safety programs: three case studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gilkey, Melissa B; Earp, Jo Anne L; French, Elizabeth A

    2008-04-01

    Program planning for patient safety is challenging because intervention-oriented surveillance data are not yet widely available to those working in this nascent field. Even so, health educators are uniquely positioned to contribute to patient safety intervention efforts because their theoretical training provides them with a guide for designing and implementing prevention programs. This article demonstrates the utility of applying health education concepts from three prominent patient safety campaigns, including the concepts of risk perception, community participation, and social marketing. The application of these theoretical concepts to patient safety programs suggests that health educators possess a knowledge base and skill set highly relevant to patient safety and that their perspective should be increasingly brought to bear on the design and evaluation of interventions that aim to protect patients from preventable medical error.

  9. Survey of factors associated with nurses' perception of patient safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Sun A; Lee, Sui Jin; Choi, Go Un

    2011-01-01

    To describe the nurses' perception of hospital organization related to cultural issues on the safety of the patient and reporting medical errors. In addition, to identify factors associated with the safety of the patient and the nurse. A survey conducted during December 2008-Jannuary 2009, with 126 nurses using the Korean version of the AHRQ patient safety survey, a self-report 5-point Likert scale. Stata 10.0 was used for descriptive analysis, ANOVA (Analysis of variance) and logistic regression. National Cancer Center in Korea. The means for a working environment related to patient safety was 3.4 (±0.62). The associated factors of duration were at a present hospital, a special area, and direct contact with patients. Among organizational culture factors related to patient safety, the means were 3.81(±0.54) for the boss/manager's perception of patient safety and 3.37(±0.49) for the cooperation/collaboration between units. The frequent number of errors reported by nurses were 1~2(22.2%) times over the past 12 months. For incidence reporting, the items that the 'nurses perceived for communication among clinicians as fair' had a means of 3.23(±0.40) and the 'overall evaluation of patient safety was a good' 3.34(±0.73). The nurses' perception of cooperation and collaboration between units were associated with the direct contact between the patient and the nurse. The frequency of incidence reporting was associated with the duration of working hours at the present hospital and also their work experience. The nurses' perception of hospital environment, organizational culture, and incidence reporting was above average and mostly associated with organizational culture.

  10. The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation at 25: a pioneering success in safety, 25th anniversary provokes reflection, anticipation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eichhorn, John H

    2012-04-01

    The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) was created in 1985. Its founders coined the term "patient safety" in its modern public usage and created the very first patient safety organization, igniting a movement that is now universal in all of health care. Driven by the vision "that no patient shall be harmed by anesthesia," the APSF has worked tirelessly for more than a quarter century to promote safety education and communication through its widely read Newsletter, its programs, and its presentations. The APSF's extensive research grant program has supported a great many projects leading to key safety improvements and, in particular, was central in the development of high-fidelity mannequin simulation as a research and teaching tool. With its pioneering collaboration, the APSF is unique in incorporating the talents and resources of anesthesia professionals of all types, safety scientists, pharmaceutical and equipment manufacturers, regulators, liability insurance companies, and also surgeons. Specific alerts, campaigns, discussions, and projects have targeted a host of safety issues and dangers over the years, starting with minimal intraoperative monitoring in 1986 and all the way up to beach-chair position cerebral perfusion pressure, operating room medication errors, and the extremely popular DVD on operating room fire safety in 2010; the list is long and expansive. The APSF has served as a model and inspiration for subsequent patient safety organizations and has been recognized nationally as having a dramatic positive impact on the safety of anesthesia care. Recognizing that the work is not over, that systems, organizations, and equipment still at times fail, that basic preventable human errors still do sometimes occur, and that "production pressure" in anesthesia practice threatens past safety gains, the APSF is firmly committed and continues to work hard both on established tenets and new patient safety principles.

  11. Role of a quality management system in improving patient safety - laboratory aspects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allen, Lynn C

    2013-09-01

    The aim of this study is to describe how implementation of a quality management system (QMS) based on ISO 15189 enhances patient safety. A literature review showed that several European hospitals implemented a QMS based on ISO 9001 and assessed the impact on patient safety. An Internet search showed that problems affecting patient safety have occurred in a number of laboratories across Canada. The requirements of a QMS based on ISO 15189 are outlined, and the impact of the implementation of each requirement on patient safety is summarized. The Quality Management Program - Laboratory Services in Ontario is briefly described, and the experience of Ontario laboratories with Ontario Laboratory Accreditation, based on ISO 15189, is outlined. Several hospitals that implemented ISO 9001 reported either a positive impact or no impact on patient safety. Patient safety problems in Canadian laboratories are described. Implementation of each requirement of the QMS can be seen to have a positive effect on patient safety. Average laboratory conformance on Ontario Laboratory Accreditation is very high, and laboratories must address and resolve any nonconformities. Other standards, practices, and quality requirements may also contribute to patient safety. Implementation of a QMS based on ISO 15189 provides a solid foundation for quality in the laboratory and enhances patient safety. It helps to prevent patient safety issues; when such issues do occur, effective processes are in place for investigation and resolution. Patient safety problems in Canadian laboratories might have been prevented had effective QMSs been in place. Ontario Laboratory Accreditation has had a positive impact on quality in Ontario laboratories. Copyright © 2013 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Associations of patient safety outcomes with models of nursing care organization at unit level in hospitals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dubois, Carl-Ardy; D'amour, Danielle; Tchouaket, Eric; Clarke, Sean; Rivard, Michèle; Blais, Régis

    2013-04-01

    To examine the associations of four distinct nursing care organizational models with patient safety outcomes. Cross-sectional correlational study. Using a standardized protocol, patients' records were screened retrospectively to detect occurrences of patient safety-related events. Binary logistic regression was used to assess the associations of those events with four nursing care organizational models. Twenty-two medical units in 11 hospitals in Quebec, Canada, were clustered into 4 nursing care organizational models: 2 professional models and 2 functional models. Two thousand six hundred and ninety-nine were patients hospitalized for at least 48 h on the selected units. Composite of six safety-related events widely-considered sensitive to nursing care: medication administration errors, falls, pneumonia, urinary tract infection, unjustified restraints and pressure ulcers. Events were ultimately sorted into two categories: events 'without major' consequences for patients and events 'with' consequences. After controlling for patient characteristics, patient risk of experiencing one or more events (of any severity) and of experiencing an event with consequences was significantly lower, by factors of 25-52%, in both professional models than in the functional models. Event rates for both functional models were statistically indistinguishable from each other. Data suggest that nursing care organizational models characterized by contrasting staffing, work environment and innovation characteristics may be associated with differential risk for hospitalized patients. The two professional models, which draw mainly on registered nurses (RNs) to deliver nursing services and reflect stronger support for nurses' professional practice, were associated with lower risks than are the two functional models.

  13. Development and implementation of a hospital-based patient safety program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frush, Karen S.; Alton, Michael; Frush, Donald P.

    2006-01-01

    Evidence from numerous studies indicates that large numbers of patients are harmed by medical errors while receiving health-care services in the United States today. The 1999 Institute of Medicine report on medical errors recommended that hospitals and health-care agencies ''establish safety programs to act as a catalyst for the development of a culture of safety'' [1]. In this article, we describe one approach to successful implementation of a hospital-based patient safety program. Although our experience at Duke University Health System will be used as an example, the needs, principles, and solutions can apply to a variety of other health-care practices. Key components include the development of safety teams, provision of tools that teams can use to support an environment of safety, and ongoing program modification to meet patient and staff needs and respond to changing priorities. By moving patient safety to the forefront of all that we do as health-care providers, we can continue to improve our delivery of health care to children and adults alike. This improvement is fostered when we enhance the culture of safety, develop a constant awareness of the possibility of human and system errors in the delivery of care, and establish additional safeguards to intercept medical errors in order to prevent harm to patients. (orig.)

  14. Measurement tools and process indicators of patient safety culture in primary care. A mixed methods study by the LINNEAUS collaboration on patient safety in primary care

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parker, Dianne; Wensing, Michel; Esmail, Aneez; Valderas, Jose M

    2015-01-01

    ABSTRACT Background: There is little guidance available to healthcare practitioners about what tools they might use to assess the patient safety culture. Objective: To identify useful tools for assessing patient safety culture in primary care organizations in Europe; to identify those aspects of performance that should be assessed when investigating the relationship between safety culture and performance in primary care. Methods: Two consensus-based studies were carried out, in which subject matter experts and primary healthcare professionals from several EU states rated (a) the applicability to their healthcare system of several existing safety culture assessment tools and (b) the appropriateness and usefulness of a range of potential indicators of a positive patient safety culture to primary care settings. The safety culture tools were field-tested in four countries to ascertain any challenges and issues arising when used in primary care. Results: The two existing tools that received the most favourable ratings were the Manchester patient safety framework (MaPsAF primary care version) and the Agency for healthcare research and quality survey (medical office version). Several potential safety culture process indicators were identified. The one that emerged as offering the best combination of appropriateness and usefulness related to the collection of data on adverse patient events. Conclusion: Two tools, one quantitative and one qualitative, were identified as applicable and useful in assessing patient safety culture in primary care settings in Europe. Safety culture indicators in primary care should focus on the processes rather than the outcomes of care. PMID:26339832

  15. Establishing a culture for patient safety - the role of education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Milligan, Frank J

    2007-02-01

    This paper argues that the process of making significant moves towards a patient safety culture requires changes in healthcare education. Improvements in patient safety are a shared international priority as too many errors and other forms of unnecessary harm are currently occurring in the process of caring for and treating patients. A description of the patient safety agenda is given followed by a brief analysis of human factors theory and its use in other safety critical industries, most notably aviation. The all too common problem of drug administration errors is used to illustrate the relevance of human factors theory to healthcare education with specific mention made of the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS).

  16. Patient safety culture among medical students in Singapore and Hong Kong.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leung, Gilberto Ka Kit; Ang, Sophia Bee Leng; Lau, Tang Ching; Neo, Hong Jye; Patil, Nivritti Gajanan; Ti, Lian Kah

    2013-09-01

    Undergraduate education in medical schools plays an important role in promoting patient safety. Medical students from different backgrounds may have different perceptions and attitudes toward issues concerning safety. This study aimed to investigate whether patient safety cultures differed between students from two Asian countries, and if they did, to find out how they differed. This study also aimed to identify the educational needs of these students. A voluntary, cross-sectional and self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted on 259 students from two medical schools - one in Hong Kong and the other in Singapore. None of the students had received any formal teaching on patient safety. We used a validated survey instrument, the Attitudes to Patient Safety Questionnaire III (APSQ-III), which was designed specifically for students and covered nine key factors of patient safety culture. Of the 259 students, 81 (31.3%) were from Hong Kong and 178 (68.7%) were from Singapore. The overall response rate was 66.4%. Significant differences between the two groups of students were found for two key factors - 'patient safety training', with Hong Kong students being more likely to report having received more of such training (p = 0.007); and 'error reporting confidence', which Singapore students reported having less of (p working hours and professional incompetence were important causes of medical errors. The importance of patient involvement and team functioning were ranked relatively lower by the students. Students from different countries with no prior teaching on patient safety may differ in their baseline patient safety cultures and educational needs. Our findings serve as a reference for future longitudinal studies on the effects of different teaching and healthcare development programmes.

  17. Patient safety manifesto: a professional imperative for prelicensure nursing education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Debourgh, Gregory A; Prion, Susan K

    2012-01-01

    Nurses in practice and students in training often fear hurting a patient or doing something wrong. Experienced nurses have developed assessment skills and clinical intuition to recognize and intervene to prevent patient risk and harm. Beginning nursing students have not yet had the opportunity to develop an awareness of patient risk, safety concerns, or a clear sense of their accountability in the nurse role as the primary advocate for patient safety. In this Safety Manifesto, the authors call for educators to critically review their prelicensure curricula for inclusion of teaching and learning activities that are focused on patient safety and offer recommendations for curricular changes with an emphasis on integration of instructional strategies that develop students' skills for clinical reasoning and judgment. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Assessing Patient Activation among High-Need, High-Cost Patients in Urban Safety Net Care Settings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Napoles, Tessa M; Burke, Nancy J; Shim, Janet K; Davis, Elizabeth; Moskowitz, David; Yen, Irene H

    2017-12-01

    We sought to examine the literature using the Patient Activation Measure (PAM) or the Patient Enablement Instrument (PEI) with high-need, high-cost (HNHC) patients receiving care in urban safety net settings. Urban safety net care management programs serve low-income, racially/ethnically diverse patients living with multiple chronic conditions. Although many care management programs track patient progress with the PAM or the PEI, it is not clear whether the PAM or the PEI is an effective and appropriate tool for HNHC patients receiving care in urban safety net settings in the United States. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and PsycINFO for articles published between 2004 and 2015 that used the PAM and between 1998 and 2015 that used the PEI. The search was limited to English-language articles conducted in the United States and published in peer-reviewed journals. To assess the utility of the PAM and the PEI in urban safety net care settings, we defined a HNHC patient sample as racially/ethnically diverse, low socioeconomic status (SES), and multimorbid. One hundred fourteen articles used the PAM. All articles using the PEI were conducted outside the U.S. and therefore were excluded. Nine PAM studies (8%) included participants similar to those receiving care in urban safety net settings, three of which were longitudinal. Two of the three longitudinal studies reported positive changes following interventions. Our results indicate that research on patient activation is not commonly conducted on racially and ethnically diverse, low SES, and multimorbid patients; therefore, there are few opportunities to assess the appropriateness of the PAM in such populations. Investigators expressed concerns with the potential unreliability and inappropriate nature of the PAM on multimorbid, older, and low-literacy patients. Thus, the PAM may not be able to accurately assess patient progress among HNHC patients receiving care in urban safety net settings. Assessing

  19. 78 FR 17212 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From QAISys, Inc.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-20

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety... (AHRQ), HHS. ACTION: Notice of delisting. SUMMARY: The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act), Public Law 109-41, 42 U.S.C. 299b-21-- b-26, provides for the formation of...

  20. Patient handover in orthopaedics, improving safety using Information Technology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pearkes, Tim

    2015-01-01

    Good inpatient handover ensures patient safety and continuity of care. An adjunct to this is the patient list which is routinely managed by junior doctors. These lists are routinely created and managed within Microsoft Excel or Word. Following the merger of two orthopaedic departments into a single service in a new hospital, it was felt that a number of safety issues within the handover process needed to be addressed. This quality improvement project addressed these issues through the creation and implementation of a new patient database which spanned the department, allowing trouble free, safe, and comprehensive handover. Feedback demonstrated an improved user experience, greater reliability, continuity within the lists and a subsequent improvement in patient safety.

  1. A qualitative exploration of patients' attitudes towards the 'Participate Inform Notice Know' (PINK) patient safety video.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pinto, Anna; Vincent, Charles; Darzi, Ara; Davis, Rachel

    2013-02-01

    To explore patients' attitudes towards the PINK video, a patient education video aimed at encouraging hospital patients' involvement in safety-relevant behaviours. Qualitative semi-structured interviews. Detailed field notes were taken during the interviews which were analysed using content analysis. One National Health System (NHS) teaching hospital based in London, UK. Thirty-six in-patients aged between 20 and 79 years, 18 of them males. The PINK video is a short animated educational video aimed at encouraging patients to be involved in the safety of their care during hospitalization. Patients' perceptions of how informative, relevant and acceptable the video is; attitudes towards participating in the recommended safety-related behaviours and; potential negative side effects of watching the video. Overall the video was received favourably among the interviewees. Commonly cited benefits included raising awareness and facilitating patients to be involved in their care during their hospital stay. More variability was found in participants' views with regard to the video's role as a patient safety enhancement tool. A number of suggestions for improvement of the video were provided relating to tailoring its content and design to meet the needs of individual patients and their circumstances. Educational videos such as PINK have significant potential to empower patients in the safety and quality of their care. However, efforts to implement patient safety educational videos in practice need to consider different patient groups' needs and characteristics instead of trying to adopt 'a one size fits all' approach.

  2. Healthcare Staff Wellbeing, Burnout, and Patient Safety: A Systematic Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hall, Louise H; Johnson, Judith; Watt, Ian; Tsipa, Anastasia; O'Connor, Daryl B

    2016-01-01

    To determine whether there is an association between healthcare professionals' wellbeing and burnout, with patient safety. Systematic research review. PsychInfo (1806 to July 2015), Medline (1946 to July 2015), Embase (1947 to July 2015) and Scopus (1823 to July 2015) were searched, along with reference lists of eligible articles. Quantitative, empirical studies that included i) either a measure of wellbeing or burnout, and ii) patient safety, in healthcare staff populations. Forty-six studies were identified. Sixteen out of the 27 studies that measured wellbeing found a significant correlation between poor wellbeing and worse patient safety, with six additional studies finding an association with some but not all scales used, and one study finding a significant association but in the opposite direction to the majority of studies. Twenty-one out of the 30 studies that measured burnout found a significant association between burnout and patient safety, whilst a further four studies found an association between one or more (but not all) subscales of the burnout measures employed, and patient safety. Poor wellbeing and moderate to high levels of burnout are associated, in the majority of studies reviewed, with poor patient safety outcomes such as medical errors, however the lack of prospective studies reduces the ability to determine causality. Further prospective studies, research in primary care, conducted within the UK, and a clearer definition of healthcare staff wellbeing are needed. This review illustrates the need for healthcare organisations to consider improving employees' mental health as well as creating safer work environments when planning interventions to improve patient safety. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42015023340.

  3. How to Improve Patient Safety Culture in Croatian Hospitals?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Šklebar, Ivan; Mustajbegović, Jadranka; Šklebar, Duška; Cesarik, Marijan; Milošević, Milan; Brborović, Hana; Šporčić, Krunoslav; Petrić, Petar; Husedžinović, Ino

    2016-09-01

    Patient safety culture (PCS) has a crucial impact on the safety practices of healthcare delivery systems. The purpose of this study was to assess the state of PSC in Croatian hospitals and compare it with hospitals in the United States. The study was conducted in three public general hospitals in Croatia using the Croatian translation of the Hospital Survey of Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC). A comparison of the results from Croatian and American hospitals was performed using a T-square test. We found statistically significant differences in all 12 PSC dimensions. Croatian responses were more positive in the two dimensions of Handoff s and Transitions and Overall Perceptions of Patient Safety. In the remaining ten dimensions, Croatian responses were less positive than in US hospitals, with the most prominent areas being Nonpunitive Response to Error, Frequency of Events Reported, Communication Openness, Teamwork within Units, Feedback & Communication about Error, Management Support for Patient Safety, and Staffing. Our findings show that PSC is significantly lower in Croatian than in American hospitals, particularly in the areas of Nonpunitive Response to Error, Leadership, Teamwork, Communication Openness and Staffing. This suggests that a more comprehensive system for the improvement of patient safety within the framework of the Croatian healthcare system needs to be developed. Our findings also help confirm that HSOPSC is a useful and appropriate tool for the assessment of PSC. HSOPSC highlights the PSC components in need of improvement and should be considered for use in national and international benchmarking.

  4. Aviation and healthcare: a comparative review with implications for patient safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kapur, Narinder; Parand, Anam; Soukup, Tayana; Reader, Tom; Sevdalis, Nick

    2016-01-01

    Safety in aviation has often been compared with safety in healthcare. Following a recent article in this journal, the UK government set up an Independent Patient Safety Investigation Service, to emulate a similar well-established body in aviation. On the basis of a detailed review of relevant publications that examine patient safety in the context of aviation practice, we have drawn up a table of comparative features and a conceptual framework for patient safety. Convergence and divergence of safety-related behaviours across aviation and healthcare were derived and documented. Key safety-related domains that emerged included Checklists, Training, Crew Resource Management, Sterile Cockpit, Investigation and Reporting of Incidents and Organisational Culture. We conclude that whilst healthcare has much to learn from aviation in certain key domains, the transfer of lessons from aviation to healthcare needs to be nuanced, with the specific characteristics and needs of healthcare borne in mind. On the basis of this review, it is recommended that healthcare should emulate aviation in its resourcing of staff who specialise in human factors and related psychological aspects of patient safety and staff wellbeing. Professional and post-qualification staff training could specifically include Cognitive Bias Avoidance Training, as this appears to play a key part in many errors relating to patient safety and staff wellbeing.

  5. Patient Handoffs in Obstetrics and Gynecology: A Vital Link in Patient Safety

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John Yeh

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Inadequate patient handoffs have been an area of focus for patient safety improvement. Insufficient communication and risks or “shortcuts” taken by staff members during handoffs could negatively affect the safety of patients in a department of obstetrics and gynecology. Other factors that contribute to inadequate handoffs are the caregiver feeling fatigued or stressed, level of urgency, volume of information, language barriers, noise, lighting, ambiguity of describing treatment, not allotting enough time for questions asked, and/or interruptions from other staff members. There have been several methods developed for improving the handoff process, such as the mnemonic devices SBAR, SHARQ, I PASS THE BATON, and the 5 P's. A new method for improving the quality of patient handoffs has been developed and presented in this article. It is a mnemonic device entitled “HANDOFFS”. It covers key aspects of what a handoff process should entail. Teamwork is essential to effective communication, and by using a mnemonic such as this, team members can work together in a more positive and accessible environment that will result in improved patient safety.

  6. A Quantitative Analysis of Nursing Students' Perceptions of Patient Safety Competencies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steighner, Tammy Rose

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of the study was to determine nursing students' perceptions of patient safety competencies as it related to Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) competencies and the Safety Competencies Framework developed by The Canadian Patient Safety Institute. The study determined if nursing students knew how to provide safe patient care…

  7. Patient safety principles in family medicine residency accreditation standards and curriculum objectives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kassam, Aliya; Sharma, Nishan; Harvie, Margot; O’Beirne, Maeve; Topps, Maureen

    2016-01-01

    Abstract Objective To conduct a thematic analysis of the College of Family Physicians of Canada’s (CFPC’s) Red Book accreditation standards and the Triple C Competency-based Curriculum objectives with respect to patient safety principles. Design Thematic content analysis of the CFPC’s Red Book accreditation standards and the Triple C curriculum. Setting Canada. Main outcome measures Coding frequency of the patient safety principles (ie, patient engagement; respectful, transparent relationships; complex systems; a just and trusting culture; responsibility and accountability for actions; and continuous learning and improvement) found in the analyzed CFPC documents. Results Within the analyzed CFPC documents, the most commonly found patient safety principle was patient engagement (n = 51 coding references); the least commonly found patient safety principles were a just and trusting culture (n = 5 coding references) and complex systems (n = 5 coding references). Other patient safety principles that were uncommon included responsibility and accountability for actions (n = 7 coding references) and continuous learning and improvement (n = 12 coding references). Conclusion Explicit inclusion of patient safety content such as the use of patient safety principles is needed for residency training programs across Canada to ensure the full spectrum of care is addressed, from community-based care to acute hospital-based care. This will ensure a patient safety culture can be cultivated from residency and sustained into primary care practice. PMID:27965349

  8. Core competencies for patient safety research: a cornerstone for global capacity strengthening

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andermann, Anne; Ginsburg, Liane; Norton, Peter; Arora, Narendra; Bates, David; Wu, Albert

    2011-01-01

    Background Tens of millions of patients worldwide suffer disabling injuries or death every year due to unsafe medical care. Nonetheless, there is a scarcity of research evidence on how to tackle this global health priority. The shortage of trained researchers is a major limitation, particularly in developing and transitional countries. Objectives As a first step to strengthen capacity in this area, the authors developed a set of internationally agreed core competencies for patient safety research worldwide. Methods A multistage process involved developing an initial framework, reviewing the existing literature relating to competencies in patient safety research, conducting a series of consultations with potential end users and international experts in the field from over 35 countries and finally convening a global consensus conference. Results An initial draft list of competencies was grouped into three themes: patient safety, research methods and knowledge translation. The competencies were considered by the WHO Patient Safety task force, by potential end users in developing and transitional countries and by international experts in the field to be relevant, comprehensive, clear, easily adaptable to local contexts and useful for training patient safety researchers internationally. Conclusions Reducing patient harm worldwide will require long-term sustained efforts to build capacity to enable practical research that addresses local problems and improves patient safety. The first edition of Competencies for Patient Safety Researchers is proposed by WHO Patient Safety as a foundation for strengthening research capacity by guiding the development of training programmes for researchers in the area of patient safety, particularly in developing and transitional countries, where such research is urgently needed. PMID:21228081

  9. Assessment of patient safety culture in viewpoints of Kashan hospitals nurses 2016

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Reza Sharif

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Patient safety, i.e. prevention of any hurt to the patient, is one of the main factors of health care quality. Improving patient safety culture through the implementation of systems and processes necessary to work can play an important role in preventing errors and improving the quality. For this purpose, the status of patient safety culture in Kashsn hospitals was examined. This cross - sectional study was performed in five hospitals of Kashan University of Medical Sciences and one Social Security Hospital, by a 42-item standard patient safety questionnaire with a random sampling of 200 nurses available in 2016. Mean age, experience, experience in the last unit of work, experience in nursing profession, work hours per week were obtained 34.28 ± 6.89, 7.72 ± 5.1, 5.87 ± 4.2, 10.42±7.93years and 62.8±26.8hours, respectively. Average of safety culture and its dimensions including teamwork within the units, in line with expectations and the head of patient safety, patient safety management support, organizational learning and continuous improvement, the general perception of patient safety, communication and feedback about errors were obtained 2.88±0.56, 3.04±069, 2.87±0.79, 3.08±0.88, 2.96±0.54, 2.87±0.98, 2.81±0.59, 2.52±0.98, 2.91±0.43, 3.14±1.04, 2.99±0.54, respectively. According to the obtained results, the status of safety culture in hospitals was deemed unfavorable and seemed to need development by training and proper guidelines in order to establish a culture of patient safety and prevention of hurt to patients in order to assure their safety at the hospitals.

  10. Patient safety competency and educational needs of nursing educators in South Korea

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-01-01

    Background Nursing educators must be qualified to teach patient safety to nursing students to ensure patient safety in the clinical field. The purpose of this study was to assess nursing educators’ competencies and educational needs for patient safety in hospitals and nursing schools. Method A mixed-methods sequential explanatory design employed a survey and focus group interview with nursing educators (school clinical instructors and hospital nurse preceptors). Thirty-eight questionnaires filled out by clinical instructors from six four-year nursing universities and 106 questionnaires from nurse preceptors from three high-level general hospitals in the Seoul metropolitan area were analyzed to obtain quantitative data. Focus group interviews were conducted among six clinical instructors from one nursing school and four nurse preceptors from one high-level general hospital in Seoul. Results Nursing educators had higher levels of attitude compared with relatively lower levels of skill and knowledge regarding patient safety. They reported educational needs of “medication” and “infection prevention” as being higher and “human factors” and “complexity of systems” as being lower. Nursing educators desired different types of education for patient safety. Conclusion It is necessary to enhance nursing educators’ patient safety skills and knowledge by developing and providing an integrated program of patient safety, with various teaching methods to meet their educational needs. The findings of this study provide the basic information needed to reform patient safety education programs appropriately to fit nursing educators' needs and their patient safety competencies in both clinical practice and academia. Furthermore, the findings have revealed the importance of effective communication between clinical and academic settings in making patient safety education seamless. PMID:28873099

  11. Patient safety competency and educational needs of nursing educators in South Korea.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haena Jang

    Full Text Available Nursing educators must be qualified to teach patient safety to nursing students to ensure patient safety in the clinical field. The purpose of this study was to assess nursing educators' competencies and educational needs for patient safety in hospitals and nursing schools.A mixed-methods sequential explanatory design employed a survey and focus group interview with nursing educators (school clinical instructors and hospital nurse preceptors. Thirty-eight questionnaires filled out by clinical instructors from six four-year nursing universities and 106 questionnaires from nurse preceptors from three high-level general hospitals in the Seoul metropolitan area were analyzed to obtain quantitative data. Focus group interviews were conducted among six clinical instructors from one nursing school and four nurse preceptors from one high-level general hospital in Seoul.Nursing educators had higher levels of attitude compared with relatively lower levels of skill and knowledge regarding patient safety. They reported educational needs of "medication" and "infection prevention" as being higher and "human factors" and "complexity of systems" as being lower. Nursing educators desired different types of education for patient safety.It is necessary to enhance nursing educators' patient safety skills and knowledge by developing and providing an integrated program of patient safety, with various teaching methods to meet their educational needs. The findings of this study provide the basic information needed to reform patient safety education programs appropriately to fit nursing educators' needs and their patient safety competencies in both clinical practice and academia. Furthermore, the findings have revealed the importance of effective communication between clinical and academic settings in making patient safety education seamless.

  12. Tracing the foundations of a conceptual framework for a patient safety ontology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Runciman, William B; Baker, G Ross; Michel, Philippe

    2010-01-01

    In work for the World Alliance for Patient Safety on research methods and measures and on defining key concepts for an International Patient Safety Classification (ICPS), it became apparent that there was a need to try to understand how the meaning of patient safety and underlying concepts relate...... to the existing safety and quality frameworks commonly used in healthcare....

  13. [Patient safety culture in directors and managers of a health service].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giménez-Júlvez, Teresa; Hernández-García, Ignacio; Aibar-Remón, Carlos; Gutiérrez-Cía, Isabel; Febrel-Bordejé, Mercedes

    To assess patient safety culture in directors/managers. Cross-sectional descriptive study carried out from February to June 2011 among the executive/managing staff of the Aragón Health Service through semi-structured interviews. A total of 12 interviews were carried out. All the respondents admitted that there were many patient safety problems and agreed that patient safety was a priority from a theoretical rather than practical perspective. The excessive changes in executive positions was considered to be an important barrier which made it difficult to establish long-term strategies and achieve medium-term continuity. This study recorded perceptions on patient safety culture in directors, an essential factor to improve patient safety culture in this group and in the organisations they run. Copyright © 2017 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  14. Healthcare Staff Wellbeing, Burnout, and Patient Safety: A Systematic Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hall, Louise H.; Johnson, Judith; Watt, Ian; Tsipa, Anastasia; O’Connor, Daryl B.

    2016-01-01

    Objective To determine whether there is an association between healthcare professionals’ wellbeing and burnout, with patient safety. Design Systematic research review. Data Sources PsychInfo (1806 to July 2015), Medline (1946 to July 2015), Embase (1947 to July 2015) and Scopus (1823 to July 2015) were searched, along with reference lists of eligible articles. Eligibility Criteria for Selecting Studies Quantitative, empirical studies that included i) either a measure of wellbeing or burnout, and ii) patient safety, in healthcare staff populations. Results Forty-six studies were identified. Sixteen out of the 27 studies that measured wellbeing found a significant correlation between poor wellbeing and worse patient safety, with six additional studies finding an association with some but not all scales used, and one study finding a significant association but in the opposite direction to the majority of studies. Twenty-one out of the 30 studies that measured burnout found a significant association between burnout and patient safety, whilst a further four studies found an association between one or more (but not all) subscales of the burnout measures employed, and patient safety. Conclusions Poor wellbeing and moderate to high levels of burnout are associated, in the majority of studies reviewed, with poor patient safety outcomes such as medical errors, however the lack of prospective studies reduces the ability to determine causality. Further prospective studies, research in primary care, conducted within the UK, and a clearer definition of healthcare staff wellbeing are needed. Implications This review illustrates the need for healthcare organisations to consider improving employees’ mental health as well as creating safer work environments when planning interventions to improve patient safety. Systematic Review Registration PROSPERO registration number: CRD42015023340. PMID:27391946

  15. Healthcare Staff Wellbeing, Burnout, and Patient Safety: A Systematic Review.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Louise H Hall

    Full Text Available To determine whether there is an association between healthcare professionals' wellbeing and burnout, with patient safety.Systematic research review.PsychInfo (1806 to July 2015, Medline (1946 to July 2015, Embase (1947 to July 2015 and Scopus (1823 to July 2015 were searched, along with reference lists of eligible articles.Quantitative, empirical studies that included i either a measure of wellbeing or burnout, and ii patient safety, in healthcare staff populations.Forty-six studies were identified. Sixteen out of the 27 studies that measured wellbeing found a significant correlation between poor wellbeing and worse patient safety, with six additional studies finding an association with some but not all scales used, and one study finding a significant association but in the opposite direction to the majority of studies. Twenty-one out of the 30 studies that measured burnout found a significant association between burnout and patient safety, whilst a further four studies found an association between one or more (but not all subscales of the burnout measures employed, and patient safety.Poor wellbeing and moderate to high levels of burnout are associated, in the majority of studies reviewed, with poor patient safety outcomes such as medical errors, however the lack of prospective studies reduces the ability to determine causality. Further prospective studies, research in primary care, conducted within the UK, and a clearer definition of healthcare staff wellbeing are needed.This review illustrates the need for healthcare organisations to consider improving employees' mental health as well as creating safer work environments when planning interventions to improve patient safety.PROSPERO registration number: CRD42015023340.

  16. Editorial: Advances in healthcare provider and patient training to improve the quality and safety of patient care

    OpenAIRE

    Elizabeth M. Borycki

    2015-01-01

    This special issue of the Knowledge Management & E-Learning: An International Journal is dedicated to describing “Advances in Healthcare Provider and Patient Training to Improve the Quality and Safety of Patient Care.” Patient safety is an important and fundamental requirement of ensuring the quality of patient care. Training and education has been identified as a key to improving healthcare provider patient safety competencies especially when working with new technologies such as electronic ...

  17. Establishing research priorities for patient safety in emergency medicine: a multidisciplinary consensus panel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plint, Amy C; Stang, Antonia S; Calder, Lisa A

    2015-01-01

    Patient safety in the context of emergency medicine is a relatively new field of study. To date, no broad research agenda for patient safety in emergency medicine has been established. The objective of this study was to establish patient safety-related research priorities for emergency medicine. These priorities would provide a foundation for high-quality research, important direction to both researchers and health-care funders, and an essential step in improving health-care safety and patient outcomes in the high-risk emergency department (ED) setting. A four-phase consensus procedure with a multidisciplinary expert panel was organized to identify, assess, and agree on research priorities for patient safety in emergency medicine. The 19-member panel consisted of clinicians, administrators, and researchers from adult and pediatric emergency medicine, patient safety, pharmacy, and mental health; as well as representatives from patient safety organizations. In phase 1, we developed an initial list of potential research priorities by electronically surveying a purposeful and convenience sample of patient safety experts, ED clinicians, administrators, and researchers from across North America using contact lists from multiple organizations. We used simple content analysis to remove duplication and categorize the research priorities identified by survey respondents. Our expert panel reached consensus on a final list of research priorities through an in-person meeting (phase 3) and two rounds of a modified Delphi process (phases 2 and 4). After phases 1 and 2, 66 unique research priorities were identified for expert panel review. At the end of phase 4, consensus was reached for 15 research priorities. These priorities represent four themes: (1) methods to identify patient safety issues (five priorities), (2) understanding human and environmental factors related to patient safety (four priorities), (3) the patient perspective (one priority), and (4) interventions for

  18. 76 FR 7854 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Delisting From Quality Excellence, Inc./PSO

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-02-11

    ... Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care, of its status as a Patient Safety Organization (PSO). The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act), Public Law 109-41, 42 U.S.C. 299b-21--b... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety...

  19. Patient Safety Outcomes in Small Urban and Small Rural Hospitals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vartak, Smruti; Ward, Marcia M.; Vaughn, Thomas E.

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: To assess patient safety outcomes in small urban and small rural hospitals and to examine the relationship of hospital and patient factors to patient safety outcomes. Methods: The Nationwide Inpatient Sample and American Hospital Association annual survey data were used for analyses. To increase comparability, the study sample was…

  20. Leader communication approaches and patient safety: An integrated model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mattson, Malin; Hellgren, Johnny; Göransson, Sara

    2015-06-01

    Leader communication is known to influence a number of employee behaviors. When it comes to the relationship between leader communication and safety, the evidence is more scarce and ambiguous. The aim of the present study is to investigate whether and in what way leader communication relates to safety outcomes. The study examines two leader communication approaches: leader safety priority communication and feedback to subordinates. These approaches were assumed to affect safety outcomes via different employee behaviors. Questionnaire data, collected from 221 employees at two hospital wards, were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The two examined communication approaches were both positively related to safety outcomes, although leader safety priority communication was mediated by employee compliance and feedback communication by organizational citizenship behaviors. The findings suggest that leader communication plays a vital role in improving organizational and patient safety and that different communication approaches seem to positively affect different but equally essential employee safety behaviors. The results highlights the necessity for leaders to engage in one-way communication of safety values as well as in more relational feedback communication with their subordinates in order to enhance patient safety. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. and National Safety Council. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. The effects of organizational commitment and structural empowerment on patient safety culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horwitz, Sujin K; Horwitz, Irwin B

    2017-03-20

    Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between patient safety culture and two attitudinal constructs: affective organizational commitment and structural empowerment. In doing so, the main and interaction effects of the two constructs on the perception of patient safety culture were assessed using a cohort of physicians. Design/methodology/approach Affective commitment was measured with the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire, whereas structural empowerment was assessed with the Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire-II. The abbreviated versions of these surveys were administered to a cohort of 71 post-doctoral medical residents. For the data analysis, hierarchical regression analyses were performed for the main and interaction effects of affective commitment and structural empowerment on the perception of patient safety culture. Findings A total of 63 surveys were analyzed. The results revealed that both affective commitment and structural empowerment were positively related to patient safety culture. A potential interaction effect of the two attitudinal constructs on patient safety culture was tested but no such effect was detected. Research limitations/implications This study suggests that there are potential benefits of promoting affective commitment and structural empowerment for patient safety culture in health care organizations. By identifying the positive associations between the two constructs and patient safety culture, this study provides additional empirical support for Kanter's theoretical tenet that structural and organizational support together helps to shape the perceptions of patient safety culture. Originality/value Despite the wide recognition of employee empowerment and commitment in organizational research, there has still been a paucity of empirical studies specifically assessing their effects on patient safety culture in health care organizations. To the authors' knowledge, this study is the first

  2. Patient Safety and Organizational Learning

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zinck Pedersen, Kirstine

    pragmatism, situated learning theory and science and technology studies, the paper contrasts the notion of ‘systemic’ learning expressed by the safety policy program with notions of learning as a socio-materially situated practice. Based on fieldwork conducted in 2010 in a Danish university hospital, I...... propose that learning, and more specifically learning from critical incidents, should be understood as a practical and experience-based activity as well as an equally individual and social achievement, which is always formed in relation to the specificities of the concrete situation. Parting from......The key trope of patient safety policy is learning. With the motto of going from ‘a culture of blame to a learning culture’, the safety program introduces a ‘systemic perspective’ to facilitate openness and willingness to talk about failures, hereby making failures into a system property. Within...

  3. Emotional exhaustion and workload predict clinician-rated and objective patient safety

    Science.gov (United States)

    Welp, Annalena; Meier, Laurenz L.; Manser, Tanja

    2015-01-01

    Aims: To investigate the role of clinician burnout, demographic, and organizational characteristics in predicting subjective and objective indicators of patient safety. Background: Maintaining clinician health and ensuring safe patient care are important goals for hospitals. While these goals are not independent from each other, the interplay between clinician psychological health, demographic and organizational variables, and objective patient safety indicators is poorly understood. The present study addresses this gap. Method: Participants were 1425 physicians and nurses working in intensive care. Regression analysis (multilevel) was used to investigate the effect of burnout as an indicator of psychological health, demographic (e.g., professional role and experience) and organizational (e.g., workload, predictability) characteristics on standardized mortality ratios, length of stay and clinician-rated patient safety. Results: Clinician-rated patient safety was associated with burnout, trainee status, and professional role. Mortality was predicted by emotional exhaustion. Length of stay was predicted by workload. Contrary to our expectations, burnout did not predict length of stay, and workload and predictability did not predict standardized mortality ratios. Conclusion: At least in the short-term, clinicians seem to be able to maintain safety despite high workload and low predictability. Nevertheless, burnout poses a safety risk. Subjectively, burnt-out clinicians rated safety lower, and objectively, units with high emotional exhaustion had higher standardized mortality ratios. In summary, our results indicate that clinician psychological health and patient safety could be managed simultaneously. Further research needs to establish causal relationships between these variables and support to the development of managerial guidelines to ensure clinicians’ psychological health and patients’ safety. PMID:25657627

  4. Emotional Exhaustion and Workload Predict Clinician-Rated and Objective Patient Safety

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Annalena eWelp

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Aims: To investigate the role of clinician burnout, demographic and organizational characteristics in predicting subjective and objective indicators of patient safety. Background: Maintaining clinician health and ensuring safe patient care are important goals for hospitals. While these goals are not independent from each other, the interplay between clinician psychological health, demographic and organizational variables and objective patient safety indicators is poorly understood. The present study addresses this gap. Method: Participants were 1425 physicians and nurses working in intensive care. (Multilevel regression analysis was used to investigate the effect of burnout as an indicator of psychological health, demographic (e.g., professional role and experience and organizational (e.g., workload, predictability characteristics on standardized mortality ratios, length of stay and clinician-rated patient safety. Results: Clinician-rated patient safety were associated with burnout, trainee status, and professional role. Mortality was predicted by emotional exhaustion. Length of stay was predicted by workload. Contrary to our expectations, burnout did not predict length of stay, and workload and predictability did not predict standardized mortality ratios.Conclusion: At least in the short-term, clinicians seem to be able to maintain safety despite high workload and low predictability. Nevertheless, burnout poses a safety risk. Subjectively, burnt-out clinicians rated safety lower, and objectively, units with high emotional exhaustion had higher standardized mortality ratios. In summary, our results indicate that clinician psychological health and patient safety could be managed simultaneously. Further research needs to establish causal relationships between these variables or and support the development of managerial guidelines to ensure clinicians’ psychological health and patients’ safety.

  5. [Training in patient safety in medical and nursing schools].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mira, J J; Guilabert, M; Vitaller, J; Ignacio, E

    2016-01-01

    To compare the information on patient safety received by students of medicine and nursing. Cross-sectional study was conducted using a convenience sample of medical and nursing students of 3 Universities. The Latin Patient Safety Student Information and a test of 5 questions with 5 options were used. A sample of 79 students in each group was enrolled to detect differences of .3 units (bilateral estimation), considering 80% statistical power and 95% confidence interval. A total of 144 students replied (74 nursing and 70 medicine students). Nursing students achieved higher scores in the communication with patients factor (3.8 vs 3.2, P<.001) and proactive attitude to identify risks for patient safety (4.3 vs 3.8, P<.001). Medical students were more aware of the inevitability of adverse events (2.3 vs 3.1, P<.001). Ten (7%) students had only one fault in the test, and only one (1%) answered all questions correctly. The training in patient safety should be improved both in nursing and medicine, although nursing students receive more information. Copyright © 2015 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  6. Patients' safety in the era of EMR/EHR automation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bakheet Aldosari

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Accurate maintenance of the medical records of patients has become a worldwide problem with the rapid rise in the count of patients. Furthermore, providing them adequate health care keeping their safety in view is turning into a great challenge for physicians. As such, electronic health records (EHRs were developed to solve these issues by aiding physicians in imparting quality health care to patients as well as maintaining their safety. Nonetheless, rather than increasing their efficiency, EHRs have become a burden for the physicians as they ultimately increase their error rate and reduce output rate affecting patient safety. As health-IT is advancing progressively, new features are added to the existing EHRs with the aim to support physicians in providing better healthcare. Till date, some of the most advanced features include clinical support decision system (CDSS, computerized physician order entry (CPOE system, health information exchange (HIE, mobile documentation application, and a system of safety alerts on a dashboard. Proper training to the physicians on judiciously usage of these EHR functions is required to extract maximum benefit. Else, these can introduce a considerable number of medical errors, which can result in fatal outcomes for the patients.

  7. Leadership style and patient safety: implications for nurse managers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Merrill, Katreena Collette

    2015-06-01

    The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between nurse manager (NM) leadership style and safety climate. Nursing leaders are needed who will change the environment and increase patient safety. Hospital NMs are positioned to impact day-to-day operations. Therefore, it is essential to inform nurse executives regarding the impact of leadership style on patient safety. A descriptive correlational study was conducted in 41 nursing departments across 9 hospitals. The hospital unit safety climate survey and multifactorial leadership questionnaire were completed by 466 staff nurses. Bivariate and regression analyses were conducted to determine how well leadership style predicted safety climate. Transformational leadership style was demonstrated as a positive contributor to safety climate, whereas laissez-faire leadership style was shown to negatively contribute to unit socialization and a culture of blame. Nursing leaders must concentrate on developing transformational leadership skills while also diminishing negative leadership styles.

  8. Patient safety culture measurement in general care: clinimetric properties of 'SCOPE'.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zwart, D.L.M.; Langelaan, M.; Vooren, R.C. van de; Kuyvenhoven, M.M.; Kalkman, C.J.; Verheij, T.J.M.; Wagner, C.

    2011-01-01

    BACKGROUND: A supportive patient safety culture is considered to be an essential condition for improving patient safety. Assessing the current safety culture in general practice may be a first step to target improvements. To that end, we studied internal consistency and construct validity of a

  9. Physicians' and nurses' perceptions of patient safety risks in the emergency department.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Källberg, Ann-Sofie; Ehrenberg, Anna; Florin, Jan; Östergren, Jan; Göransson, Katarina E

    2017-07-01

    The emergency department has been described as a high-risk area for errors. It is also known that working conditions such as a high workload and shortage off staff in the healthcare field are common factors that negatively affect patient safety. A limited amount of research has been conducted with regard to patient safety in Swedish emergency departments. Additionally, there is a lack of knowledge about clinicians' perceptions of patient safety risks. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe emergency department clinicians' experiences with regard to patient safety risks. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 physicians and 10 registered nurses from two emergency departments. Interviews were analysed by inductive content analysis. The experiences reflect the complexities involved in the daily operation of a professional practice, and the perception of risks due to a high workload, lack of control, communication and organizational failures. The results reflect a complex system in which high workload was perceived as a risk for patient safety and that, in a combination with other risks, was thought to further jeopardize patient safety. Emergency department staff should be involved in the development of patient safety procedures in order to increase knowledge regarding risk factors as well as identify strategies which can facilitate the maintenance of patient safety during periods in which the workload is high. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Navigating Through Chaos: Charge Nurses and Patient Safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cathro, Heather

    2016-04-01

    The aim of this study was to explore actions and the processes charge nurses (CNs) implement to keep patients safe and generate an emerging theory to inform CN job descriptions, orientation, and training to promote patient safety in practice. Healthcare workers must provide a safe environment for patients. CNs are the frontline leaders on most hospital units and can function as gatekeepers for safe patient care. This grounded theory study utilized purposive sampling of CNs on medical-surgical units in a 400-bed metropolitan hospital. Data collection consisted of 11 interviews and 6 observations. The emerging theory was navigating through chaos: CNs balancing multiple roles, maintaining a watchful eye, and working with and leading the healthcare team to keep patients safe. CNs have knowledge of patients, staff, and complex healthcare environments, putting them in opportune positions to influence patient safety.

  11. Evaluating the Clinical Learning Environment: Resident and Fellow Perceptions of Patient Safety Culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bump, Gregory M; Calabria, Jaclyn; Gosman, Gabriella; Eckart, Catherine; Metro, David G; Jasti, Harish; McCausland, Julie B; Itri, Jason N; Patel, Rita M; Buchert, Andrew

    2015-03-01

    The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education has begun to evaluate teaching institutions' learning environments with Clinical Learning Environment Review visits, including trainee involvement in institutions' patient safety and quality improvement efforts. We sought to address the dearth of metrics that assess trainee patient safety perceptions of the clinical environment. Using the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC), we measured resident and fellow perceptions of patient safety culture in 50 graduate medical education programs at 10 hospitals within an integrated health system. As institution-specific physician scores were not available, resident and fellow scores on the HSOPSC were compared with national data from 29 162 practicing providers at 543 hospitals. Of the 1337 residents and fellows surveyed, 955 (71.4%) responded. Compared with national practicing providers, trainees had lower perceptions of patient safety culture in 6 of 12 domains, including teamwork within units, organizational learning, management support for patient safety, overall perceptions of patient safety, feedback and communication about error, and communication openness. Higher perceptions were observed for manager/supervisor actions promoting patient safety and for staffing. Perceptions equaled national norms in 4 domains. Perceptions of patient safety culture did not improve with advancing postgraduate year. Trainees in a large integrated health system have variable perceptions of patient safety culture, as compared with national norms for some practicing providers. Administration of the HSOPSC was feasible and acceptable to trainees, and may be used to track perceptions over time.

  12. Modeling patient safety incidents knowledge with the Categorial Structure method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Souvignet, Julien; Bousquet, Cédric; Lewalle, Pierre; Trombert-Paviot, Béatrice; Rodrigues, Jean Marie

    2011-01-01

    Following the WHO initiative named World Alliance for Patient Safety (PS) launched in 2004 a conceptual framework developed by PS national reporting experts has summarized the knowledge available. As a second step, the Department of Public Health of the University of Saint Etienne team elaborated a Categorial Structure (a semi formal structure not related to an upper level ontology) identifying the elements of the semantic structure underpinning the broad concepts contained in the framework for patient safety. This knowledge engineering method has been developed to enable modeling patient safety information as a prerequisite for subsequent full ontology development. The present article describes the semantic dissection of the concepts, the elicitation of the ontology requirements and the domain constraints of the conceptual framework. This ontology includes 134 concepts and 25 distinct relations and will serve as basis for an Information Model for Patient Safety.

  13. An analysis of electronic health record-related patient safety incidents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palojoki, Sari; Mäkelä, Matti; Lehtonen, Lasse; Saranto, Kaija

    2017-06-01

    The aim of this study was to analyse electronic health record-related patient safety incidents in the patient safety incident reporting database in fully digital hospitals in Finland. We compare Finnish data to similar international data and discuss their content with regard to the literature. We analysed the types of electronic health record-related patient safety incidents that occurred at 23 hospitals during a 2-year period. A procedure of taxonomy mapping served to allow comparisons. This study represents a rare examination of patient safety risks in a fully digital environment. The proportion of electronic health record-related incidents was markedly higher in our study than in previous studies with similar data. Human-computer interaction problems were the most frequently reported. The results show the possibility of error arising from the complex interaction between clinicians and computers.

  14. 42 CFR 3.210 - Required disclosure of patient safety work product to the Secretary.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Required disclosure of patient safety work product... HUMAN SERVICES GENERAL PROVISIONS PATIENT SAFETY ORGANIZATIONS AND PATIENT SAFETY WORK PRODUCT Confidentiality and Privilege Protections of Patient Safety Work Product § 3.210 Required disclosure of patient...

  15. Patient safety - the role of human factors and systems engineering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carayon, Pascale; Wood, Kenneth E

    2010-01-01

    Patient safety is a global challenge that requires knowledge and skills in multiple areas, including human factors and systems engineering. In this chapter, numerous conceptual approaches and methods for analyzing, preventing and mitigating medical errors are described. Given the complexity of healthcare work systems and processes, we emphasize the need for increasing partnerships between the health sciences and human factors and systems engineering to improve patient safety. Those partnerships will be able to develop and implement the system redesigns that are necessary to improve healthcare work systems and processes for patient safety.

  16. Patient Safety: The Role of Human Factors and Systems Engineering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carayon, Pascale; Wood, Kenneth E.

    2011-01-01

    Patient safety is a global challenge that requires knowledge and skills in multiple areas, including human factors and systems engineering. In this chapter, numerous conceptual approaches and methods for analyzing, preventing and mitigating medical errors are described. Given the complexity of healthcare work systems and processes, we emphasize the need for increasing partnerships between the health sciences and human factors and systems engineering to improve patient safety. Those partnerships will be able to develop and implement the system redesigns that are necessary to improve healthcare work systems and processes for patient safety. PMID:20543237

  17. Patient safety goals for the proposed Federal Health Information Technology Safety Center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sittig, Dean F; Classen, David C; Singh, Hardeep

    2015-03-01

    The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology is expected to oversee creation of a Health Information Technology (HIT) Safety Center. While its functions are still being defined, the center is envisioned as a public-private entity focusing on promotion of HIT related patient safety. We propose that the HIT Safety Center leverages its unique position to work with key administrative and policy stakeholders, healthcare organizations (HCOs), and HIT vendors to achieve four goals: (1) facilitate creation of a nationwide 'post-marketing' surveillance system to monitor HIT related safety events; (2) develop methods and governance structures to support investigation of major HIT related safety events; (3) create the infrastructure and methods needed to carry out random assessments of HIT related safety in complex HCOs; and (4) advocate for HIT safety with government and private entities. The convening ability of a federally supported HIT Safety Center could be critically important to our transformation to a safe and effective HIT enabled healthcare system. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  18. [Organisational responsibility versus individual responsibility: safety culture? About the relationship between patient safety and medical malpractice law].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hart, Dieter

    2009-01-01

    The contribution is concerned with the correlations between risk information, patient safety, responsibility and liability, in particular in terms of liability law. These correlations have an impact on safety culture in healthcare, which can be evaluated positively if--in addition to good quality of medical care--as many sources of error as possible can be identified, analysed, and minimised or eliminated by corresponding measures (safety or risk management). Liability influences the conduct of individuals and enterprises; safety is (probably) also a function of liability; this should also apply to safety culture. The standard of safety culture does not only depend on individual liability for damages, but first of all on strict enterprise liability (system responsibility) and its preventive effects. Patient safety through quality and risk management is therefore also an organisational programme of considerable relevance in terms of liability law.

  19. Evaluation of the patient safety Leadership Walkabout programme of a hospital in Singapore.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Raymond Boon Tar; Ng, Benjamin Boon Lui; Ng, Kok Mun

    2014-02-01

    The Patient Safety Leadership Walkabout (PSLWA) programme is a commonly employed tool in the West, in which senior leaders visit sites within the hospital that are involved in patient care to talk to healthcare staff about patient safety issues. As there is a lack of perspective regarding PSLWA in Asia, we carried out an evaluation of its effectiveness in improving the patient safety culture in Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore. A mixed methods analysis approach was used to review and evaluate all documents, protocols, meeting minutes, post-walkabout surveys, action plans and verbal feedback pertaining to the walkabouts conducted from January 2005 to October 2012. A total of 321 patient safety issues were identified during the study period. Of these, 308 (96.0%) issues were resolved as of November 2012. Among the various categories of issues raised, issues related to work environment were the most common (45.2%). Of all the issues raised during the walkabouts, 72.9% were not identified through other conventional methods of error detection. With respect to the hospital's patient safety culture, 94.8% of the participants reported an increased awareness in patient safety and 90.2% expressed comfort in openly and honestly discussing patient safety issues. PSLWA serves as a good tool to uncover latent errors before actual harm reaches the patient. If properly implemented, it is an effective method for engaging leadership, identifying patient safety issues, and supporting a culture of patient safety in the hospital setting.

  20. Undergraduate medical students' perceptions and intentions regarding patient safety during clinical clerkship.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Hoo-Yeon; Hahm, Myung-Il; Lee, Sang Gyu

    2018-04-04

    The purpose of this study was to examine undergraduate medical students' perceptions and intentions regarding patient safety during clinical clerkships. Cross-sectional study administered in face-to-face interviews using modified the Medical Student Safety Attitudes and Professionalism Survey (MSSAPS) from three colleges of medicine in Korea. We assessed medical students' perceptions of the cultures ('safety', 'teamwork', and 'error disclosure'), 'behavioural intentions' concerning patient safety issues and 'overall patient safety'. Confirmatory factor analysis and Spearman's correlation analyses was performed. In total, 194(91.9%) of the 211 third-year undergraduate students participated. 78% of medical students reported that the quality of care received by patients was impacted by teamwork during clinical rotations. Regarding error disclosure, positive scores ranged from 10% to 74%. Except for one question asking whether the disclosure of medical errors was an important component of patient safety (74%), the percentages of positive scores for all the other questions were below 20%. 41.2% of medical students have intention to disclose it when they saw a medical error committed by another team member. Many students had difficulty speaking up about medical errors. Error disclosure guidelines and educational efforts aimed at developing sophisticated communication skills are needed. This study may serve as a reference for other institutions planning patient safety education in their curricula. Assessing student perceptions of safety culture can provide clerkship directors and clinical service chiefs with information that enhances the educational environment and promotes patient safety.

  1. The Impact of a Patient Safety Program on Medical Error Reporting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2005-05-01

    307 The Impact of a Patient Safety Program on Medical Error Reporting Donald R. Woolever Abstract Background: In response to the occurrence of...a sentinel event—a medical error with serious consequences—Eglin U.S. Air Force (USAF) Regional Hospital developed and implemented a patient safety...communication, teamwork, and reporting. Objective: To determine the impact of a patient safety program on patterns of medical error reporting. Methods: This

  2. Visual and cognitive predictors of driving safety in Parkinson's disease patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amick, M M; Grace, J; Ott, B R

    2007-11-01

    This study assessed the clinical utility of contrast sensitivity (CS) relative to attention, executive function, and visuospatial abilities for predicting driving safety in participants with Parkinson's disease (PD). Twenty-five, non-demented PD patients completed measures of contrast sensitivity, visuospatial skills, executive functions, and attention. All PD participants also underwent a formal on-road driving evaluation. Of the 25 participants, 11 received a marginal or unsafe rating on the road test. Poorer driving performance was associated with worse performance on measures of CS, visuospatial constructions, set shifting, and attention. While impaired driving was associated with a range of cognitive and visual abilities, only a composite measure of executive functioning and visuospatial abilities, and not CS or attentional skills, predicted driving performance. These findings suggest that neuropsychological tests, which are multifactorial in nature and require visual perception and visual spatial judgments are the most useful screening measures for hazardous driving in PD patients.

  3. 78 FR 6819 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From the BREF PSO

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-31

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety... (AHRQ), HHS. ACTION: Notice of delisting. SUMMARY: The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act), Public Law 109-41, 42 U.S.C. 299b-21--b-26, provides for the formation of...

  4. 78 FR 6820 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From Ryder Trauma Center

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-31

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety... Quality (AHRQ), HHS. ACTION: Notice of delisting. SUMMARY: The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act), Public Law 109-41, 42 U.S.C. 299b-21--b-26, provides for the formation...

  5. Teamwork and communication: an effective approach to patient safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mujumdar, Sandhya; Santos, Diana

    2014-01-01

    Teamwork and communication failures are leading causes of patient safety incidents in health care. Though health care providers must work in teams, they are not well-trained in teamwork and communication skills. Health care faces the problems of differences in communication styles, communication failures and poor teamwork. There is enough evidence in the literature to show that communication failure is detrimental to patient safety. It is estimated that 80% of serious medical errors worldwide take place because of miscommunication between medical providers. NUH recognizes that effective communication and teamwork are essential in the delivery of high quality safe patient care, especially in a complex organization. NUH is a good example, where there is a rich mix of nationalities and races, in staff and in patients, and there is a rapidly expanding care environment. NUH had to overcome these challenges by adopting a multi-pronged approach. The trials and tribulations of NUH in this journey were worthwhile as the patient safety climate survey scores improved over the years.

  6. Human factors and systems engineering approach to patient safety for radiotherapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rivera, A Joy; Karsh, Ben-Tzion

    2008-01-01

    The traditional approach to solving patient safety problems in healthcare is to blame the last person to touch the patient. But since the publication of To Err is Human, the call has been instead to use human factors and systems engineering methods and principles to solve patient safety problems. However, an understanding of the human factors and systems engineering is lacking, and confusion remains about what it means to apply their principles. This paper provides a primer on them and their applications to patient safety.

  7. Human Factors and Systems Engineering Approach to Patient Safety for Radiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rivera, A. Joy; Karsh, Ben-Tzion

    2008-01-01

    The traditional approach to solving patient safety problems in healthcare is to blame the last person to touch the patient. But since the publication of To Err is Human, the call has been instead to use human factors and systems engineering methods and principles to solve patient safety problems. However, an understanding of the human factors and systems engineering is lacking, and confusion remains about what it means to apply their principles. This paper provides a primer on them and their applications to patient safety

  8. Identifying patient-centred recommendations for improving patient safety in General Practices in England: a qualitative content analysis of free-text responses using the Patient Reported Experiences and Outcomes of Safety in Primary Care (PREOS-PC) questionnaire.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ricci-Cabello, Ignacio; Saletti-Cuesta, Lorena; Slight, Sarah P; Valderas, Jose M

    2017-10-01

    There is a growing interest in identifying strategies to achieve safer primary health-care provision. However, most of the research conducted so far in this area relies on information supplied by health-care providers, and limited attention has been paid to patients' perspectives. To explore patients' experiences and perceptions of patient safety in English general practices with the aim of eliciting patient-centred recommendations for improving patient safety. The Patient Reported Experiences and Outcomes of Safety in Primary Care questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 6736 primary care users registered in 45 English practices. We conducted a qualitative content analysis of responses to seven open-ended items addressing patients' experiences of safety problems, lessons learnt as a result of such experiences and recommendations for safer health care. A total of 1244 (18.4%) participants returned completed questionnaires. Of those, 678 (54.5%) responded to at least one open-ended question. Two main themes emerged as follows: (i) experiences of safety problems and (ii) good practices and recommendations to improve patient safety in primary care. Most frequent experiences of safety problems were related to appointments, coordination between providers, tests, medication and diagnosis. Patients' responses to these problems included increased patient activation (eg speaking up about concerns with their health care) and avoidance of unnecessary health care. Recommendations for safer health care included improvements in patient-centred communication, continuity of care, timely appointments, technical quality of care, active monitoring, teamwork, health records and practice environment. This study identified a number of patient-centred recommendations for improving patient safety in English general practices. © 2017 The Authors Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. Healthcare professionals’ views of feedback on patient safety culture assessment.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zwijnenberg, N.C.; Hendriks, M.; Hoogervorst-Schilp, J.; Wagner, C.

    2016-01-01

    Background: By assessing patient safety culture, healthcare providers can identify areas for improvement in patient safety culture. To achieve this, these assessment outcomes have to be relevant and presented clearly. The aim of our study was to explore healthcare professionals’ views on the

  10. An interprofessional course using human patient simulation to teach patient safety and teamwork skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vyas, Deepti; McCulloh, Russell; Dyer, Carla; Gregory, Gretchen; Higbee, Dena

    2012-05-10

    To assess the effectiveness of human patient simulation to teach patient safety, team-building skills, and the value of interprofessional collaboration to pharmacy students. Five scenarios simulating semi-urgent situations that required interprofessional collaboration were developed. Groups of 10 to 12 health professions students that included 1 to 2 pharmacy students evaluated patients while addressing patient safety hazards. Pharmacy students' scores on 8 of 30 items on a post-simulation survey of knowledge, skills, and attitudes improved over pre-simulation scores. Students' scores on 3 of 10 items on a team building and interprofessional communications survey also improved after participating in the simulation exercise. Over 90% of students reported that simulation increased their understanding of professional roles and the importance of interprofessional communication. Simulation training provided an opportunity to improve pharmacy students' ability to recognize and react to patient safety concerns and enhanced their interprofessional collaboration and communication skills.

  11. An Organizational Learning Framework for Patient Safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edwards, Marc T

    Despite concerted effort to improve quality and safety, high reliability remains a distant goal. Although this likely reflects the challenge of organizational change, persistent controversy over basic issues suggests that weaknesses in conceptual models may contribute. The essence of operational improvement is organizational learning. This article presents a framework for identifying leverage points for improvement based on organizational learning theory and applies it to an analysis of current practice and controversy. Organizations learn from others, from defects, from measurement, and from mindfulness. These learning modes correspond with contemporary themes of collaboration, no blame for human error, accountability for performance, and managing the unexpected. The collaborative model has dominated improvement efforts. Greater attention to the underdeveloped modes of organizational learning may foster more rapid progress in patient safety by increasing organizational capabilities, strengthening a culture of safety, and fixing more of the process problems that contribute to patient harm.

  12. Development of an evaluation framework for African-European hospital patient safety partnerships.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rutter, Paul; Syed, Shamsuzzoha B; Storr, Julie; Hightower, Joyce D; Bagheri-Nejad, Sepideh; Kelley, Edward; Pittet, Didier

    2014-04-01

    Patient safety is recognised as a significant healthcare problem worldwide, and healthcare-associated infections are an important aspect. African Partnerships for Patient Safety is a WHO programme that pairs hospitals in Africa with hospitals in Europe with the objective to work together to improve patient safety. To describe the development of an evaluation framework for hospital-to-hospital partnerships participating in the programme. The framework was structured around the programme's three core objectives: facilitate strong interhospital partnerships, improve in-hospital patient safety and spread best practices nationally. Africa-based clinicians, their European partners and experts in patient safety were closely involved in developing the evaluation framework in an iterative process. The process defined six domains of partnership strength, each with measurable subdomains. We developed a questionnaire to measure these subdomains. Participants selected six indicators of hospital patient safety improvement from a short-list of 22 based on their relevance, sensitivity to intervention and measurement feasibility. Participants proposed 20 measures of spread, which were refined into a two-part conceptual framework, and a data capture tool created. Taking a highly participatory approach that closely involved its end users, we developed an evaluation framework and tools to measure partnership strength, patient safety improvements and the spread of best practice.

  13. Surgical resident education in patient safety: where can we improve?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Putnam, Luke R; Levy, Shauna M; Kellagher, Caroline M; Etchegaray, Jason M; Thomas, Eric J; Kao, Lillian S; Lally, Kevin P; Tsao, KuoJen

    2015-12-01

    Effective communication and patient safety practices are paramount in health care. Surgical residents play an integral role in the perioperative team, yet their perceptions of patient safety remain unclear. We hypothesized that surgical residents perceive the perioperative environment as more unsafe than their faculty and operating room staff despite completing a required safety curriculum. Surgeons, anesthesiologists, and perioperative nurses in a large academic children's hospital participated in multifaceted, physician-led workshops aimed at enhancing communication and safety culture over a 3-y period. All general surgery residents from the same academic center completed a hospital-based online safety curriculum only. All groups subsequently completed the psychometrically validated safety attitudes questionnaire to evaluate three domains: safety culture, teamwork, and speaking up. Results reflect the percent of respondents who slightly or strongly agreed. Chi-square analysis was performed. Sixty-three of 84 perioperative personnel (75%) and 48 of 52 surgical residents (92%) completed the safety attitudes questionnaire. A higher percentage of perioperative personnel perceived a safer environment than the surgical residents in all three domains, which was significantly higher for safety culture (68% versus 46%, P = 0.03). When stratified into two groups, junior residents (postgraduate years 1-2) and senior residents (postgraduate years 3-5) had lower scores for all three domains, but the differences were not statistically significant. Surgical residents' perceptions of perioperative safety remain suboptimal. With an enhanced safety curriculum, perioperative staff demonstrated higher perceptions of safety compared with residents who participated in an online-only curriculum. Optimal surgical education on patient safety remains unknown but should require a dedicated, systematic approach. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Implementation of patient safety and patient-centeredness strategies in Iranian hospitals

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Aghaei Hashjin, Asgar; Kringos, Dionne S.; Manoochehri, Jila; Ravaghi, Hamid; Klazinga, Niek S.

    2014-01-01

    To examine the extent of implementation for patient safety (PS) and patient-centeredness (PC) strategies and their association with hospital characteristics (type, ownership, teaching status, annual evaluation grade) in Iran. A cross-sectional study through an adapted version of the MARQuIS

  15. Economic evaluation in patient safety: a literature review of methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Rezende, Bruna Alves; Or, Zeynep; Com-Ruelle, Laure; Michel, Philippe

    2012-06-01

    Patient safety practices, targeting organisational changes for improving patient safety, are implemented worldwide but their costs are rarely evaluated. This paper provides a review of the methods used in economic evaluation of such practices. International medical and economics databases were searched for peer-reviewed publications on economic evaluations of patient safety between 2000 and 2010 in English and French. This was complemented by a manual search of the reference lists of relevant papers. Grey literature was excluded. Studies were described using a standardised template and assessed independently by two researchers according to six quality criteria. 33 articles were reviewed that were representative of different patient safety domains, data types and evaluation methods. 18 estimated the economic burden of adverse events, 3 measured the costs of patient safety practices and 12 provided complete economic evaluations. Healthcare-associated infections were the most common subject of evaluation, followed by medication-related errors and all types of adverse events. Of these, 10 were selected that had adequately fulfilled one or several key quality criteria for illustration. This review shows that full cost-benefit/utility evaluations are rarely completed as they are resource intensive and often require unavailable data; some overcome these difficulties by performing stochastic modelling and by using secondary sources. Low methodological transparency can be a problem for building evidence from available economic evaluations. Investing in the economic design and reporting of studies with more emphasis on defining study perspectives, data collection and methodological choices could be helpful for strengthening our knowledge base on practices for improving patient safety.

  16. Patient safety and infection control: bases for curricular integration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silva, Andréa Mara Bernardes da; Bim, Lucas Lazarini; Bim, Felipe Lazarini; Sousa, Alvaro Francisco Lopes; Domingues, Pedro Castania Amadio; Nicolussi, Adriana Cristina; Andrade, Denise de

    2018-05-01

    To analyze curricular integration between teaching of patient safety and good infection prevention and control practices. Integrative review, designed to answer the question: "How does curricular integration of content about 'patient safety teaching' and content about 'infection prevention and control practices' occur in undergraduate courses in the health field?". The following databases were searched for primary studies: CINAHL, LILACS, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Scopus, Europe PMC and MEDLINE. The final sample consisted of 13 studies. After content analysis, primary studies were grouped into two subject categories: "Innovative teaching practices" and "Curricular evaluation. Patient safety related to infection prevention and control practices is present in the curriculum of health undergraduate courses, but is not coordinated with other themes, is taught sporadically, and focuses mainly on hand hygiene.

  17. 76 FR 71346 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From Peminic Inc. dba The Peminic-Greeley PSO

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-11-17

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety... Patient Safety Organization (PSO). The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety.... The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Final Rule (Patient Safety Rule), 42 CFR part 3, authorizes...

  18. The Impact of Market Orientation on Patient Safety Climate Among Hospital Nurses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weng, Rhay-Hung; Chen, Jung-Chien; Pong, Li-Jung; Chen, Li-Mei; Lin, Tzu-Chi

    2016-03-01

    Improving market orientation and patient safety have become the key concerns of nursing management. For nurses, establishing a patient safety climate is the key to enhancing nursing quality. This study explores how market orientation affects the climate of patient safety among hospital nurses. We proposed adopting a cross-sectional research design and using questionnaires to collect responses from nurses working in two Taiwanese hospitals. Three-hundred and forty-three valid samples were obtained. Multiple regression and path analyses were conducted to test the study. Market orientation was defined as the combination of customer orientation, competitor orientation, and interfunctional coordination. Customer orientation directly affects the climate of patient safety. Although the findings only supported Hypothesis 1, competitor orientation and interfunctional coordination positively affected the patient safety climate through the mediating effects of hospital support for staff. Health care managers could encourage nurses to adopt customer-oriented perspectives to enhance their nursing care. In addition, to enhance competitor orientation, interfunctional coordination, and the patient safety climate, hospital managers could strengthen their support for staff members. © The Author(s) 2014.

  19. Fourth Annual Nursing Leadership Congress: "Driving Patient Safety Through Transformation" Conference proceedings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pinakiewicz, Diane; Smetzer, Judy; Thompson, Pamela; Navarra, Mary Beth; Lambert, Monique

    2009-06-01

    In September 2008, nurse executives from around the country met in Scottsdale, Ariz, to develop practical tools and recommendations for "Driving Patient Safety Through Transformation," the theme of the fourth annual Nursing Leadership Congress. The Congress was made possible through an educational grant from McKesson and Intel in collaboration with sponsorship from the American Organization of Nurse Executives, Institute for Safe Medication Practices and National Patient Safety Foundation. This paper summarizes the Congress plenary sessions and roundtable discussions. Plenaries included the following: *Transformational Leadership: The Role of Leaders in Managing Complex Problems *Using the Baldrige Business Model as the Infrastructure for Creating a Culture of Patient Safety *Prospects for Structural Reform in Health Care Roundtables included the following: *Joy and Meaning in Work *Managing Chronic Care Across the Continuum *The Future of Acute Care Delivery in Light of Changing Reimbursement* Leveraging Transparency to Drive Patient Safety *Collaborative Partnerships for Driving a Patient Safety Agenda *Innovative Solutions for Patient Safety *Implementing the Fundamentals of the Toyota Production Model forHealthcare

  20. 76 FR 29773 - Call for Participation in Pillbox Patient-Safety Initiative

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-05-23

    ... Pillbox Patient-Safety Initiative ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The National Library of Medicine (NLM) invites..., production version of Pillbox. This initiative is an important element of ongoing efforts to enhance patient.... SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NLM has established Pillbox, an initiative to enhance patient safety, by making...

  1. Contracting for safety with patients: clinical practice and forensic implications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garvey, Keelin A; Penn, Joseph V; Campbell, Angela L; Esposito-Smythers, Christianne; Spirito, Anthony

    2009-01-01

    The contract for safety is a procedure used in the management of suicidal patients and has significant patient care, risk management, and medicolegal implications. We conducted a literature review to assess empirical support for this procedure and reviewed legal cases in which this practice was employed, to examine its effect on outcome. Studies obtained from a PubMed search were reviewed and consisted mainly of opinion-based surveys of clinicians and patients and retrospective reviews. Overall, empirically based evidence to support the use of the contract for safety in any population is very limited, particularly in adolescent populations. A legal review revealed that contracting for safety is never enough to protect against legal liability and may lead to adverse consequences for the clinician and the patient. Contracts should be considered for use only in patients who are deemed capable of giving informed consent and, even in these circumstances, should be used with caution. A contract should never replace a thorough assessment of a patient's suicide risk factors. Further empirical research is needed to determine whether contracting for safety merits consideration as a future component of the suicide risk assessment.

  2. Defining the patient safety attitudes and influencing factors of health professionals working at maternity hospitals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tunçer Ünver, Gamze; Harmanci Seren, Arzu Kader

    2018-02-27

    To determine patient safety attitudes of midwives, nurses and physicians and to examine the difference or correlation in patient safety attitudes of midwives, nurses and physicians working in maternity hospitals. It has been suggested that it is necessary to define the factors affecting patient safety attitudes of health professionals working in maternity hospitals. A descriptive and correlational design was employed.The sample comprised 58 midwives, 134 nurses and 63 physicians (255) in two maternity hospitals in Istanbul, Turkey. The data were collected using an 'information form' and a 'Patient Safety Attitude Questionnaire'. The safety attitudes of participants were generally found to be negative. However, midwives had more positive patient safety attitudes and the age, unit, adequacy of patient safety training and the importance of patient safety were the most effective variables. As health professionals working in maternity hospitals generally have negative patient safety attitudes and because patient safety training provided better attitudes among the participants, these training programmes should be developed and implemented considering the differences among age groups and units. Health professionals have different views on the patient safety culture; therefore, training needs to involve everyone to create a shared vision for patient safety. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  3. A Scholarly Pathway in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferguson, Catherine C; Lamb, Geoffrey

    2015-10-01

    There are several challenges to teaching quality improvement (QI) and patient safety material to medical students, as successful programs should combine didactic and experiential teaching methods, integrate the material into the preclinical and clinical years, and tailor the material to the schools' existing curriculum. The authors describe the development, implementation, and assessment of the Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (QuIPS) Scholarly Pathway-a faculty-mentored, three-year experience for students interested in gaining exposure to QI and patient safety concepts at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW). The QuIPS pathway capitalized on the existing structure of scholarly pathways for MCW medical students, allowing QI and patient safety to be incorporated into the existing curriculum using didactic and experiential instruction and spanning preclinical and clinical education. Student reaction to the QuIPS pathway has been favorable. Preliminary data demonstrate that student knowledge as measured by the Quality Improvement Knowledge Assessment Tool significantly increased after the first year of implementation. A novel curriculum such as the QuIPS pathway provides an important opportunity to develop and test new assessment tools for curricula in systems-based practice and practice-based learning and improvement. The authors also hope that by bringing together local QI and patient safety experts and stakeholders during the curricular development process, they have laid the groundwork for the creation of a more pervasive curriculum that will reach all MCW students in the future. The model may be generalizable to other U.S. medical schools with scholarly pathways as well.

  4. Patient safety education at Japanese medical schools: results of a nationwide survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maeda, Shoichi; Kamishiraki, Etsuko; Starkey, Jay

    2012-05-10

    Patient safety education, including error prevention strategies and management of adverse events, has become a topic of worldwide concern. The importance of the patient safety is also recognized in Japan following two serious medical accidents in 1999. Furthermore, educational curriculum guideline revisions in 2008 by relevant the Ministry of Education includes patient safety as part of the core medical curriculum. However, little is known about the patient safety education in Japanese medical schools partly because a comprehensive study has not yet been conducted in this field. Therefore, we have conducted a nationwide survey in order to clarify the current status of patient safety education at medical schools in Japan. Response rate was 60.0% (n = 48/80). Ninety-eight-percent of respondents (n = 47/48) reported integration of patient safety education into their curricula. Thirty-nine percent reported devoting less than five hours to the topic. All schools that teach patient safety reported use of lecture based teaching methods while few used alternative methods, such as role-playing or in-hospital training. Topics related to medical error theory and legal ramifications of error are widely taught while practical topics related to error analysis such as root cause analysis are less often covered. Based on responses to our survey, most Japanese medical schools have incorporated the topic of patient safety into their curricula. However, the number of hours devoted to the patient safety education is far from the sufficient level with forty percent of medical schools that devote five hours or less to it. In addition, most medical schools employ only the lecture based learning, lacking diversity in teaching methods. Although most medical schools cover basic error theory, error analysis is taught at fewer schools. We still need to make improvements to our medical safety curricula. We believe that this study has the implications for the rest of the world as a

  5. Patient safety education at Japanese medical schools: results of a nationwide survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maeda Shoichi

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Patient safety education, including error prevention strategies and management of adverse events, has become a topic of worldwide concern. The importance of the patient safety is also recognized in Japan following two serious medical accidents in 1999. Furthermore, educational curriculum guideline revisions in 2008 by relevant the Ministry of Education includes patient safety as part of the core medical curriculum. However, little is known about the patient safety education in Japanese medical schools partly because a comprehensive study has not yet been conducted in this field. Therefore, we have conducted a nationwide survey in order to clarify the current status of patient safety education at medical schools in Japan. Results Response rate was 60.0% (n = 48/80. Ninety-eight-percent of respondents (n = 47/48 reported integration of patient safety education into their curricula. Thirty-nine percent reported devoting less than five hours to the topic. All schools that teach patient safety reported use of lecture based teaching methods while few used alternative methods, such as role-playing or in-hospital training. Topics related to medical error theory and legal ramifications of error are widely taught while practical topics related to error analysis such as root cause analysis are less often covered. Conclusions Based on responses to our survey, most Japanese medical schools have incorporated the topic of patient safety into their curricula. However, the number of hours devoted to the patient safety education is far from the sufficient level with forty percent of medical schools that devote five hours or less to it. In addition, most medical schools employ only the lecture based learning, lacking diversity in teaching methods. Although most medical schools cover basic error theory, error analysis is taught at fewer schools. We still need to make improvements to our medical safety curricula. We believe that this

  6. Medical devices, electronic health records and assuring patient safety : Future challenges?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kalkman, Cor J.

    2015-01-01

    The patient safety movement was triggered by publications showing that modern health care is more unsafe than road travel and that more patients are killed annually by avoidable adverse events than by breast cancer [1]. As a result, an urgent need to improve patient safety has dominated

  7. Patient Safety Learning Systems: A Systematic Review and Qualitative Synthesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-01-01

    A patient safety learning system (sometimes called a critical incident reporting system) refers to structured reporting, collation, and analysis of critical incidents. To inform a provincial working group's recommendations for an Ontario Patient Safety Event Learning System, a systematic review was undertaken to determine design features that would optimize its adoption into the health care system and would inform implementation strategies. The objective of this review was to address two research questions: (a) what are the barriers to and facilitators of successful adoption of a patient safety learning system reported by health professionals and (b) what design components maximize successful adoption and implementation? To answer the first question, we used a published systematic review. To answer the second question, we used scoping study methodology. Common barriers reported in the literature by health care professionals included fear of blame, legal penalties, the perception that incident reporting does not improve patient safety, lack of organizational support, inadequate feedback, lack of knowledge about incident reporting systems, and lack of understanding about what constitutes an error. Common facilitators included a non-accusatory environment, the perception that incident reporting improves safety, clarification of the route of reporting and of how the system uses reports, enhanced feedback, role models (such as managers) using and promoting reporting, legislated protection of those who report, ability to report anonymously, education and training opportunities, and clear guidelines on what to report. Components of a patient safety learning system that increased successful adoption and implementation were emphasis on a blame-free culture that encourages reporting and learning, clear guidelines on how and what to report, making sure the system is user-friendly, organizational development support for data analysis to generate meaningful learning outcomes

  8. The impact of nursing leadership on patient safety in a developing country.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stewart, Lee; Usher, Kim

    2010-11-01

    This article is a report of a study to identify the ways nursing leaders and managers in a developing country have an impact on patient safety. The attempt to address the problem of patient safety in health care is a global issue. Literature addressing the significant impact that nursing leadership has on patient safety is extensive and focuses almost exclusively on the developed world. A critical ethnography was conducted with senior registered nursing leaders and managers throughout the Fiji Islands, specifically those in the Head Office of the Fiji Ministry of Health and the most senior nurse in a hospital or community health service. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with senior nursing leaders and managers in Fiji. Thematic analysis of the interviews was undertaken from a critical theory perspective, with reference to the macro socio-political system of the Fiji Ministry of Health. Four interrelated issues regarding the nursing leaders and managers' impact on patient safety emerged from the study. Empowerment of nursing leaders and managers, an increased focus on the patient, the necessity to explore conditions for front-line nurses and the direct relationship between improved nursing conditions and increased patient safety mirrored literature from developed countries. The findings have significant implications for developing countries and it is crucial that support for patient safety in developing countries become a focus for the international nursing community. Nursing leaders and managers' increased focus on their own place in the hierarchy of the health care system and on nursing conditions as these affect patient safety could decrease adverse patient outcomes. The findings could assist the global nursing community to better support developing countries in pursuing a patient safety agenda. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  9. Improving patient safety through quality assurance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raab, Stephen S

    2006-05-01

    Anatomic pathology laboratories use several quality assurance tools to detect errors and to improve patient safety. To review some of the anatomic pathology laboratory patient safety quality assurance practices. Different standards and measures in anatomic pathology quality assurance and patient safety were reviewed. Frequency of anatomic pathology laboratory error, variability in the use of specific quality assurance practices, and use of data for error reduction initiatives. Anatomic pathology error frequencies vary according to the detection method used. Based on secondary review, a College of American Pathologists Q-Probes study showed that the mean laboratory error frequency was 6.7%. A College of American Pathologists Q-Tracks study measuring frozen section discrepancy found that laboratories improved the longer they monitored and shared data. There is a lack of standardization across laboratories even for governmentally mandated quality assurance practices, such as cytologic-histologic correlation. The National Institutes of Health funded a consortium of laboratories to benchmark laboratory error frequencies, perform root cause analysis, and design error reduction initiatives, using quality assurance data. Based on the cytologic-histologic correlation process, these laboratories found an aggregate nongynecologic error frequency of 10.8%. Based on gynecologic error data, the laboratory at my institution used Toyota production system processes to lower gynecologic error frequencies and to improve Papanicolaou test metrics. Laboratory quality assurance practices have been used to track error rates, and laboratories are starting to use these data for error reduction initiatives.

  10. Perceptions of medication safety among patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Cullen, Garret

    2010-09-01

    The aim of this study was to assess attitudes towards and knowledge of medication safety in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). IBD patients frequently require long-term treatment with potentially toxic medications. Techniques are employed to improve patient awareness of medication safety, but there are sparse data on their effectiveness.

  11. Improving Patient Safety Culture in Primary Care: A Systematic Review

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Verbakel, Natasha J.; Langelaan, Maaike; Verheij, Theo J. M.; Wagner, Cordula; Zwart, Dorien L. M.

    Background: Patient safety culture, described as shared values, attitudes and behavior of staff in a health-care organization, gained attention as a subject of study as it is believed to be related to the impact of patient safety improvements. However, in primary care, it is yet unknown, which

  12. The perceptions of patient safety culture: A difference between physicians and nurses in Taiwan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Chih-Hsuan; Wu, Hsin-Hung; Lee, Yii-Ching

    2018-04-01

    In order to pursue a better patient safety culture and provide a superior medical service for patients, this study aims to respectively investigate the perceptions of patient safety from the viewpoints of physicians and nurses in Taiwan. Little knowledge has clearly identified the difference of perceptions between physicians and nurses in patient safety culture. Understanding physicians and nurses' attitudes toward patient safety is a critical issue for healthcare organizations to improve medical quality. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) is used to verify the structure of data (e.g. reliability and validity), and Pearson's correlation analysis is conducted to demonstrate the relationships among seven patient safety culture dimensions. Research results illustrate that more teamwork is exhibited among team members, the more safety of a patient is committed. Perceptions of management and emotional exhaustion are important components that contribute to a better patient safety. More importantly, working conditions and stress recognition are found to be negatively related from the perceptions of nurses. Compared to physicians, nurses reported higher stress and challenges which result from multi-task working conditions in the hospital. This study focused on the contribution of a better patient safety culture from different viewpoints of physicians and nurses for healthcare organizations in Taiwan. A different attitudes toward patient safety is found between physicians and nurses. The results enable the hospital management to realize and design appropriate implications for hospital staffs to establish a better patient safety culture. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  13. Patient-led training on patient safety: a pilot study to test the feasibility and acceptability of an educational intervention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jha, V; Winterbottom, A; Symons, J; Thompson, Z; Quinton, N; Corrado, O J; Melville, C; Watt, I; Torgerson, D; Wright, J

    2013-09-01

    Training in patient safety is an important element of medical education. Most educational interventions on patient safety training adopt a 'health-professional lens' with limited consideration on the impact of safety lapses on the patient and their families and little or no involvement of patients in the design or delivery of the training. This paper describes a pilot study to test the feasibility and acceptability of implementing a patient-led educational intervention to facilitate safety training amongst newly qualified doctors. Patients and/or carers who had experienced harm during their care shared narratives of their stories with trainees; this was followed by a focused discussion on patient safety issues exploring the causes and consequences of safety incidents and lessons to be learned from these. The intervention, which will be further tested in an NIHR-funded randomised controlled trial (RCT), was successfully implemented into an existing training programme and found acceptance amongst the patients and trainees. The pilot study proved to be a useful step in refining the intervention for the RCT including identifying appropriate outcome measures and highlighting organisational issues.

  14. Evaluating and Predicting Patient Safety for Medical Devices With Integral Information Technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    2005-01-01

    323 Evaluating and Predicting Patient Safety for Medical Devices with Integral Information Technology Jiajie Zhang, Vimla L. Patel, Todd R...errors are due to inappropriate designs for user interactions, rather than mechanical failures. Evaluating and predicting patient safety in medical ...the users on the identified trouble spots in the devices. We developed two methods for evaluating and predicting patient safety in medical devices

  15. In-Office Endoscopic Laryngeal Laser Procedures: A Patient Safety Initiative.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Jennifer; Bensoussan, Yael; Townsley, Richard; Kell, Erika

    2018-05-01

    Objective To review complications of in-office endoscopic laryngeal laser procedures after implementation of standardized safety protocol. Methods A retrospective review was conducted of the first 2 years of in-office laser procedures at St Michaels Hospital after the introduction of a standardized safety protocol. The protocol included patient screening, procedure checklist with standardized reporting of processes, medications, and complications. Primary outcomes measured were complication rates of in-office laryngeal laser procedures. Secondary outcomes included hemodynamic changes, local anesthetic dose, laser settings, total laser/procedure time, and incidence of sedation. Results A total of 145 in-office KTP procedures performed on 65 patients were reviewed. In 98% of cases, the safety protocol was fully implemented. The overall complication rate was 4.8%. No major complications were encountered. Minor complications included vasovagal episodes and patient intolerance. The rate of patient intolerance resulting early termination of anticipated procedure was 13.1%. Total local anesthetic dose averaged 172.9 mg lidocaine per procedure. The mean amount of laser energy dispersed was 261.2 J, with mean total procedure time of 48.3 minutes. Sixteen percent of patients had preprocedure sedation. Vital signs were found to vary modestly. Systolic blood pressure was lower postprocedure in 13.8% and symptomatic in 4.1%. Discussion The review of our standardized safety protocol has revealed that in-office laser treatment for laryngeal pathology has extremely low complication rates with safe patient outcomes. Implications for Practice The trend of shifting procedures out of the operating room into the office/clinic setting requires new processes designed to promote patient safety.

  16. A 2-year study of patient safety competency assessment in 29 clinical laboratories.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reed, Robyn C; Kim, Sara; Farquharson, Kara; Astion, Michael L

    2008-06-01

    Competency assessment is critical for laboratory operations and is mandated by the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988. However, no previous reports describe methods for assessing competency in patient safety. We developed and implemented a Web-based tool to assess performance of 875 laboratory staff from 29 laboratories in patient safety. Question categories included workplace culture, categorizing error, prioritization of patient safety interventions, strength of specific interventions, and general patient safety concepts. The mean score was 85.0%, with individual scores ranging from 56% to 100% and scores by category from 81.3% to 88.6%. Of the most difficult questions (laboratory technologists. Computer-based competency assessments help laboratories identify topics for continuing education in patient safety.

  17. Developing and Testing the Health Care Safety Hotline: A Prototype Consumer Reporting System for Patient Safety Events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schneider, Eric C; Ridgely, M Susan; Quigley, Denise D; Hunter, Lauren E; Leuschner, Kristin J; Weingart, Saul N; Weissman, Joel S; Zimmer, Karen P; Giannini, Robert C

    2017-06-01

    This article describes the design, development, and testing of the Health Care Safety Hotline, a prototype consumer reporting system for patient safety events. The prototype was designed and developed with ongoing review by a technical expert panel and feedback obtained during a public comment period. Two health care delivery organizations in one metropolitan area collaborated with the researchers to demonstrate and evaluate the system. The prototype was deployed and elicited information from patients, family members, and caregivers through a website or an 800 phone number. The reports were considered useful and had little overlap with information received by the health care organizations through their usual risk management, customer service, and patient safety monitoring systems. However, the frequency of reporting was lower than anticipated, suggesting that further refinements, including efforts to raise awareness by actively soliciting reports from subjects, might be necessary to substantially increase the volume of useful reports. It is possible that a single technology platform could be built to meet a variety of different patient safety objectives, but it may not be possible to achieve several objectives simultaneously through a single consumer reporting system while also establishing trust with patients, caregivers, and providers.

  18. Social network in patient safety: Social media visibility

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Azucena Santillán García

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Internet social network (social media is a powerful communication tool, and its use is expanding significantly. This paper seeks to know the current state of visibility in online social networks of active citizen talking about patient safety. This is an observational cross-sectional study whose target population is the websites Facebook, Twitter and Tuenti in Spain. By three consecutive cuts social profiles were found using the searching terms “seguridad+paciente” and “safety+patient”. There were found 5 profiles on Facebook that met the search criteria, 6 on Twitter and none were found on Tuenti. It is concluded that although there is evidence of the rise of social networking, citizen network involved in patient safety appears not to be significantly represented within the social networks examined.

  19. Near-peers improve patient safety training in the preclinical curriculum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raty, Sally R; Teal, Cayla R; Nelson, Elizabeth A; Gill, Anne C

    2017-01-01

    Accrediting bodies require medical schools to teach patient safety and residents to develop teaching skills in patient safety. We created a patient safety course in the preclinical curriculum and used continuous quality improvement to make changes over time. To assess the impact of resident teaching on student perceptions of a Patient Safety course. Using the Institute for Healthcare Improvement patient safety curriculum as a frame, the course included the seven IHI modules, large group lectures and small group facilitated discussions. Applying a social action methodology, we evaluated the course for four years (Y1-Y4). In Y1, Y2, Y3 and Y4, we distributed a course evaluation to each student (n = 184, 189, 191, and 184, respectively) and the response rate was 96, 97, 95 and 100%, respectively. Overall course quality, clarity of course goals and value of small group discussions increased in Y2 after the introduction of residents as small group facilitators. The value of residents and the overall value of the course increased in Y3 after we provided residents with small group facilitation training. Preclinical students value the interaction with residents and may perceive the overall value of a course to be improved based on near-peer involvement. Residents gain valuable experience in small group facilitation and leadership.

  20. Communication barriers in counselling foreign-language patients in public pharmacies: threats to patient safety?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwappach, David L B; Meyer Massetti, Carla; Gehring, Katrin

    2012-10-01

    Foreign-language (FL) patients are at increased risk for adverse drug events. Evidence regarding communication barriers and the safety of pharmaceutical care of FL patients in European countries is scarce despite large migrant populations. To investigate Swiss public pharmacists' experiences and current practices in counselling FL patients with a focus on patient safety. In a cross-sectional study heads of public pharmacies in Switzerland were surveyed using an electronic questionnaire. The survey assessed the frequency of communication barriers encountered in medication counselling of FL patients, perceptions of risks for adverse drug events, satisfaction with the quality of counselling provided to FL patients, current strategies to reduce risks, and preferences towards tools to improve safety for FL patients. 498 pharmacists completed the survey (43 % response rate). More than every second pharmacist reported at least weekly encounters at which they cannot provide good medication counselling to FL patients in the regional Swiss language. Ad-hoc interpreting by minors is also common at a considerable number of pharmacies (26.5 % reported at least one weekly occurrence). Approximately 10 % of pharmacies reported that they fail at least weekly to explain the essentials of drug therapy (e.g. dosing of children's medications) to FL patients. 79.8 % perceived the risk of FL patients for adverse drug events to be somewhat or much higher compared to other patients. 22.5 % of pharmacists reported being concerned at least monthly about medication safety when FL patients leave their pharmacy. However, the majority of pharmacists were satisfied with the quality of care provided to FL patients in their pharmacy [78.6 % (very) satisfied]. The main strategy used to improve counselling for FL patients was the employment of multilingual staff. Participants would use software for printing foreign-language labels (41.2 %) and multilingual package inserts (42.0 %) if these were

  1. Patient safety in primary care: a survey of general practitioners in the Netherlands

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wensing Michel

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Primary care encompasses many different clinical domains and patient groups, which means that patient safety in primary care may be equally broad. Previous research on safety in primary care has focused on medication safety and incident reporting. In this study, the views of general practitioners (GPs on patient safety were examined. Methods A web-based survey of a sample of GPs was undertaken. The items were derived from aspects of patient safety issues identified in a prior interview study. The questionnaire used 10 clinical cases and 15 potential risk factors to explore GPs' views on patient safety. Results A total of 68 GPs responded (51.5% response rate. None of the clinical cases was uniformly judged as particularly safe or unsafe by the GPs. Cases judged to be unsafe by a majority of the GPs concerned either the maintenance of medical records or prescription and monitoring of medication. Cases which only a few GPs judged as unsafe concerned hygiene, the diagnostic process, prevention and communication. The risk factors most frequently judged to constitute a threat to patient safety were a poor doctor-patient relationship, insufficient continuing education on the part of the GP and a patient age over 75 years. Language barriers and polypharmacy also scored high. Deviation from evidence-based guidelines and patient privacy in the reception/waiting room were not perceived as risk factors by most of the GPs. Conclusion The views of GPs on safety and risk in primary care did not completely match those presented in published papers and policy documents. The GPs in the present study judged a broader range of factors than in previously published research on patient safety in primary care, including a poor doctor-patient relationship, to pose a potential threat to patient safety. Other risk factors such as infection prevention, deviation from guidelines and incident reporting were judged to be less relevant than by policy

  2. Patient safety in primary care: a survey of general practitioners in The Netherlands.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaal, Sander; Verstappen, Wim; Wensing, Michel

    2010-01-21

    Primary care encompasses many different clinical domains and patient groups, which means that patient safety in primary care may be equally broad. Previous research on safety in primary care has focused on medication safety and incident reporting. In this study, the views of general practitioners (GPs) on patient safety were examined. A web-based survey of a sample of GPs was undertaken. The items were derived from aspects of patient safety issues identified in a prior interview study. The questionnaire used 10 clinical cases and 15 potential risk factors to explore GPs' views on patient safety. A total of 68 GPs responded (51.5% response rate). None of the clinical cases was uniformly judged as particularly safe or unsafe by the GPs. Cases judged to be unsafe by a majority of the GPs concerned either the maintenance of medical records or prescription and monitoring of medication. Cases which only a few GPs judged as unsafe concerned hygiene, the diagnostic process, prevention and communication. The risk factors most frequently judged to constitute a threat to patient safety were a poor doctor-patient relationship, insufficient continuing education on the part of the GP and a patient age over 75 years. Language barriers and polypharmacy also scored high. Deviation from evidence-based guidelines and patient privacy in the reception/waiting room were not perceived as risk factors by most of the GPs. The views of GPs on safety and risk in primary care did not completely match those presented in published papers and policy documents. The GPs in the present study judged a broader range of factors than in previously published research on patient safety in primary care, including a poor doctor-patient relationship, to pose a potential threat to patient safety. Other risk factors such as infection prevention, deviation from guidelines and incident reporting were judged to be less relevant than by policy makers.

  3. Patient portal readiness among postpartum patients in a safety net setting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wieland, Daryl; Gibeau, Anne; Dewey, Caitlin; Roshto, Melanie; Frankel, Hilary

    2017-07-05

    Maternity patients interact with the healthcare system over an approximately ten-month interval, requiring multiple visits, acquiring pregnancy-specific education, and sharing health information among providers. Many features of a web-based patient portal could help pregnant women manage their interactions with the healthcare system; however, it is unclear whether pregnant women in safety-net settings have the resources, skills or interest required for portal adoption. In this study of postpartum patients in a safety net hospital, we aimed to: (1) determine if patients have the technical resources and skills to access a portal, (2) gain insight into their interest in health information, and (3) identify the perceived utility of portal features and potential barriers to adoption. We developed a structured questionnaire to collect demographics from postpartum patients and measure use of technology and the internet, self-reported literacy, interest in health information, awareness of portal functions, and perceived barriers to use. The questionnaire was administered in person to women in an inpatient setting. Of the 100 participants surveyed, 95% reported routine internet use and 56% used it to search for health information. Most participants had never heard of a patient portal, yet 92% believed that the portal functions were important. The two most appealing functions were to check results and manage appointments. Most participants in this study have the required resources such as a device and familiarity with the internet to access a patient portal including an interest in interacting with a healthcare institution via electronic means. Pregnancy is a critical episode of care where active engagement with the healthcare system can influence outcomes. Healthcare systems and portal developers should consider ways to tailor a portal to address the specific health needs of a maternity population including those in a safety net setting.

  4. Laboratory errors and patient safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miligy, Dawlat A

    2015-01-01

    Laboratory data are extensively used in medical practice; consequently, laboratory errors have a tremendous impact on patient safety. Therefore, programs designed to identify and reduce laboratory errors, as well as, setting specific strategies are required to minimize these errors and improve patient safety. The purpose of this paper is to identify part of the commonly encountered laboratory errors throughout our practice in laboratory work, their hazards on patient health care and some measures and recommendations to minimize or to eliminate these errors. Recording the encountered laboratory errors during May 2008 and their statistical evaluation (using simple percent distribution) have been done in the department of laboratory of one of the private hospitals in Egypt. Errors have been classified according to the laboratory phases and according to their implication on patient health. Data obtained out of 1,600 testing procedure revealed that the total number of encountered errors is 14 tests (0.87 percent of total testing procedures). Most of the encountered errors lay in the pre- and post-analytic phases of testing cycle (representing 35.7 and 50 percent, respectively, of total errors). While the number of test errors encountered in the analytic phase represented only 14.3 percent of total errors. About 85.7 percent of total errors were of non-significant implication on patients health being detected before test reports have been submitted to the patients. On the other hand, the number of test errors that have been already submitted to patients and reach the physician represented 14.3 percent of total errors. Only 7.1 percent of the errors could have an impact on patient diagnosis. The findings of this study were concomitant with those published from the USA and other countries. This proves that laboratory problems are universal and need general standardization and bench marking measures. Original being the first data published from Arabic countries that

  5. Nutritional composition and safety aspects of edible insects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rumpold, Birgit A; Schlüter, Oliver K

    2013-05-01

    Insects, a traditional food in many parts of the world, are highly nutritious and especially rich in proteins and thus represent a potential food and protein source. A compilation of 236 nutrient compositions in addition to amino acid spectra and fatty acid compositions as well as mineral and vitamin contents of various edible insects as derived from literature is given and the risks and benefits of entomophagy are discussed. Although the data were subject to a large variation, it could be concluded that many edible insects provide satisfactorily with energy and protein, meet amino acid requirements for humans, are high in MUFA and/or PUFA, and rich in several micronutrients such as copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, selenium, and zinc as well as riboflavin, pantothenic acid, biotin, and in some cases folic acid. Liabilities of entomophagy include the possible content of allergenic and toxic substances as well as antinutrients and the presence of pathogens. More data are required for a thorough assessment of the nutritional potential of edible insects and proper processing and decontamination methods have to be developed to ensure food safety. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  6. Evaluation of patient safety culture among Malaysian retail pharmacists: results of a self-reported survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sivanandy, Palanisamy; Maharajan, Mari Kannan; Rajiah, Kingston; Wei, Tan Tyng; Loon, Tan Wee; Yee, Lim Chong

    2016-01-01

    Background Patient safety is a major public health issue, and the knowledge, skills, and experience of health professionals are very much essential for improving patient safety. Patient safety and medication error are very much associated. Pharmacists play a significant role in patient safety. The function of pharmacists in the medication use process is very different from medical and nursing colleagues. Medication dispensing accuracy is a vital element to ensure the safety and quality of medication use. Objective To evaluate the attitude and perception of the pharmacist toward patient safety in retail pharmacies setup in Malaysia. Methods A Pharmacy Survey on Patient Safety Culture questionnaire was used to assess patient safety culture, developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the convenience sampling method was adopted. Results The overall positive response rate ranged from 31.20% to 87.43%, and the average positive response rate was found to be 67%. Among all the eleven domains pertaining to patient safety culture, the scores of “staff training and skills” were less. Communication openness, and patient counseling are common, but not practiced regularly in the Malaysian retail pharmacy setup compared with those in USA. The overall perception of patient safety of an acceptable level in the current retail pharmacy setup. Conclusion The study revealed that staff training, skills, communication in patient counseling, and communication across shifts and about mistakes are less in current retail pharmacy setup. The overall perception of patient safety should be improved by educating the pharmacists about the significance and essential of patient safety. PMID:27524887

  7. Evaluation of patient safety culture among Malaysian retail pharmacists: results of a self-reported survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sivanandy, Palanisamy; Maharajan, Mari Kannan; Rajiah, Kingston; Wei, Tan Tyng; Loon, Tan Wee; Yee, Lim Chong

    2016-01-01

    Patient safety is a major public health issue, and the knowledge, skills, and experience of health professionals are very much essential for improving patient safety. Patient safety and medication error are very much associated. Pharmacists play a significant role in patient safety. The function of pharmacists in the medication use process is very different from medical and nursing colleagues. Medication dispensing accuracy is a vital element to ensure the safety and quality of medication use. To evaluate the attitude and perception of the pharmacist toward patient safety in retail pharmacies setup in Malaysia. A Pharmacy Survey on Patient Safety Culture questionnaire was used to assess patient safety culture, developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the convenience sampling method was adopted. The overall positive response rate ranged from 31.20% to 87.43%, and the average positive response rate was found to be 67%. Among all the eleven domains pertaining to patient safety culture, the scores of "staff training and skills" were less. Communication openness, and patient counseling are common, but not practiced regularly in the Malaysian retail pharmacy setup compared with those in USA. The overall perception of patient safety of an acceptable level in the current retail pharmacy setup. The study revealed that staff training, skills, communication in patient counseling, and communication across shifts and about mistakes are less in current retail pharmacy setup. The overall perception of patient safety should be improved by educating the pharmacists about the significance and essential of patient safety.

  8. 77 FR 38294 - Patient Safety Organizations: Delisting for Cause for Medical Informatics

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-27

    ... Organizations: Delisting for Cause for Medical Informatics AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality... Safety Organization (PSO) due to its failure to correct a deficiency. The Patient Safety and Quality... organizations whose mission and primary activity is to conduct activities to improve patient safety and the...

  9. Measurable improvement in patient safety culture: A departmental experience with incident learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kusano, Aaron S; Nyflot, Matthew J; Zeng, Jing; Sponseller, Patricia A; Ermoian, Ralph; Jordan, Loucille; Carlson, Joshua; Novak, Avrey; Kane, Gabrielle; Ford, Eric C

    2015-01-01

    Rigorous use of departmental incident learning is integral to improving patient safety and quality of care. The goal of this study was to quantify the impact of a high-volume, departmental incident learning system on patient safety culture. A prospective, voluntary, electronic incident learning system was implemented in February 2012 with the intent of tracking near-miss/no-harm incidents. All incident reports were reviewed weekly by a multiprofessional team with regular department-wide feedback. Patient safety culture was measured at baseline with validated patient safety culture survey questions. A repeat survey was conducted after 1 and 2 years of departmental incident learning. Proportional changes were compared by χ(2) or Fisher exact test, where appropriate. Between 2012 and 2014, a total of 1897 error/near-miss incidents were reported, representing an average of 1 near-miss report per patient treated. Reports were filed by a cross section of staff, with the majority of incidents reported by therapists, dosimetrists, and physicists. Survey response rates at baseline and 1 and 2 years were 78%, 80%, and 80%, respectively. Statistically significant and sustained improvements were noted in several safety metrics, including belief that the department was openly discussing ways to improve safety, the sense that reports were being used for safety improvement, and the sense that changes were being evaluated for effectiveness. None of the surveyed dimensions of patient safety culture worsened. Fewer punitive concerns were noted, with statistically significant decreases in the worry of embarrassment in front of colleagues and fear of getting colleagues in trouble. A comprehensive incident learning system can identify many areas for improvement and is associated with significant and sustained improvements in patient safety culture. These data provide valuable guidance as incident learning systems become more widely used in radiation oncology. Copyright © 2015

  10. Five Topics Health Care Simulation Can Address to Improve Patient Safety

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sollid, Stephen J M; Dieckman, Peter; Aase, Karina

    2017-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: There is little knowledge about which elements of health care simulation are most effective in improving patient safety. When empirical evidence is lacking, a consensus statement can help define priorities in, for example, education and research. A consensus process was therefore...... initiated to define priorities in health care simulation that contribute the most to improve patient safety.  METHODS: An international group of experts took part in a 4-stage consensus process based on a modified nominal group technique. Stages 1 to 3 were based on electronic communication; stage 4 was a 2......-day consensus meeting at the Utstein Abbey in Norway. The goals of stage 4 were to agree on the top 5 topics in health care simulation that contribute the most to patient safety, identify the patient safety problems they relate to, and suggest solutions with implementation strategies...

  11. Hospital nurses' working conditions in relation to motivation and patient safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toode, Kristi; Routasalo, Pirkko; Helminen, Mika; Suominen, Tarja

    2015-03-01

    There is a lack of empirical knowledge about nurses' perceptions of their workplace characteristics and conditions, such as level of autonomy and decision authority, work climate, teamwork, skill exploitation and learning opportunities, and their work motivation in relation to practice outputs such as patient safety. Such knowledge is needed particularly in countries, such as Estonia, where hospital systems for preventing errors and improving patient safety are in the early stages of development. This article reports the findings from a cross-sectional survey of hospital nurses in Estonia that was aimed at determining their perceptions of workplace characteristics, working conditions, work motivation and patient safety, and at exploring the relationship between these. Results suggest that perceptions of personal control over their work can affect nurses' motivation, and that perceptions of work satisfaction might be relevant to patient safety improvement work.

  12. Studying Patient Safety Culture from the Viewpoint of Nurse in educational hospitals Ilam City

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Milad Borji

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Patient safety culture is the first necessary step to reduce medical errors and improve patient's condition. In this context, this article aims at studying the condition of patient safety culture in hospitals in Elam in 2016. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 150 nurses in Ilam were randomly selected. The Culture Hospital Survey on Patient Safety (HSOPSC was used and its reliability and validity had been confirmed by the previous studies. The data were analyzed by SPSS17. Results: The results showed that the nurses' safety was at positive(62.37± 8.70 and there could be found no significant difference in patient safety among the studied hospitals in this article (P<.05. Extra-organizational teamwork and non-punitive response, among the aspects of patient safety, had the lowest means and organizational learning and general understanding had the highest. Conclusion: Considering the importance of patient safety, the interventions need to be performed in order to improve the patient safety condition among nurses, especially in two aspects of extra-organizational teamwork and non-punitive response that had the lowest means.

  13. Field Test of the World Health Organization Multi-Professional Patient Safety Curriculum Guide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farley, Donna; Zheng, Hao; Rousi, Eirini; Leotsakos, Agnès

    2015-01-01

    Introduction Although the importance of training in patient safety has been acknowledged for over a decade, it remains under-utilized and under-valued in most countries. WHO developed the Multi-professional Patient Safety Curriculum Guide to provide schools with the requirements and tools for incorporating patient safety in education. It was field tested with 12 participating schools across the six WHO regions, to assess its effectiveness for teaching patient safety to undergraduate and graduate students in a global variety of settings. Methods The evaluation used a combined prospective/retrospective design to generate formative information on the experiences of working with the Guide and summative information on the impacts of the Guide. Using stakeholder interviews and student surveys, data were gathered from each participating school at three times: the start of the field test (baseline), soon after each school started teaching, and soon after each school finished teaching. Results Stakeholders interviewed were strongly positive about the Guide, noting that it emphasized universally important patient safety topics, was culturally appropriate for their countries, and gave credibility and created a focus on patient safety at their schools. Student perceptions and attitudes regarding patient safety improved substantially during the field test, and their knowledge of the topics they were taught doubled, from 10.7% to 20.8% of correct answers on the student survey. Discussion This evaluation documented the effectiveness of the Curriculum Guide, for both ease of use by schools and its impacts on improving the patient safety knowledge of healthcare students. WHO should be well positioned to refine the contents of the Guide and move forward in encouraging broader use of the Guide globally for teaching patient safety. PMID:26406893

  14. Field Test of the World Health Organization Multi-Professional Patient Safety Curriculum Guide.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farley, Donna; Zheng, Hao; Rousi, Eirini; Leotsakos, Agnès

    2015-01-01

    Although the importance of training in patient safety has been acknowledged for over a decade, it remains under-utilized and under-valued in most countries. WHO developed the Multi-professional Patient Safety Curriculum Guide to provide schools with the requirements and tools for incorporating patient safety in education. It was field tested with 12 participating schools across the six WHO regions, to assess its effectiveness for teaching patient safety to undergraduate and graduate students in a global variety of settings. The evaluation used a combined prospective/retrospective design to generate formative information on the experiences of working with the Guide and summative information on the impacts of the Guide. Using stakeholder interviews and student surveys, data were gathered from each participating school at three times: the start of the field test (baseline), soon after each school started teaching, and soon after each school finished teaching. Stakeholders interviewed were strongly positive about the Guide, noting that it emphasized universally important patient safety topics, was culturally appropriate for their countries, and gave credibility and created a focus on patient safety at their schools. Student perceptions and attitudes regarding patient safety improved substantially during the field test, and their knowledge of the topics they were taught doubled, from 10.7% to 20.8% of correct answers on the student survey. This evaluation documented the effectiveness of the Curriculum Guide, for both ease of use by schools and its impacts on improving the patient safety knowledge of healthcare students. WHO should be well positioned to refine the contents of the Guide and move forward in encouraging broader use of the Guide globally for teaching patient safety.

  15. Work stress and patient safety: observer-rated work stressors as predictors of characteristics of safety-related events reported by young nurses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elfering, A; Semmer, N K; Grebner, S

    This study investigates the link between workplace stress and the 'non-singularity' of patient safety-related incidents in the hospital setting. Over a period of 2 working weeks 23 young nurses from 19 hospitals in Switzerland documented 314 daily stressful events using a self-observation method (pocket diaries); 62 events were related to patient safety. Familiarity of safety-related events and probability of recurrence, as indicators of non-singularity, were the dependent variables in multilevel regression analyses. Predictor variables were both situational (self-reported situational control, safety compliance) and chronic variables (job stressors such as time pressure, or concentration demands and job control). Chronic work characteristics were rated by trained observers. The most frequent safety-related stressful events included incomplete or incorrect documentation (40.3%), medication errors (near misses 21%), delays in delivery of patient care (9.7%), and violent patients (9.7%). Familiarity of events and probability of recurrence were significantly predicted by chronic job stressors and low job control in multilevel regression analyses. Job stressors and low job control were shown to be risk factors for patient safety. The results suggest that job redesign to enhance job control and decrease job stressors may be an important intervention to increase patient safety.

  16. Multimorbidity and Patient Safety Incidents in Primary Care: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Panagioti, Maria; Stokes, Jonathan; Esmail, Aneez; Coventry, Peter; Cheraghi-Sohi, Sudeh; Alam, Rahul; Bower, Peter

    2015-01-01

    Background Multimorbidity is increasingly prevalent and represents a major challenge in primary care. Patients with multimorbidity are potentially more likely to experience safety incidents due to the complexity of their needs and frequency of their interactions with health services. However, rigorous syntheses of the link between patient safety incidents and multimorbidity are not available. This review examined the relationship between multimorbidity and patient safety incidents in primary care. Methods We followed our published protocol (PROSPERO registration number: CRD42014007434). Medline, Embase and CINAHL were searched up to May 2015. Study design and quality were assessed. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated for the associations between multimorbidity and two categories of patient safety outcomes: ‘active patient safety incidents’ (such as adverse drug events and medical complications) and ‘precursors of safety incidents’ (such as prescription errors, medication non-adherence, poor quality of care and diagnostic errors). Meta-analyses using random effects models were undertaken. Results Eighty six relevant comparisons from 75 studies were included in the analysis. Meta-analysis demonstrated that physical-mental multimorbidity was associated with an increased risk for ‘active patient safety incidents’ (OR = 2.39, 95% CI = 1.40 to 3.38) and ‘precursors of safety incidents’ (OR = 1.69, 95% CI = 1.36 to 2.03). Physical multimorbidity was associated with an increased risk for active safety incidents (OR = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.45 to 1.80) but was not associated with precursors of safety incidents (OR = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.90 to 1.13). Statistical heterogeneity was high and the methodological quality of the studies was generally low. Conclusions The association between multimorbidity and patient safety is complex, and varies by type of multimorbidity and type of safety incident. Our analyses suggest that multimorbidity

  17. Structural empowerment and patient safety culture among registered nurses working in adult critical care units.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armellino, Donna; Quinn Griffin, Mary T; Fitzpatrick, Joyce J

    2010-10-01

    The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between structural empowerment and patient safety culture among staff level Registered Nurses (RNs) within adult critical care units (ACCU). There is literature to support the value of RNs' structurally empowered work environments and emerging literature towards patient safety culture; the link between empowerment and patient safety culture is being discovered. A sample of 257 RNs, working within adult critical care of a tertiary hospital in the United States, was surveyed. Instruments included a background data sheet, the Conditions of Workplace Effectiveness and the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture. Structural empowerment and patient safety culture were significantly correlated. As structural empowerment increased so did the RNs' perception of patient safety culture. To foster patient safety culture, nurse leaders should consider providing structurally empowering work environments for RNs. This study contributes to the body of knowledge linking structural empowerment and patient safety culture. Results link structurally empowered RNs and increased patient safety culture, essential elements in delivering efficient, competent, quality care. They inform nursing management of key factors in the nurses' environment that promote safe patient care environments. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  18. Patients' and families' perspectives of patient safety at the end of life: a video-reflexive ethnography study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collier, Aileen; Sorensen, Ros; Iedema, Rick

    2016-02-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate patients' and families' perspectives of safety and quality in the setting of a life-limiting illness. Data reported here were generated from a qualitative study using video-reflexive ethnographic methodology. Data were collected over 18 months and generated through participant observation, shadowing of clinicians, field-interviews and semi-structured interviews with patients and families. The study was conducted at two hospital sites in Sydney, Australia and in patients' homes. Patients with an advanced life-limiting illness (n = 29) ranging in age between 27 and 89 years and family members (n = 5) participated in the study. Patient safety remains important to dying patients and families. For dying people, iatrogenic harm is not regarded as 'one off' incidents. Rather, harm is experienced as a result of an unfolding series of negative events. Critically, iatrogenic harm is emotional, social and spiritual and not solely technical-clinical misadventure and is inextricably linked with feeling unsafe. Thus, patient safety extends beyond narrowly defined technical-clinical parameters to include interpersonal safety. Current approaches to patient safety do not address fully the needs of dying patients and their families. Patients and their families regard poor communication with and by health professionals to be harmful in and of itself. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care; all rights reserved.

  19. Cardiovascular safety of vildagliptin in patients with type 2 diabetes: A European multi-database, non-interventional post-authorization safety study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Rachael; de Vries, Frank; Kothny, Wolfgang; Serban, Carmen; Lopez-Leon, Sandra; Chu, Changan; Schlienger, Raymond

    2017-10-01

    The aim of this non-interventional, multi-database, analytical cohort study was to assess the cardiovascular (CV) safety of vildagliptin vs other non-insulin antidiabetic drugs (NIADs) using real-world data from 5 European electronic healthcare databases. Patients with type 2 diabetes aged ≥18 years on NIAD treatment were enrolled. Adjusted incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the outcomes of interest (myocardial infarction [MI], acute coronary syndrome [ACS], stroke, congestive heart failure [CHF], individually and as a composite) were estimated using negative binomial regression. Approximately 2.8% of the enrolled patients (n = 738 054) used vildagliptin at any time during the study, with an average follow-up time of 1.4 years, resulting in a cumulative current vildagliptin exposure of 28 330 person-years. The adjusted IRRs (vildagliptin [±other NIADs] vs other NIADs) were in the range of 0.61 to 0.97 (MI), 0.55 to 1.60 (ACS), 0.02 to 0.77 (stroke), 0.49 to 1.03 (CHF), and 0.22 to 1.02 (composite CV outcomes). The IRRs and their 95% CIs were close to 1, demonstrating no increased risk of adverse CV events, including the risk of CHF, with vildagliptin vs other NIADs in real-world conditions. © 2017 Crown copyright. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  20. Why is patient safety so hard? A selective review of ethnographic studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dixon-Woods, Mary

    2010-01-01

    Ethnographic studies are valuable in studying patient safety. This is a narrative review of four reports of ethnographic studies of patient safety in UK hospitals conducted as part of the Patient Safety Research Programme. Three of these studies were undertaken in operating theatres and one in an A&E Department. The studies found that hospitals were rarely geared towards ensuring perfect performances. The coordination and mobilization of the large number of inter-dependent processes and resources needed to support the achievement of tasks was rarely optimal. This produced significant strain that staff learned to tolerate by developing various compensatory strategies. Teamwork and inter-professional communication did not always function sufficiently well to ensure that basic procedural information was shared or that the required sequence of events was planned. Staff did not always do the right things, for a wide range of different reasons, including contestations about what counted as the right thing. Structures of authority and accountability were not always clear or well-functioning. Patient safety incidents were usually not reported, though there were many different reasons for this. It can be concluded that securing patient safety is hard. There are multiple interacting influences on safety, and solutions need to be based on a sound understanding of the nature of the problems and which approaches are likely to be best suited to resolving them. Some solutions that appear attractive and straightforward are likely to founder. Addressing safety problems requires acknowledgement that patient safety is not simply a technical issue, but a site of organizational and professional politics.

  1. Taking up national safety alerts to improve patient safety in hospitals: The perspective of healthcare quality and risk managers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pfeiffer, Yvonne; Schwappach, David

    2016-01-01

    National safety alert systems publish relevant information to improve patient safety in hospitals. However, the information has to be transformed into local action to have an effect on patient safety. We studied three research questions: How do Swiss healthcare quality and risk managers (qm/rm(1)) see their own role in learning from safety alerts issued by the Swiss national voluntary reporting and analysis system? What are their attitudes towards and evaluations of the alerts, and which types of improvement actions were fostered by the safety alerts? A survey was developed and applied to Swiss healthcare risk and quality managers, with a response rate of 39 % (n=116). Descriptive statistics are presented. The qm/rm disseminate and communicate with a broad variety of professional groups about the alerts. While most respondents felt that they should know the alerts and their contents, only a part of them felt responsible for driving organizational change based on the recommendations. However, most respondents used safety alerts to back up their own patient safety goals. The alerts were evaluated positively on various dimensions such as usefulness and were considered as standards of good practice by the majority of the respondents. A range of organizational responses was applied, with disseminating information being the most common. An active role is related to using safety alerts for backing up own patient safety goals. To support an active role of qm/rm in their hospital's learning from safety alerts, appropriate organizational structures should be developed. Furthermore, they could be given special information or training to act as an information hub on the issues discussed in the alerts. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

  2. 76 FR 67456 - Common Formats for Patient Safety Data Collection and Event Reporting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-11-01

    ... information regarding the quality and safety of health care delivery. The Patient Safety Act (at 42 U.S.C... Formats in order to facilitate standardized data collection and improve the safety and quality of health... conjunction with an interagency Federal Patient Safety Work Group (PSWG), revises and refines the Common...

  3. Evaluation of patient safety culture among Malaysian retail pharmacists: results of a self-reported survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sivanandy P

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Palanisamy Sivanandy,1 Mari Kannan Maharajan,1 Kingston Rajiah,1 Tan Tyng Wei,2 Tan Wee Loon,2 Lim Chong Yee2 1Department of Pharmacy Practice, School of Pharmacy, 2School of Pharmacy, International Medical University, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Background: Patient safety is a major public health issue, and the knowledge, skills, and experience of health professionals are very much essential for improving patient safety. Patient safety and medication error are very much associated. Pharmacists play a significant role in patient safety. The function of pharmacists in the medication use process is very different from medical and nursing colleagues. Medication dispensing accuracy is a vital element to ensure the safety and quality of medication use.Objective: To evaluate the attitude and perception of the pharmacist toward patient safety in retail pharmacies setup in Malaysia.Methods: A Pharmacy Survey on Patient Safety Culture questionnaire was used to assess patient safety culture, developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the convenience sampling method was adopted.Results: The overall positive response rate ranged from 31.20% to 87.43%, and the average positive response rate was found to be 67%. Among all the eleven domains pertaining to patient safety culture, the scores of “staff training and skills” were less. Communication openness, and patient counseling are common, but not practiced regularly in the Malaysian retail pharmacy setup compared with those in USA. The overall perception of patient safety of an acceptable level in the current retail pharmacy setup.Conclusion: The study revealed that staff training, skills, communication in patient counseling, and communication across shifts and about mistakes are less in current retail pharmacy setup. The overall perception of patient safety should be improved by educating the pharmacists about the significance and essential of patient safety. Keywords

  4. Identifying research priorities for patient safety in mental health: an international expert Delphi study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murray, Kevin; Thibaut, Bethan; Ramtale, Sonny Christian; Adam, Sheila; Darzi, Ara; Archer, Stephanie

    2018-01-01

    Objective Physical healthcare has dominated the patient safety field; research in mental healthcare is not as extensive but findings from physical healthcare cannot be applied to mental healthcare because it delivers specialised care that faces unique challenges. Therefore, a clearer focus and recognition of patient safety in mental health as a distinct research area is still needed. The study aim is to identify future research priorities in the field of patient safety in mental health. Design Semistructured interviews were conducted with the experts to ascertain their views on research priorities in patient safety in mental health. A three-round online Delphi study was used to ascertain consensus on 117 research priority statements. Setting and participants Academic and service user experts from the USA, UK, Switzerland, Netherlands, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore were included. Main outcome measures Agreement in research priorities on a five-point scale. Results Seventy-nine statements achieved consensus (>70%). Three out of the top six research priorities were patient driven; experts agreed that understanding the patient perspective on safety planning, on self-harm and on medication was important. Conclusions This is the first international Delphi study to identify research priorities in safety in the mental field as determined by expert academic and service user perspectives. A reasonable consensus was obtained from international perspectives on future research priorities in patient safety in mental health; however, the patient perspective on their mental healthcare is a priority. The research agenda for patient safety in mental health identified here should be informed by patient safety science more broadly and used to further establish this area as a priority in its own right. The safety of mental health patients must have parity with that of physical health patients to achieve this. PMID:29502096

  5. Patient safety in surgical environments: Cross-countries comparison of psychometric properties and results of the Norwegian version of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nortvedt Monica W

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background How hospital health care personnel perceive safety climate has been assessed in several countries by using the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety (HSOPS. Few studies have examined safety climate factors in surgical departments per se. This study examined the psychometric properties of a Norwegian translation of the HSOPS and also compared safety climate factors from a surgical setting to hospitals in the United States, the Netherlands and Norway. Methods This survey included 575 surgical personnel in Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, an 1100-bed tertiary hospital in western Norway: surgeons, operating theatre nurses, anaesthesiologists, nurse anaesthetists and ancillary personnel. Of these, 358 returned the HSOPS, resulting in a 62% response rate. We used factor analysis to examine the applicability of the HSOPS factor structure in operating theatre settings. We also performed psychometric analysis for internal consistency and construct validity. In addition, we compared the percent of average positive responds of the patient safety climate factors with results of the US HSOPS 2010 comparative data base report. Results The professions differed in their perception of patient safety climate, with anaesthesia personnel having the highest mean scores. Factor analysis using the original 12-factor model of the HSOPS resulted in low reliability scores (r = 0.6 for two factors: "adequate staffing" and "organizational learning and continuous improvement". For the remaining factors, reliability was ≥ 0.7. Reliability scores improved to r = 0.8 by combining the factors "organizational learning and continuous improvement" and "feedback and communication about error" into one six-item factor, supporting an 11-factor model. The inter-item correlations were found satisfactory. Conclusions The psychometric properties of the questionnaire need further investigations to be regarded as reliable in surgical environments. The operating

  6. Enhancing Safety of Artificially Ventilated Patients Using Ambient Process Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lins, Christian; Gerka, Alexander; Lüpkes, Christian; Röhrig, Rainer; Hein, Andreas

    2018-01-01

    In this paper, we present an approach for enhancing the safety of artificially ventilated patients using ambient process analysis. We propose to use an analysis system consisting of low-cost ambient sensors such as power sensor, RGB-D sensor, passage detector, and matrix infrared temperature sensor to reduce risks for artificially ventilated patients in both home and clinical environments. We describe the system concept and our implementation and show how the system can contribute to patient safety.

  7. The culture of patient safety from the perspective of the pediatric emergency nursing team

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Taise Rocha Macedo

    Full Text Available Abstract OBJECTIVE To identify the patient safety culture in pediatric emergencies from the perspective of the nursing team. METHOD A quantitative, cross-sectional survey research study with a sample composed of 75 professionals of the nursing team. Data was collected between September and November 2014 in three Pediatric Emergency units by applying the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture instrument. Data were submitted to descriptive analysis. RESULTS Strong areas for patient safety were not found, with areas identified having potential being: Expectations and actions from supervisors/management to promote patient safety and teamwork. Areas identified as critical were: Non-punitive response to error and support from hospital management for patient safety. The study found a gap between the safety culture and pediatric emergencies, but it found possibilities of transformation that will contribute to the safety of pediatric patients. CONCLUSION Nursing professionals need to become protagonists in the process of replacing the current paradigm for a culture focused on safety. The replication of this study in other institutions is suggested in order to improve the current health care scenario.

  8. A framework for the development of patient safety education and training guidelines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zikos, Dimitrios; Diomidous, Marianna; Mantas, John

    2010-01-01

    Patient Safety (PS) is a major concern that involves a wide range of roles in healthcare, including those who are directly and indirectly involved, and patients as well. In order to succeed into developing a safety culture among healthcare providers, carers and patients, there should be given great attention into building appropriate education and training tools, especially addressing those who plan patient safety activities. The framework described in this policy paper is based on the results of the European Network for Patient Safety (EUNetPaS) project and analyses the principles and elements of the guidance that should be provided to those who design and implement Patient Safety Education and training activities. The main principles that it should be based on and the core teaching objectives-expected outcomes are addressed. Once the main context and considerations are properly set, the guidance should define the general schema of the content that should be included in the Education and Training activities, as well as how these activities would be delivered. It is also important that the different roles of the recipients are clearly distinguished and linked to their role-specific methods, proper delivery platforms and success stories. Setting these principles into practice when planning and implementing interventions, primarily aims to enlighten and support those who are enrolled to design and implement Patient Safety education and training teaching activities. This is achieved by providing them with a framework to build upon, succeeding to build a collaborative, safety conscious and competent environment, in terms of PS. A guidelines web platform has been developed to support this process.

  9. Patient Safety Communication Among Differently Educated Nurses: Converging and Diverging Meaning Systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anbari, Allison Brandt; Vogelsmeier, Amy; Dougherty, Debbie S

    2017-12-01

    Studies that suggest an increased number of bachelor's prepared nurses (BSNs) at the bedside improves patient safety do not stratify their samples into traditional bachelor's and associates (ADN) to BSN graduates. This qualitative study investigated potential differences in patient safety meaning among BSNs and ADN to BSN graduates. Guided by the theory of Language Convergence/Meaning Divergence, interview data from eight BSN and eight ADN to BSN graduates were analyzed. Findings indicate there are two meaning levels or systems, the local level and the systemic level. At the local level, the meaning of patient safety is focused at the patient's bedside and regulated by the nurse. The systemic level included the notion that health system factors such as policies and staffing are paramount to keeping patients safe. More frequently, ADN to BSN graduates' meaning of patient safety was at the local level, while BSNs' meaning centered at the systemic level.

  10. Patient safety priorities in mental healthcare in Switzerland: a modified Delphi study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mascherek, Anna C; Schwappach, David L B

    2016-08-05

    Identifying patient safety priorities in mental healthcare is an emerging issue. A variety of aspects of patient safety in medical care apply for patient safety in mental care as well. However, specific aspects may be different as a consequence of special characteristics of patients, setting and treatment. The aim of the present study was to combine knowledge from the field and research and bundle existing initiatives and projects to define patient safety priorities in mental healthcare in Switzerland. The present study draws on national expert panels, namely, round-table discussion and modified Delphi consensus method. As preparation for the modified Delphi questionnaire, two round-table discussions and one semistructured questionnaire were conducted. Preparative work was conducted between May 2015 and October 2015. The modified Delphi was conducted to gauge experts' opinion on priorities in patient safety in mental healthcare in Switzerland. In two independent rating rounds, experts made private ratings. The modified Delphi was conducted in winter 2015. Nine topics were defined along the treatment pathway: diagnostic errors, non-drug treatment errors, medication errors, errors related to coercive measures, errors related to aggression management against self and others, errors in treatment of suicidal patients, communication errors, errors at interfaces of care and structural errors. Patient safety is considered as an important topic of quality in mental healthcare among experts, but it has been seriously neglected up until now. Activities in research and in practice are needed. Structural errors and diagnostics were given highest priority. From the topics identified, some are overlapping with important aspects of patient safety in medical care; however, some core aspects are unique. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

  11. Effects of abiotic stress and crop management on cereal grain composition: implications for food quality and safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halford, Nigel G; Curtis, Tanya Y; Chen, Zhiwei; Huang, Jianhua

    2015-03-01

    The effects of abiotic stresses and crop management on cereal grain composition are reviewed, focusing on phytochemicals, vitamins, fibre, protein, free amino acids, sugars, and oils. These effects are discussed in the context of nutritional and processing quality and the potential for formation of processing contaminants, such as acrylamide, furan, hydroxymethylfurfuryl, and trans fatty acids. The implications of climate change for cereal grain quality and food safety are considered. It is concluded that the identification of specific environmental stresses that affect grain composition in ways that have implications for food quality and safety and how these stresses interact with genetic factors and will be affected by climate change needs more investigation. Plant researchers and breeders are encouraged to address the issue of processing contaminants or risk appearing out of touch with major end-users in the food industry, and not to overlook the effects of environmental stresses and crop management on crop composition, quality, and safety as they strive to increase yield. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  12. Studying the Relationship between Individual and Organizational Factors and Nurses' Perception of Patient Safety Culture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Farahnaz Abdolahzadeh

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Safety culture is considered as an important factor in improving patient safety. Therefore, identifying individual and organizational factors affecting safety culture is crucial. This study was carried out to determine individual and organizational factors associated with nurses' perception of patient safety culture. Methods: The present descriptive study included 940 nurses working in four training hospitals affiliated with Urmia University of Medical Sciences (Iran. Data was collected through the self-report questionnaire of patient safety culture. Descriptive (number, percent, mean, and standard deviation and inferential (t-test and analysis of variance statistics were used to analyze the data in SPSS. Results: Nurses' perception of patient safety culture was significantly correlated with marital status, workplace, and overtime hours. Conclusion: The results of this study revealed that some individual and organizational factors can impact on nurses' perception of patient safety culture. Nursing authorities should thus pay more attention to factors which promote patient safety culture and ultimately the safety of provided services.

  13. [Patient safety culture in family and community medicine residents in Aragon].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodríguez-Cogollo, R; Paredes-Alvarado, I R; Galicia-Flores, T; Barrasa-Villar, J I; Castán-Ruiz, S

    2014-01-01

    having an appropriate patient safety culture is the first recommendation to improve it. The aim of this article is to determine the safety culture in family medicine residents and then to identify improvement strategies. an online cross-sectional survey of residents in family medicine teaching units of Aragon using the translated, validated and adapted to Spanish, Medical Office Survey on Patient Safety Culture (MOSPS) questionnaire. The results were grouped in 12-dimensional responses for analysis, and the mean value of each dimension was calculated. Perceptions were described by Percentages of Positive (PRP) and Negative Responses (PRN) to each dimension. positive results were seen in «the Patient Care Tracking/Follow-up». There were significant differences in the «Information Exchange With Other Settings», «Staff Training» and «Overall Perceptions of Patient Safety and Quality». Study participants viewed «Work Pressure and Pace» negatively. the institutions providing health services, as well as their staff, are increasingly aware of the importance of improving Patient Safety, and the results of this study allowed us to present information that helps identify weaknesses, and to design initiatives and strategies to improve care practices. Copyright © 2013 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  14. Patient involvement in blood transfusion safety: patients' and healthcare professionals' perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, R; Murphy, M F; Sud, A; Noel, S; Moss, R; Asgheddi, M; Abdur-Rahman, I; Vincent, C

    2012-08-01

    Blood transfusion is one of the major areas where serious clinical consequences, even death, related to patient misidentification can occur. In the UK, healthcare professional compliance with pre-transfusion checking procedures which help to prevent misidentification errors is poor. Involving patients at a number of stages in the transfusion pathway could help prevent the occurrence of these incidents. To investigate patients' willingness to be involved and healthcare professionals' willingness to support patient involvement in pre-transfusion checking behaviours. A cross-sectional design was employed assessing willingness to participate in pre-transfusion checking behaviours (patient survey) and willingness to support patient involvement (healthcare professional survey) on a scale of 1-7. One hundred and ten patients who had received a transfusion aged between 18 and 93 (60 male) and 123 healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses and midwives) involved in giving blood transfusions to patients. Mean scores for patients' willingness to participate in safety-relevant transfusion behaviours and healthcare professionals' willingness to support patient involvement ranged from 4.96-6.27 to 4.53-6.66, respectively. Both groups perceived it most acceptable for patients to help prevent errors or omissions relating to their hospital identification wristband. Neither prior experience of receiving a blood transfusion nor professional role of healthcare staff had an effect on attitudes towards patient participation. Overall, both patients and healthcare professionals view patient involvement in transfusion-related behaviours quite favourably and appear in agreement regarding the behaviours patients should adopt an active role in. Further work is needed to determine the effectiveness of this approach to improve transfusion safety. © 2012 The Authors. Transfusion Medicine © 2012 British Blood Transfusion Society.

  15. The Patient's Voice in Pharmacovigilance: Pragmatic Approaches to Building a Patient-Centric Drug Safety Organization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Meredith Y; Benattia, Isma

    2016-09-01

    Patient-centeredness has become an acknowledged hallmark of not only high-quality health care but also high-quality drug development. Biopharmaceutical companies are actively seeking to be more patient-centric in drug research and development by involving patients in identifying target disease conditions, participating in the design of, and recruitment for, clinical trials, and disseminating study results. Drug safety departments within the biopharmaceutical industry are at a similar inflection point. Rising rates of per capita prescription drug use underscore the importance of having robust pharmacovigilance systems in place to detect and assess adverse drug reactions (ADRs). At the same time, the practice of pharmacovigilance is being transformed by a host of recent regulatory guidances and related initiatives which emphasize the importance of the patient's perspective in drug safety. Collectively, these initiatives impact the full range of activities that fall within the remit of pharmacovigilance, including ADR reporting, signal detection and evaluation, risk management, medication error assessment, benefit-risk assessment and risk communication. Examples include the fact that manufacturing authorization holders are now expected to monitor all digital sources under their control for potential reports of ADRs, and the emergence of new methods for collecting, analysing and reporting patient-generated ADR reports for signal detection and evaluation purposes. A drug safety department's ability to transition successfully into a more patient-centric organization will depend on three defining attributes: (1) a patient-centered culture; (2) deployment of a framework to guide patient engagement activities; and (3) demonstrated proficiency in patient-centered competencies, including patient engagement, risk communication and patient preference assessment. Whether, and to what extent, drug safety departments embrace the new patient-centric imperative, and the methods and

  16. Patient Safety Culture and the Second Victim Phenomenon: Connecting Culture to Staff Distress in Nurses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quillivan, Rebecca R.; Burlison, Jonathan D.; Browne, Emily K.; Scott, Susan D.; Hoffman, James M.

    2017-01-01

    Background Second victim experiences can affect the well-being of healthcare providers and compromise patient safety. Many factors associated with improved coping afer patient safety event involvement are also components of a strong patient safety culture, so that supportive patient safety cultures may reduce second victim–related trauma. A cross-sectional survey study was conducted to assess the influence of patient safety culture on second victim–related distress, in which associations among patient safety culture dimensions, organizational support, and second victim distress were investigated. Methods The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC) and the Second Victim Experience and Support Tool (SVEST), which was developed to assess organizational support and personal and professional distress after involvement in a patient safety event, were administered to nurses involved in direct patient care. Results Of 358 nurses, 155 (41%) responded, of whom 144 completed both surveys. Hierarchical linear regression demonstrated that the patient safety culture survey dimension nonpunitive response to errors was significantly associated with reductions in the second victim survey dimensions psychological, physical, and professional distress (p patient safety event by encouraging supportive interactions. Also, perceptions of second victim–related distress may be less severe when hospital cultures are characterized by nonpunitive response to errors. Reducing punitive response to error and encouraging supportive coworker, supervisor, and institutional interactions may be useful strategies to manage the severity of second victim experiences. PMID:27456420

  17. Patient Safety in Spine Surgery: Regarding the Wrong-Site Surgery

    OpenAIRE

    Lee, Seung-Hwan; Kim, Ji-Sup; Jeong, Yoo-Chul; Kwak, Dae-Kyung; Chun, Ja-Hae; Lee, Hwan-Mo

    2013-01-01

    Patient safety regarding wrong site surgery has been one of the priority issues in surgical fields including that of spine care. Since the wrong-side surgery in the DM foot patient was reported on a public mass media in 1996, the wrong-site surgery issue has attracted wide public interest as regarding patient safety. Despite the many wrong-site surgery prevention campaigns in spine care such as the operate through your initial program by the Canadian Orthopaedic Association, the sign your sit...

  18. Randomized, Controlled, Multi-center Trial: Comparing the Safety and Efficacy of DA-9701 and Itopride Hydrochloride in Patients With Functional Dyspepsia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Myung-Gyu; Rhee, Poong-Lyul; Park, Hyojin; Lee, Oh Young; Lee, Kwang Jae; Choi, Suck Chei; Seol, Sang Young; Chun, Hoon Jai; Rew, Jong-Sun; Lee, Dong Ho; Song, Geun Am; Jung, Hwoon Yong; Jeong, Hyung Yong; Sung, In Kyung; Lee, Joon Seong; Lee, Soo Teik; Kim, Sung Kook; Shin, Yong Woon

    2015-07-30

    Therapies of functional dyspepsia (FD) are limited. DA-9701 is a novel prokinetic agent formulated with Pharbitis semen and Corydalis Tuber. We aimed to assess the efficacy of DA-9701 compared with itopride in FD patients. Patients with FD randomly received either itopride 50 mg or DA-9701 30 mg t.i.d after a 2-week baseline period. After 4 weeks of treatment, 2 primary efficacy endpoints were analyzed: the change from baseline in composite score of the 8 dyspep-tic symptoms and the overall treatment effect. Impact on patients' quality of life was assessed using the Nepean Dyspepsia Index (NDI) questionnaire. We randomly assigned 464 patients with 455 having outcome data. The difference of the composite score change of the 8 symptoms between the 2 groups was 0.62, indicating that DA-9701 was not inferior to itopride. The overall treatment effect response rate was not different between the groups. When responder was defined as ≥ 5 of the 7 Likert scale, responder rates were 37% of DA-9701 and 36% of itopride group. Patients receiving DA-9701 experienced similar mean percentage of days with adequate relief during the 4-week treatment period compared with those receiving itopride (56.8% vs 59.1%). Both drugs increased the NDI score of 5 domains without any difference in change of the NDI score between the groups. The safety profile of both drugs was comparable. DA-9701 significantly improves symptoms in patients with FD. DA-9701 showed non-inferior efficacy to itopride with com-parable safety.

  19. Closed medical negligence claims can drive patient safety and reduce litigation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pegalis, Steven E; Bal, B Sonny

    2012-05-01

    Medical liability reform is viewed by many physician groups as a means of reducing medical malpractice litigation and lowering healthcare costs. However, alternative approaches such as closed medical negligence claims data may also achieve these goals. We asked whether information gleaned from closed claims related to medical negligence could promote patient safety and reduce costs related to medical liability. Specifically, we investigated whether physician groups have examined such data to identify error patterns and to then institute specific patient treatment protocols. We searched for medical societies that have systematically examined closed medical negligence claims in their specialty to develop specific standards of physician conduct. We then searched the medical literature for published evidence of the efficacy, if any, related to the patient safety measures thus developed. Anesthesia and obstetric physician societies have successfully targeted costs and related concerns arising from medical malpractice lawsuits by using data from closed claims to develop patient safety and treatment guidelines. In both specialties, after institution of safety measures derived from closed medical negligence claims, the incidence and costs related to medical malpractice decreased and physician satisfaction improved. Tort reform, in the form of legislatively prescribed limits on damages arising from lawsuits, is not the only means of addressing the incidence and costs related to medical malpractice litigation. As the experience of anesthesia and obstetric physicians has demonstrated, safety guidelines derived from analyzing past medical malpractice litigation can achieve the same goals while also promoting patient safety.

  20. Can patient involvement improve patient safety? A cluster randomised control trial of the Patient Reporting and Action for a Safe Environment (PRASE) intervention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lawton, Rebecca; O'Hara, Jane Kathryn; Sheard, Laura; Armitage, Gerry; Cocks, Kim; Buckley, Hannah; Corbacho, Belen; Reynolds, Caroline; Marsh, Claire; Moore, Sally; Watt, Ian; Wright, John

    2017-08-01

    To evaluate the efficacy of the Patient Reporting and Action for a Safe Environment intervention. A multicentre cluster randomised controlled trial. Clusters were 33 hospital wards within five hospitals in the UK. All patients able to give informed consent were eligible to take part. Wards were allocated to the intervention or control condition. The ward-level intervention comprised two tools: (1) a questionnaire that asked patients about factors contributing to safety (patient measure of safety (PMOS)) and (2) a proforma for patients to report both safety concerns and positive experiences (patient incident reporting tool). Feedback was considered in multidisciplinary action planning meetings. Primary outcomes were routinely collected ward-level harm-free care (HFC) scores and patient-level feedback on safety (PMOS). Intervention uptake and retention of wards was 100% and patient participation was high (86%). We found no significant effect of the intervention on any outcomes at 6 or 12 months. However, for new harms (ie, those for which the wards were directly accountable) intervention wards did show greater, though non-significant, improvement compared with control wards. Analyses also indicated that improvements were largest for wards that showed the greatest compliance with the intervention. Adherence to the intervention, particularly the implementation of action plans, was poor. Patient safety outcomes may represent too blunt a measure. Patients are willing to provide feedback about the safety of their care. However, we were unable to demonstrate any overall effect of this intervention on either measure of patient safety and therefore cannot recommend this intervention for wider uptake. Findings indicate promise for increasing HFC where wards implement ≥75% of the intervention components. ISRCTN07689702; pre-results. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  1. Brief history of patient safety culture and science.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ilan, Roy; Fowler, Robert

    2005-03-01

    The science of safety is well established in such disciplines as the automotive and aviation industry. In this brief history of safety science as it pertains to patient care, we review remote and recent publications that have guided the maturation of this field that has particular relevance to the complex structure of systems, personnel, and therapies involved in caring for the critically ill.

  2. Differences in the rates of patient safety events by payer: implications for providers and policymakers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spencer, Christine S; Roberts, Eric T; Gaskin, Darrell J

    2015-06-01

    The reduction of adverse patient safety events and the equitable treatment of patients in hospitals are clinical and policy priorities. Health services researchers have identified disparities in the quality of care provided to patients, both by demographic characteristics and insurance status. However, less is known about the extent to which disparities reflect differences in the places where patients obtain care, versus disparities in the quality of care provided to different groups of patients in the same hospital. In this study, we examine whether the rate of adverse patient safety events differs by the insurance status of patients within the same hospital. Using discharge data from hospitals in 11 states, we compared risk-adjusted rates for 13 AHRQ Patient Safety Indicators by Medicare, Medicaid, and Private payer insurance status, within the same hospitals. We used multivariate regression to assess the relationship between insurance status and rates of adverse patient safety events within hospitals. Medicare and Medicaid patients experienced significantly more adverse safety events than private pay patients for 12 and 7 Patient Safety Indicators, respectively (at P patients had significantly lower event rates than private payers on 2 Patient Safety Indicators. Risk-adjusted Patient Safety Indicator rates varied with patients' insurance within the same hospital. More research is needed to determine the cause of differences in care quality received by patients at the same hospital, especially if quality measures are to be used for payment.

  3. Patient safety risk factors in minimally invasive surgery : A validation study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rodrigues, S.P.; Ter Kuile, M.; Dankelman, J.; Jansen, F.W.

    2012-01-01

    This study was conducted to adapt and validate a patient safety (PS) framework for minimally invasive surgery (MIS) as a first step in understanding the clinical relevance of various PS risk factors in MIS. Eight patient safety risk factor domains were identified using frameworks from a systems

  4. Improving Patient Safety With the Military Electronic Health Record

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Charles, Marie-Jocelyne; Harmon, Bart J; Jordan, Pamela S

    2005-01-01

    The United States Department of Defense (DoD) has transformed health care delivery in its use of information technology to automate patient data documentation, leading to improvements in patient safety...

  5. Body Composition and Mortality Predictors in Hemodialysis Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caetano, Cristina; Valente, Ana; Oliveira, Telma; Garagarza, Cristina

    2016-03-01

    To evaluate how different compartments of body composition can affect survival in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Multicenter longitudinal observational study of a cohort of patients in HD with 12 months of follow-up. Patients from 34 Nephrocare dialysis units in Portugal were included. A total of 697 patients on maintenance HD during 4 hours 3 days per week were enrolled. Dry weight, presence of diabetes, body mass index (BMI), lean tissue index (LTI), fat tissue index (FTI), body cell mass index (BCMI), albumin and hydration status were recorded at baseline. In all patients, the assessment of body composition was carried out using the Body Composition Monitor (BCM; Fresenius Medical Care a Deutschland GmbH, Germany). Survival during a 12-month period of follow-up. Patient's mean (±standard deviation) age was 65.4 ± 14.3 years, and median (interquartile range) HD vintage was 41 (19-81) months. Patients who died during the study period, had higher age (P < .001), lower dry weight (P = .001), BMI (P < .001), albumin (P < .001), LTI (P = .015), and also lower BCMI (P = .046). Patients with diabetes (P = .045), BMI < 18.5 kg/m(2) (P < .001), albumin < 4.0 g/dL (P < .001), relative overhydration ≥ 15% (P = .001), low FTI (P = .019), and also those in the lowest tertile of BCMI (P = .022) displayed a significantly worse survival. In the Cox regression analysis, the overall mortality of patient was related to low FTI, relative overhydration, BMI < 18.5 kg/m(2), BCMI ≤ 5.2 kg/m(2), and albumin < 4.0 g/dL. Several body composition parameters demonstrated to have an important role in predicting 1-year mortality in HD patients. Albumin, FTI, and BMI were useful predictors of mortality in these patients. Copyright © 2016 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Is road safety management linked to road safety performance?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Papadimitriou, Eleonora; Yannis, George

    2013-10-01

    This research aims to explore the relationship between road safety management and road safety performance at country level. For that purpose, an appropriate theoretical framework is selected, namely the 'SUNflower' pyramid, which describes road safety management systems in terms of a five-level hierarchy: (i) structure and culture, (ii) programmes and measures, (iii) 'intermediate' outcomes'--safety performance indicators (SPIs), (iv) final outcomes--fatalities and injuries, and (v) social costs. For each layer of the pyramid, a composite indicator is implemented, on the basis of data for 30 European countries. Especially as regards road safety management indicators, these are estimated on the basis of Categorical Principal Component Analysis upon the responses of a dedicated road safety management questionnaire, jointly created and dispatched by the ETSC/PIN group and the 'DaCoTA' research project. Then, quasi-Poisson models and Beta regression models are developed for linking road safety management indicators and other indicators (i.e. background characteristics, SPIs) with road safety performance. In this context, different indicators of road safety performance are explored: mortality and fatality rates, percentage reduction in fatalities over a given period, a composite indicator of road safety final outcomes, and a composite indicator of 'intermediate' outcomes (SPIs). The results of the analyses suggest that road safety management can be described on the basis of three composite indicators: "vision and strategy", "budget, evaluation and reporting", and "measurement of road user attitudes and behaviours". Moreover, no direct statistical relationship could be established between road safety management indicators and final outcomes. However, a statistical relationship was found between road safety management and 'intermediate' outcomes, which were in turn found to affect 'final' outcomes, confirming the SUNflower approach on the consecutive effect of each layer

  7. Safe patient care - safety culture and risk management in otorhinolaryngology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    St Pierre, Michael

    2013-12-13

    Safety culture is positioned at the heart of an organization's vulnerability to error because of its role in framing organizational awareness to risk and in providing and sustaining effective strategies of risk management. Safety related attitudes of leadership and management play a crucial role in the development of a mature safety culture ("top-down process"). A type marker for organizational culture and thus a predictor for an organization's maturity in respect to safety is information flow and in particular an organization's general way of coping with information that suggests anomaly. As all values and beliefs, relationships, learning, and other aspects of organizational safety culture are about sharing and processing information, safety culture has been termed "informed culture". An informed culture is free of blame and open for information provided by incidents. "Incident reporting systems" are the backbone of a reporting culture, where good information flow is likely to support and encourage other kinds of cooperative behavior, such as problem solving, innovation, and inter-departmental bridging. Another facet of an informed culture is the free flow of information during perioperative patient care. The World Health Organization's safe surgery checklist" is the most prevalent example of a standardized information exchange aimed at preventing patient harm due to information deficit. In routine tasks mandatory standard operating procedures have gained widespread acceptance in guaranteeing the highest possible process quality. Technical and non-technical skills of healthcare professionals are the decisive human resource for an efficient and safe delivery of patient care and the avoidance of errors. The systematic enhancement of staff qualification by providing training opportunities can be a major investment in patient safety. In recent years several otorhinolaryngology departments have started to incorporate stimulation based team trainings into their

  8. [Safe patient care: safety culture and risk management in otorhinolaryngology].

    Science.gov (United States)

    St Pierre, M

    2013-04-01

    Safety culture is positioned at the heart of an organisation's vulnerability to error because of its role in framing organizational awareness to risk and in providing and sustaining effective strategies of risk management. Safety related attitudes of leadership and management play a crucial role in the development of a mature safety culture ("top-down process"). A type marker for organizational culture and thus a predictor for an organizations maturity in respect to safety is information flow and in particular an organization's general way of coping with information that suggests anomaly. As all values and beliefs, relationships, learning, and other aspects of organizational safety culture are about sharing and processing information, safety culture has been termed "informed culture". An informed culture is free of blame and open for information provided by incidents. "Incident reporting systems" are the backbone of a reporting culture, where good information flow is likely to support and encourage other kinds of cooperative behavior, such as problem solving, innovation, and inter-departmental bridging. Another facet of an informed culture is the free flow of information during perioperative patient care. The World Health Organisation's "safe surgery checklist" is the most prevalent example of a standardized information exchange aimed at preventing patient harm due to information deficit. In routine tasks mandatory standard operating procedures have gained widespread acceptance in guaranteeing the highest possible process quality.Technical and non-technical skills of healthcare professionals are the decisive human resource for an efficient and safe delivery of patient care and the avoidance of errors. The systematic enhancement of staff qualification by providing training opportunities can be a major investment in patient safety. In recent years several otorhinolaryngology departments have started to incorporate simulation based team trainings into their curriculum

  9. Keeping patients safe in healthcare organizations: a structuration theory of safety culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Groves, Patricia S; Meisenbach, Rebecca J; Scott-Cawiezell, Jill

    2011-08-01

    This paper presents a discussion of the use of structuration theory to facilitate understanding and improvement of safety culture in healthcare organizations. Patient safety in healthcare organizations is an important problem worldwide. Safety culture has been proposed as a means to keep patients safe. However, lack of appropriate theory limits understanding and improvement of safety culture. The proposed structuration theory of safety culture was based on a critique of available English-language literature, resulting in literature published from 1983 to mid-2009. CINAHL, Communication and Mass Media Complete, ABI/Inform and Google Scholar databases were searched using the following terms: nursing, safety, organizational culture and safety culture. When viewed through the lens of structuration theory, safety culture is a system involving both individual actions and organizational structures. Healthcare organization members, particularly nurses, share these values through communication and enact them in practice, (re)producing an organizational safety culture system that reciprocally constrains and enables the actions of the members in terms of patient safety. This structurational viewpoint illuminates multiple opportunities for safety culture improvement. Nurse leaders should be cognizant of competing value-based culture systems in the organization and attend to nursing agency and all forms of communication when attempting to create or strengthen a safety culture. Applying structuration theory to the concept of safety culture reveals a dynamic system of individual action and organizational structure constraining and enabling safety practice. Nurses are central to the (re)production of this safety culture system. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  10. Patient safety challenges in a case study hospital--of relevance for transfusion processes?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aase, Karina; Høyland, Sindre; Olsen, Espen; Wiig, Siri; Nilsen, Stein Tore

    2008-10-01

    The paper reports results from a research project with the objective of studying patient safety, and relates the finding to safety issues within transfusion medicine. The background is an increased focus on undesired events related to diagnosis, medication, and patient treatment in general in the healthcare sector. The study is designed as a case study within a regional Norwegian hospital conducting specialised health care services. The study includes multiple methods such as interviews, document analysis, analysis of error reports, and a questionnaire survey. Results show that the challenges for improved patient safety, based on employees' perceptions, are hospital management support, reporting of accidents/incidents, and collaboration across hospital units. Several of these generic safety challenges are also found to be of relevance for a hospital's transfusion service. Positive patient safety factors are identified as teamwork within hospital units, a non-punitive response to errors, and unit manager's actions promoting safety.

  11. The Perception of Patient Safety in Medical Students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Unal Demirtas

    2014-08-01

    CONCLUSION:It is seen that effects that increase the awareness such as more intense clinical studies, having knowledge about the subject, getting harmed from malpractice increase the perception of malpractice. Particularly the practices and studies of patient safety done in university hospitals have some benefits on the approach and point of views of medical school students, taking these benefits into account, we consider that taking active role in these studies for students and including patient safety classes into the medical school programs would be useful in increasing the awareness and in being more cautious against malpractice [TAF Prev Med Bull 2014; 13(4.000: 315-320

  12. Communication elements supporting patient safety in psychiatric inpatient care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kanerva, A; Kivinen, T; Lammintakanen, J

    2015-06-01

    Communication is important for safe and quality health care. The study provides needed insight on the communication elements that support patient safety from the psychiatric care view. Fluent information transfer between the health care professionals and care units is important for care planning and maintaining practices. Information should be documented and implemented accordingly. Communication should happen in an open communication culture that enables discussion, the opportunity to have debriefing discussions and the entire staff can feel they are heard. For effective communication, it is also important that staff are active themselves in information collecting about the essential information needed in patient care. In mental health nursing, it is important to pay attention to all elements of communication and to develop processes concerning communication in multidisciplinary teams and across unit boundaries. The study aims to describe which communication elements support patient safety in psychiatric inpatient care from the viewpoint of the nursing staff. Communication is an essential part of care and one of the core competencies of the psychiatric care. It enables safe and quality patient care. Errors in health care are often connected with poor communication. The study brings needed insight from the psychiatric care view to the topic. The data were gathered from semi-structured interviews in which 26 nurses were asked to describe the elements that constitute patient safety in psychiatric inpatient care. The data were analysed inductively from the viewpoint of communication. The descriptions connected with communication formed a main category of communication elements that support patient safety; this main category was made up of three subcategories: fluent information transfer, open communication culture and being active in information collecting. Fluent information transfer consists of the practical implementation of communication; open communication

  13. Effects of auditing patient safety in hospital care: design of a mixed-method evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanskamp-Sebregts, Mirelle; Zegers, Marieke; Boeijen, Wilma; Westert, Gert P; van Gurp, Petra J; Wollersheim, Hub

    2013-06-22

    Auditing of patient safety aims at early detection of risks of adverse events and is intended to encourage the continuous improvement of patient safety. The auditing should be an independent, objective assurance and consulting system. Auditing helps an organisation accomplish its objectives by bringing a systematic, disciplined approach to evaluating and improving the effectiveness of risk management, control, and governance. Audits are broadly conducted in hospitals, but little is known about their effects on the behaviour of healthcare professionals and patient safety outcomes. This study was initiated to evaluate the effects of patient safety auditing in hospital care and to explore the processes and mechanisms underlying these effects. Our study aims to evaluate an audit system to monitor and improve patient safety in a hospital setting. We are using a mixed-method evaluation with a before-and-after study design in eight departments of one university hospital in the period October 2011-July 2014. We measure several outcomes 3 months before the audit and 15 months after the audit. The primary outcomes are adverse events and complications. The secondary outcomes are experiences of patients, the standardised mortality ratio, prolonged hospital stay, patient safety culture, and team climate. We use medical record reviews, questionnaires, hospital administrative data, and observations to assess the outcomes. A process evaluation will be used to find out which components of internal auditing determine the effects. We report a study protocol of an effect and process evaluation to determine whether auditing improves patient safety in hospital care. Because auditing is a complex intervention targeted on several levels, we are using a combination of methods to collect qualitative and quantitative data about patient safety at the patient, professional, and department levels. This study is relevant for hospitals that want to early detect unsafe care and improve patient

  14. Blame the Patient, Blame the Doctor or Blame the System? A Meta-Synthesis of Qualitative Studies of Patient Safety in Primary Care

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daker-White, Gavin; Hays, Rebecca; McSharry, Jennifer; Giles, Sally; Cheraghi-Sohi, Sudeh; Rhodes, Penny; Sanders, Caroline

    2015-01-01

    Objective Studies of patient safety in health care have traditionally focused on hospital medicine. However, recent years have seen more research located in primary care settings which have different features compared to secondary care. This study set out to synthesize published qualitative research concerning patient safety in primary care in order to build a conceptual model. Method Meta-ethnography, an interpretive synthesis method whereby third order interpretations are produced that best describe the groups of findings contained in the reports of primary studies. Results Forty-eight studies were included as 5 discrete subsets where the findings were translated into one another: patients’ perspectives of safety, staff perspectives of safety, medication safety, systems or organisational issues and the primary/secondary care interface. The studies were focused predominantly on issues seen to either improve or compromise patient safety. These issues related to the characteristics or behaviour of patients, staff or clinical systems and interactions between staff, patients and staff, or people and systems. Electronic health records, protocols and guidelines could be seen to both degrade and improve patient safety in different circumstances. A conceptual reading of the studies pointed to patient safety as a subjective feeling or judgement grounded in moral views and with potentially hidden psychological consequences affecting care processes and relationships. The main threats to safety appeared to derive from ‘grand’ systems issues, for example involving service accessibility, resources or working hours which may not be amenable to effective intervention by individual practices or health workers, especially in the context of a public health system. Conclusion Overall, the findings underline the human elements in patient safety primary health care. The key to patient safety lies in effective face-to-face communication between patients and health care staff or

  15. Engaging Employees: The Importance of High-Performance Work Systems for Patient Safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Etchegaray, Jason M; Thomas, Eric J

    2015-12-01

    To develop and test survey items that measure high-performance work systems (HPWSs), report psychometric characteristics of the survey, and examine associations between HPWSs and teamwork culture, safety culture, and overall patient safety grade. We reviewed literature to determine dimensions of HPWSs and then asked executives to tell us which dimensions they viewed as most important for safety and quality. We then created a HPWSs survey to measure the most important HPWSs dimensions. We administered an anonymous, electronic survey to employees with direct patient care working at a large hospital system in the Southern United States and looked for linkages between HPWSs, culture, and outcomes. Similarities existed for the HPWS practices viewed as most important by previous researchers and health-care executives. The HPWSs survey was found to be reliable, distinct from safety culture and teamwork culture based on a confirmatory factor analysis, and was the strongest predictor of the extent to which employees felt comfortable speaking up about patient safety problems as well as patient safety grade. We used information from a literature review and executive input to create a reliable and valid HPWSs survey. Future research needs to examine whether HPWSs is associated with additional safety and quality outcomes.

  16. Organizational culture and climate for patient safety in Intensive Care Units.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santiago, Thaiana Helena Roma; Turrini, Ruth Natalia Teresa

    2015-02-01

    Objective To assess the perception of health professionals about patient safety climate and culture in different intensive care units (ICUs) and the relationship between scores obtained on the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC) and the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ). Method A cross-sectional study conducted at a teaching hospital in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, in March and April 2014. As data gathering instruments, the HSOPSC, SAQ and a questionnaire with sociodemographic and professional information about the staff working in an adult, pediatric and neonatal ICU were used. Data analysis was conducted with descriptive statistics. Results The scales presented good reliability. Greater weaknesses in patient safety were observed in the Working conditions andPerceptions of management domains of the SAQ and in the Nonpunitive response to error domain of the HSOPSC. The strengths indicated by the SAQ wereTeamwork climate and Job satisfactionand by the HSOPC, Supervisor/manager expectations and actions promoting safety and Organizational learning-continuous improvement. Job satisfaction was higher among neonatal ICU workers when compared with the other ICUs. The adult ICU presented lower scores for most of the SAQ and HSOPSC domains. The scales presented moderate correlation between them (r=0.66). Conclusion There were differences in perception regarding patient safety among ICUs, which corroborates the existence of local microcultures. The study did not demonstrate equivalence between the SAQ and the HSOPSC.

  17. Focusing on patient safety in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit environment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ilias Chatziioannidis

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Patient safety in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU environment is an under-researched area, but recently seems to get high priority on the healthcare quality agenda worldwide. NICU, as a highly sensitive and technological driven environment, signals the importance for awareness in causation of mistakes and accidents. Adverse events and near misses that comprise the majority of human errors, cause morbidity often with devastating results, even death. Likewise in other organizations, errors causes are multiple and complex. Other high reliability organizations, such as air force and nuclear industry, offer examples of how standardized/homogenized work and removal of systems weaknesses can minimize errors. It is widely accepted that medical errors can be explained based on personal and/or system approach. The impact/effect of medical errors can be reduced when thorough/causative identification approach is followed by detailed analysis of consequences and prevention measures. NICU’s medical and nursing staff should be familiar with patient safety language, implement best practices, and support safety culture, maximizing efforts for reducing errors. Furthermore, top management commitment and support in developing patient safety culture is essential in order to assure the achievement of the desirable organizational safety outcomes. The aim of the paper is to review patient safety issues in the NICU environment, focusing on development and implementation of strategies, enhancing high quality standards for health care.

  18. 77 FR 42736 - Common Formats for Patient Safety Data Collection and Event Reporting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-20

    ... safety problems. The Patient Safety Act and Patient Safety Rule establish a framework by which doctors... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Common Formats... formats, specified by AHRQ, that allow health care providers to collect and submit standardized...

  19. Patient safety in primary care: a survey of general practitioners in The Netherlands.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gaal, S.; Verstappen, W.H.J.M.; Wensing, M.J.P.

    2010-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Primary care encompasses many different clinical domains and patient groups, which means that patient safety in primary care may be equally broad. Previous research on safety in primary care has focused on medication safety and incident reporting. In this study, the views of general

  20. Causal Relationship Analysis of the Patient Safety Culture Based on Safety Attitudes Questionnaire in Taiwan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeng, Pei-Shan; Huang, Chih-Hsuan

    2018-01-01

    This study uses the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory method to identify critical dimensions of the safety attitudes questionnaire in Taiwan in order to improve the patient safety culture from experts' viewpoints. Teamwork climate, stress recognition, and perceptions of management are three causal dimensions, while safety climate, job satisfaction, and working conditions are receiving dimensions. In practice, improvements on effect-based dimensions might receive little effects when a great amount of efforts have been invested. In contrast, improving a causal dimension not only improves itself but also results in better performance of other dimension(s) directly affected by this particular dimension. Teamwork climate and perceptions of management are found to be the most critical dimensions because they are both causal dimensions and have significant influences on four dimensions apiece. It is worth to note that job satisfaction is the only dimension affected by the other dimensions. In order to effectively enhance the patient safety culture for healthcare organizations, teamwork climate, and perceptions of management should be closely monitored. PMID:29686825

  1. Causal Relationship Analysis of the Patient Safety Culture Based on Safety Attitudes Questionnaire in Taiwan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yii-Ching Lee

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available This study uses the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory method to identify critical dimensions of the safety attitudes questionnaire in Taiwan in order to improve the patient safety culture from experts’ viewpoints. Teamwork climate, stress recognition, and perceptions of management are three causal dimensions, while safety climate, job satisfaction, and working conditions are receiving dimensions. In practice, improvements on effect-based dimensions might receive little effects when a great amount of efforts have been invested. In contrast, improving a causal dimension not only improves itself but also results in better performance of other dimension(s directly affected by this particular dimension. Teamwork climate and perceptions of management are found to be the most critical dimensions because they are both causal dimensions and have significant influences on four dimensions apiece. It is worth to note that job satisfaction is the only dimension affected by the other dimensions. In order to effectively enhance the patient safety culture for healthcare organizations, teamwork climate, and perceptions of management should be closely monitored.

  2. Patient Safety Culture in Slovenian out-of-hours Primary Care Clinics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klemenc-Ketiš, Zalika; Deilkås, Ellen Tveter; Hofoss, Dag; Bondevik, Gunnar Tschudi

    2017-10-01

    Patient safety culture is a concept which describes how leader and staff interaction, attitudes, routines and practices protect patients from adverse events in healthcare. We aimed to investigate patient safety culture in Slovenian out-of-hours health care (OOHC) clinics, and determine the possible factors that might be associated with it. This was a cross-sectional study, which took place in Slovenian OOHC, as part of the international study entitled Patient Safety Culture in European Out-of-Hours Services (SAFE-EUR-OOH). All the OOHC clinics in Slovenia (N=60) were invited to participate, and 37 agreed to do so; 438 employees from these clinics were invited to participate. We used the Slovenian version of the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire - an ambulatory version (SAQAV) to measure the climate of safety. Out of 438 invited participants, 250 answered the questionnaire (57.1% response rate). The mean overall score ± standard deviation of the SAQ was 56.6±16.0 points, of Perceptions of Management 53.6±19.6 points, of Job Satisfaction 48.5±18.3 points, of Safety Climate 59.1±22.1 points, of Teamwork Climate 72.7±16.6, and of Communication 51.5±23.4 points. Employees working in the Ravne na Koroškem region, employees with variable work shifts, and those with full-time jobs scored significantly higher on the SAQ-AV. The safety culture in Slovenian OOHC clinics needs improvement. The variations in the safety culture factor scores in Slovenian OOHC clinics point to the need to eliminate variations and improve working conditions in Slovenian OOHC clinics.

  3. Clinical risk management and patient safety education for nurses: a critique.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnstone, Megan-Jane; Kanitsaki, Olga

    2007-04-01

    Nurses have a pivotal role to play in clinical risk management (CRM) and promoting patient safety in health care domains. Accordingly, nurses need to be prepared educationally to manage clinical risk effectively when delivering patient care. Just what form the CRM and safety education of nurses should take, however, remains an open question. A recent search of the literature has revealed a surprising lack of evidence substantiating models of effective CRM and safety education for nurses. In this paper, a critical discussion is advanced on the question of CRM and safety education for nurses and the need for nurse education in this area to be reviewed and systematically researched as a strategic priority, nationally and internationally. It is a key contention of this paper that without 'good' safety education research it will not be possible to ensure that the educational programs that are being offered to nurses in this area are evidence-based and designed in a manner that will enable nurses to develop the capabilities they need to respond effectively to the multifaceted and complex demands that are inherent in their ethical and professional responsibilities to promote and protect patient safety and quality care in health care domains.

  4. Patient-reported experiences of patient safety incidents need to be utilized more systematically in promoting safe care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sahlström, Merja; Partanen, Pirjo; Turunen, Hannele

    2018-04-16

    To analyze patient safety incidents (PSIs) reported by patients and their use in Finnish healthcare organizations. Cross-sectional study. About 15 Finnish healthcare organizations ranging from specialized hospital care to home care, outpatient and inpatient clinics, and geographically diverse areas of Finland. The study population included all Finnish patients who had voluntarily reported PSI via web-based system in 2009-15. Quantitative analysis of patients' safety reports, inductive content analysis of patients' suggestions to prevent the reoccurrence incidents and how those suggestions were used in healthcare organizations. Patients reported 656 PSIs, most of which were classified by the healthcare organizations' analysts as problems associated with information flow (32.6%) and medications (18%). Most of the incidents (65%) did not cause any harm to patients. About 76% of the reports suggested ways to prevent reoccurrence of PSIs, most of which were feasible, system-based amendments of processes for reviewing or administering treatment, anticipating risks or improving diligence in patient care. However, only 6% had led to practical implementation of corrective actions in the healthcare organizations. The results indicate that patients report diverse PSIs and suggest practical systems-based solutions to prevent their reoccurrence. However, patients' reports rarely lead to corrective actions documented in the registering system, indicating that there is substantial scope to improve utilization of patients' reports. There is also a need for strong patient safety management, including willingness and commitment of HCPs and leaders to learn from safety incidents.

  5. Developing a patient-led electronic feedback system for quality and safety within Renal PatientView.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giles, Sally J; Reynolds, Caroline; Heyhoe, Jane; Armitage, Gerry

    2017-03-01

    It is increasingly acknowledged that patients can provide direct feedback about the quality and safety of their care through patient reporting systems. The aim of this study was to explore the feasibility of patients, healthcare professionals and researchers working in partnership to develop a patient-led quality and safety feedback system within an existing electronic health record (EHR), known as Renal PatientView (RPV). Phase 1 (inception) involved focus groups (n = 9) and phase 2 (requirements) involved cognitive walkthroughs (n = 34) and 1:1 qualitative interviews (n = 34) with patients and healthcare professionals. A Joint Services Expert Panel (JSP) was convened to review the findings from phase 1 and agree the core principles and components of the system prototype. Phase 1 data were analysed using a thematic approach. Data from phase 1 were used to inform the design of the initial system prototype. Phase 2 data were analysed using the components of heuristic evaluation, resulting in a list of core principles and components for the final system prototype. Phase 1 identified four main barriers and facilitators to patients feeding back on quality and safety concerns. In phase 2, the JSP agreed that the system should be based on seven core principles and components. Stakeholders were able to work together to identify core principles and components for an electronic patient quality and safety feedback system in renal services. Tensions arose due to competing priorities, particularly around anonymity and feedback. Careful consideration should be given to the feasibility of integrating a novel element with differing priorities into an established system with existing functions and objectives. © 2016 European Dialysis and Transplant Nurses Association/European Renal Care Association.

  6. Health innovation for patient safety improvement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sellappans, Renukha; Chua, Siew Siang; Tajuddin, Nur Amani Ahmad; Mei Lai, Pauline Siew

    2013-01-01

    Medication error has been identified as a major factor affecting patient safety. Many innovative efforts such as Computerised Physician Order Entry (CPOE), a Pharmacy Information System, automated dispensing machines and Point of Administration Systems have been carried out with the aim of improving medication safety. However, areas remain that require urgent attention. One main area will be the lack of continuity of care due to the breakdown of communication between multiple healthcare providers. Solutions may include consideration of "health smart cards" that carry vital patient medical information in the form of a "credit card" or use of the Malaysian identification card. However, costs and technical aspects associated with the implementation of this health smart card will be a significant barrier. Security and confidentiality, on the other hand, are expected to be of primary concern to patients. Challenges associated with the implementation of a health smart card might include physician buy-in for use in his or her everyday practice. Training and technical support should also be available to ensure the smooth implementation of this system. Despite these challenges, implementation of a health smart card moves us closer to seamless care in our country, thereby increasing the productivity and quality of healthcare.

  7. Health innovation for patient safety improvement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Renukha Sellappans

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Medication error has been identified as a major factor affecting patient safety. Many innovative efforts such as Computerised Physician Order Entry (CPOE, a Pharmacy Information System, automated dispensing machines and Point of Administration Systems have been carried out with the aim of improving medication safety. However, areas remain that require urgent attention. One main area will be the lack of continuity of care due to the breakdown of communication between multiple healthcare providers. Solutions may include consideration of “health smart cards” that carry vital patient medical information in the form of a “credit card” or use of the Malaysian identification card. However, costs and technical aspects associated with the implementation of this health smart card will be a significant barrier. Security and confidentiality, on the other hand, are expected to be of primary concern to patients. Challenges associated with the implementation of a health smart card might include physician buy-in for use in his or her everyday practice. Training and technical support should also be available to ensure the smooth implementation of this system. Despite these challenges, implementation of a health smart card moves us closer to seamless care in our country, thereby increasing the productivity and quality of healthcare.

  8. Implementing the Comprehensive Unit-Based Safety Program (CUSP) to Improve Patient Safety in an Academic Primary Care Practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pitts, Samantha I; Maruthur, Nisa M; Luu, Ngoc-Phuong; Curreri, Kimberly; Grimes, Renee; Nigrin, Candace; Sateia, Heather F; Sawyer, Melinda D; Pronovost, Peter J; Clark, Jeanne M; Peairs, Kimberly S

    2017-11-01

    While there is growing awareness of the risk of harm in ambulatory health care, most patient safety efforts have focused on the inpatient setting. The Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP) has been an integral part of highly successful safety efforts in inpatient settings. In 2014 CUSP was implemented in an academic primary care practice. As part of CUSP implementation, staff and clinicians underwent training on the science of safety and completed a two-question safety assessment survey to identify safety concerns in the practice. The concerns identified by team members were used to select two initial safety priorities. The impact of CUSP on safety climate and teamwork was assessed through a pre-post comparison of results on the validated Safety Attitudes Questionnaire. Ninety-six percent of staff completed science of safety training as part of CUSP implementation, and 100% of staff completed the two-question safety assessment. The most frequently identified safety concerns were related to medications (n = 11, 28.2), diagnostic testing (n = 9, 25), and communication (n = 5, 14). The CUSP team initially prioritized communication and infection control, which led to standardization of work flows within the practice. Six months following CUSP implementation, large but nonstatistically significant increases were found for the percentage of survey respondents who reported knowledge of the proper channels for questions about patient safety, felt encouraged to report safety concerns, and believed that the work setting made it easy to learn from the errors of others. CUSP is a promising tool to improve safety climate and to identify and address safety concerns within ambulatory health care. Copyright © 2017 The Joint Commission. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Using Active Learning to Identify Health Information Technology Related Patient Safety Events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fong, Allan; Howe, Jessica L; Adams, Katharine T; Ratwani, Raj M

    2017-01-18

    The widespread adoption of health information technology (HIT) has led to new patient safety hazards that are often difficult to identify. Patient safety event reports, which are self-reported descriptions of safety hazards, provide one view of potential HIT-related safety events. However, identifying HIT-related reports can be challenging as they are often categorized under other more predominate clinical categories. This challenge of identifying HIT-related reports is exacerbated by the increasing number and complexity of reports which pose challenges to human annotators that must manually review reports. In this paper, we apply active learning techniques to support classification of patient safety event reports as HIT-related. We evaluated different strategies and demonstrated a 30% increase in average precision of a confirmatory sampling strategy over a baseline no active learning approach after 10 learning iterations.

  10. [How patient safety programmes can be successfully implemented - an example from Switzerland].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kobler, Irene; Mascherek, Anna; Bezzola, Paula

    2015-01-01

    Internationally, the implementation of patient safety programmes poses a major challenge. In the first part, we will demonstrate that various measures have been found to be effective in the literature but that they often do not reach the patient because their implementation proves difficult. Difficulties arise from both the complexity of the interventions themselves and from different organisational settings in individual hospitals. The second part specifically describes the implementation of patient safety improvement programmes in Switzerland and discusses measures intended to bridge the gap between the theory and practice of implementation in Switzerland. Then, the national pilot programme to improve patient safety in surgery is presented, which was launched by the federal Swiss government and has been implemented by the patient safety foundation. Procedures, challenges and highlights in implementing the programme in Switzerland on a national level are outlined. Finally, first (preliminary) results are presented and critically discussed. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

  11. Professional conceptualisation and accomplishment of patient safety in mental healthcare: an ethnographic approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Braithwaite Jeffrey

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background This study seeks to broaden current understandings of what patient safety means in mental healthcare and how it is accomplished. We propose a qualitative observational study of how safety is produced or not produced in the complex context of everyday professional mental health practice. Such an approach intentionally contrasts with much patient safety research which assumes that safety is achieved and improved through top-down policy directives. We seek instead to understand and articulate the connections and dynamic interactions between people, materials, and organisational, legal, moral, professional and historical safety imperatives as they come together at particular times and places to perform safe or unsafe practice. As such we advocate an understanding of patient safety 'from the ground up'. Methods/Design The proposed project employs a six-phase data collection framework in two mental health settings: an inpatient unit and a community team. The first four phases comprise multiple modes of focussed, unobtrusive observation of professionals at work, to enable us to trace the conceptualisation and enactment of safety as revealed in dialogue and narrative, use of artefacts and space, bodily activity and patterns of movement, and in the accomplishment of specific work tasks. An interview phase and a social network analysis phase will subsequently be conducted to offer comparative perspectives on the observational data. This multi-modal and holistic approach to studying patient safety will complement existing research, which is dominated by instrumentalist approaches to discovering factors contributing to error, or developing interventions to prevent or manage adverse events. Discussion This ethnographic research framework, informed by the principles of practice theories and in particular actor-network ideas, provides a tool to aid the understanding of patient safety in mental healthcare. The approach is novel in that it

  12. Professional conceptualisation and accomplishment of patient safety in mental healthcare: an ethnographic approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    Background This study seeks to broaden current understandings of what patient safety means in mental healthcare and how it is accomplished. We propose a qualitative observational study of how safety is produced or not produced in the complex context of everyday professional mental health practice. Such an approach intentionally contrasts with much patient safety research which assumes that safety is achieved and improved through top-down policy directives. We seek instead to understand and articulate the connections and dynamic interactions between people, materials, and organisational, legal, moral, professional and historical safety imperatives as they come together at particular times and places to perform safe or unsafe practice. As such we advocate an understanding of patient safety 'from the ground up'. Methods/Design The proposed project employs a six-phase data collection framework in two mental health settings: an inpatient unit and a community team. The first four phases comprise multiple modes of focussed, unobtrusive observation of professionals at work, to enable us to trace the conceptualisation and enactment of safety as revealed in dialogue and narrative, use of artefacts and space, bodily activity and patterns of movement, and in the accomplishment of specific work tasks. An interview phase and a social network analysis phase will subsequently be conducted to offer comparative perspectives on the observational data. This multi-modal and holistic approach to studying patient safety will complement existing research, which is dominated by instrumentalist approaches to discovering factors contributing to error, or developing interventions to prevent or manage adverse events. Discussion This ethnographic research framework, informed by the principles of practice theories and in particular actor-network ideas, provides a tool to aid the understanding of patient safety in mental healthcare. The approach is novel in that it seeks to articulate an 'anatomy

  13. Effect of transformational leadership on job satisfaction and patient safety outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boamah, Sheila A; Spence Laschinger, Heather K; Wong, Carol; Clarke, Sean

    Improving patient safety within health care organizations requires effective leadership at all levels. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of nurse managers' transformational leadership behaviors on job satisfaction and patient safety outcomes. A random sample of acute care nurses in Ontario (N = 378) completed the crosssectional survey. Hypothesized model was tested using structural equation modeling. The model fit the data acceptably. Transformational leadership had a strong positive influence on workplace empowerment, which in turn increased nurses' job satisfaction and decreased the frequency of adverse patient outcomes. Subsequently, job satisfaction was related to lower adverse events. The findings provide support for managers' use of transformational leadership behaviors as a useful strategy in creating workplace conditions that promote better safety outcomes for patients and nurses. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. The perception of the patient safety climate by professionals of the emergency department.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rigobello, Mayara Carvalho Godinho; Carvalho, Rhanna Emanuela Fontenele Lima de; Guerreiro, Juliana Magalhães; Motta, Ana Paula Gobbo; Atila, Elizabeth; Gimenes, Fernanda Raphael Escobar

    2017-07-01

    The aim of this study was to assess the patient safety climate from the perspective of healthcare professionals working in the emergency department of a hospital in Brazil. Emergency departments are complex and dynamic environments. They are prone to adverse events that compromise the quality of care provided and reveal the importance of patient safety culture and climate. This was a quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study. The Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ) - Short Form 2006 was used for data collection, validated and adapted into Portuguese. The study sample consisted of 125 participants. Most of the participants were female (57.6%) and had worked in emergency department for more than 10years (56.8%). Sixty-two participants (49.6%) were nursing professionals. The participants demonstrated satisfaction with their jobs and dissatisfaction with the actions of management with regard to safety issues. Participants' perceptions about the patient safety climate were found to be negative. Knowledge of professionals' perceptions of patient safety climate in the context of emergency care helps with assessments of the safety culture, contributes to improvement of health care, reduces adverse events, and can focus efforts to improve the quality of care provided to patients. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Improvement critical care patient safety: using nursing staff development strategies, at Saudi Arabia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Basuni, Enas M; Bayoumi, Magda M

    2015-01-13

    Intensive care units (ICUs) provide lifesaving care for the critically ill patients and are associated with significant risks. Moreover complexity of care within ICUs requires that the health care professionals exhibit a trans-disciplinary level of competency to improve patient safety. This study aimed at using staff development strategies through implementing patient safety educational program that may minimize the medical errors and improve patient outcome in hospital. The study was carried out using a quasi experimental design. The settings included the intensive care units at General Mohail Hospital and National Mohail Hospital, King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia. The study was conducted from March to June 2012. A convenience sample of all prevalent nurses at three shifts in the aforementioned settings during the study period was recruited. The program was implemented on 50 staff nurses in different ICUs. Their age ranged between 25-40 years. Statistically significant relation was revealed between safety climate and job satisfaction among nurses in the study sample (p=0.001). The years of experiences in ICU ranged between one year 11 (16.4) to 10 years 20 (29.8), most of them (68%) were working in variable shift, while 32% were day shift only. Improvements were observed in safety climate, teamwork climate, and nurse turnover rates on ICUs after implementing a safety program. On the heels of this improvement; nurses' total knowledge, skills and attitude were enhanced regarding patient safety dimensions. Continuous educational program for ICUs nursing staff through organized in-service training is needed to increase their knowledge and skills about the importance of improving patient safety measure. Emphasizing on effective collaborative system also will improve patient safety measures in ICUS.

  16. 78 FR 70560 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From Morgridge Institute for Research PSO

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-11-26

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety... Research and Quality (AHRQ), HHS. ACTION: Notice of delisting. SUMMARY: The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act), Public Law 109-41, 42 U.S.C. 299b-21-b-26, provides for the...

  17. Assessment of Patient Safety Culture in Primary Health Care Settings in Kuwait

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maha Mohamed Ghobashi

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background Patient safety is critical component of health care quality. We aimed to assess the awareness of primary healthcare staff members about patient safety culture and explore the areas of deficiency and opportunities for improvement concerning this issue.Methods: This descriptive cross sectional study surveyed 369 staff members in four primary healthcare centers in Kuwait using self-administered “Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture” adopted questionnaire. The total number of respondents was 276 participants (response rate = 74.79%.Results: Five safety dimensions with lowest positivity (less than 50% were identified and these are; the non – punitive response to errors, frequency of event reporting, staffing, communication openness, center handoffs and transitions with the following percentages of positivity 24%, 32%, 41%, 45% and 47% respectively. The dimensions of highest positivity were teamwork within the center’s units (82% and organizational learning (75%.Conclusion: Patient safety culture in primary healthcare settings in Kuwait is not as strong as improvements for the provision of safe health care. Well-designed patient safety initiatives are needed to be integrated with organizational policies, particularly the pressing need to address the bioethical component of medical errors and their disclosure, communication openness and emotional issues related to them and investing the bright areas of skillful organizational learning and strong team working attitudes.    

  18. Patient-Reported Safety Information: A Renaissance of Pharmacovigilance?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Härmark, Linda; Raine, June; Leufkens, Hubert; Edwards, I Ralph; Moretti, Ugo; Sarinic, Viola Macolic; Kant, Agnes

    2016-10-01

    The role of patients as key contributors in pharmacovigilance was acknowledged in the new EU pharmacovigilance legislation. This contains several efforts to increase the involvement of the general public, including making patient adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting systems mandatory. Three years have passed since the legislation was introduced and the key question is: does pharmacovigilance yet make optimal use of patient-reported safety information? Independent research has shown beyond doubt that patients make an important contribution to pharmacovigilance signal detection. Patient reports provide first-hand information about the suspected ADR and the circumstances under which it occurred, including medication errors, quality failures, and 'near misses'. Patient-reported safety information leads to a better understanding of the patient's experiences of the ADR. Patients are better at explaining the nature, personal significance and consequences of ADRs than healthcare professionals' reports on similar associations and they give more detailed information regarding quality of life including psychological effects and effects on everyday tasks. Current methods used in pharmacovigilance need to optimise use of the information reported from patients. To make the most of information from patients, the systems we use for collecting, coding and recording patient-reported information and the methodologies applied for signal detection and assessment need to be further developed, such as a patient-specific form, development of a severity grading and evolution of the database structure and the signal detection methods applied. It is time for a renaissance of pharmacovigilance.

  19. Integrated Framework for Patient Safety and Energy Efficiency in Healthcare Facilities Retrofit Projects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohammadpour, Atefeh; Anumba, Chimay J; Messner, John I

    2016-07-01

    There is a growing focus on enhancing energy efficiency in healthcare facilities, many of which are decades old. Since replacement of all aging healthcare facilities is not economically feasible, the retrofitting of these facilities is an appropriate path, which also provides an opportunity to incorporate energy efficiency measures. In undertaking energy efficiency retrofits, it is vital that the safety of the patients in these facilities is maintained or enhanced. However, the interactions between patient safety and energy efficiency have not been adequately addressed to realize the full benefits of retrofitting healthcare facilities. To address this, an innovative integrated framework, the Patient Safety and Energy Efficiency (PATSiE) framework, was developed to simultaneously enhance patient safety and energy efficiency. The framework includes a step -: by -: step procedure for enhancing both patient safety and energy efficiency. It provides a structured overview of the different stages involved in retrofitting healthcare facilities and improves understanding of the intricacies associated with integrating patient safety improvements with energy efficiency enhancements. Evaluation of the PATSiE framework was conducted through focus groups with the key stakeholders in two case study healthcare facilities. The feedback from these stakeholders was generally positive, as they considered the framework useful and applicable to retrofit projects in the healthcare industry. © The Author(s) 2016.

  20. Patient safety in the clinical laboratory: a longitudinal analysis of specimen identification errors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wagar, Elizabeth A; Tamashiro, Lorraine; Yasin, Bushra; Hilborne, Lee; Bruckner, David A

    2006-11-01

    Patient safety is an increasingly visible and important mission for clinical laboratories. Attention to improving processes related to patient identification and specimen labeling is being paid by accreditation and regulatory organizations because errors in these areas that jeopardize patient safety are common and avoidable through improvement in the total testing process. To assess patient identification and specimen labeling improvement after multiple implementation projects using longitudinal statistical tools. Specimen errors were categorized by a multidisciplinary health care team. Patient identification errors were grouped into 3 categories: (1) specimen/requisition mismatch, (2) unlabeled specimens, and (3) mislabeled specimens. Specimens with these types of identification errors were compared preimplementation and postimplementation for 3 patient safety projects: (1) reorganization of phlebotomy (4 months); (2) introduction of an electronic event reporting system (10 months); and (3) activation of an automated processing system (14 months) for a 24-month period, using trend analysis and Student t test statistics. Of 16,632 total specimen errors, mislabeled specimens, requisition mismatches, and unlabeled specimens represented 1.0%, 6.3%, and 4.6% of errors, respectively. Student t test showed a significant decrease in the most serious error, mislabeled specimens (P patient safety projects. Trend analysis demonstrated decreases in all 3 error types for 26 months. Applying performance-improvement strategies that focus longitudinally on specimen labeling errors can significantly reduce errors, therefore improving patient safety. This is an important area in which laboratory professionals, working in interdisciplinary teams, can improve safety and outcomes of care.

  1. 76 FR 7853 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Delisting From Apollo Publishing, Inc.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-02-11

    ... notification of voluntary relinquishment from Apollo Publishing, Inc., of its status as a Patient Safety... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Delisting From Apollo Publishing, Inc. AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and...

  2. Effects of auditing patient safety in hospital care: design of a mixed-method evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    Background Auditing of patient safety aims at early detection of risks of adverse events and is intended to encourage the continuous improvement of patient safety. The auditing should be an independent, objective assurance and consulting system. Auditing helps an organisation accomplish its objectives by bringing a systematic, disciplined approach to evaluating and improving the effectiveness of risk management, control, and governance. Audits are broadly conducted in hospitals, but little is known about their effects on the behaviour of healthcare professionals and patient safety outcomes. This study was initiated to evaluate the effects of patient safety auditing in hospital care and to explore the processes and mechanisms underlying these effects. Methods and design Our study aims to evaluate an audit system to monitor and improve patient safety in a hospital setting. We are using a mixed-method evaluation with a before-and-after study design in eight departments of one university hospital in the period October 2011–July 2014. We measure several outcomes 3 months before the audit and 15 months after the audit. The primary outcomes are adverse events and complications. The secondary outcomes are experiences of patients, the standardised mortality ratio, prolonged hospital stay, patient safety culture, and team climate. We use medical record reviews, questionnaires, hospital administrative data, and observations to assess the outcomes. A process evaluation will be used to find out which components of internal auditing determine the effects. Discussion We report a study protocol of an effect and process evaluation to determine whether auditing improves patient safety in hospital care. Because auditing is a complex intervention targeted on several levels, we are using a combination of methods to collect qualitative and quantitative data about patient safety at the patient, professional, and department levels. This study is relevant for hospitals that want to

  3. Effects of patient safety auditing in hospital care: results of a mixed-method evaluation (part 1).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanskamp-Sebregts, Mirelle; Zegers, Marieke; Westert, Gert P; Boeijen, Wilma; Teerenstra, Steven; van Gurp, Petra J; Wollersheim, Hub

    2018-06-15

    To evaluate the effectiveness of internal auditing in hospital care focussed on improving patient safety. A before-and-after mixed-method evaluation study was carried out in eight departments of a university medical center in the Netherlands. Internal auditing and feedback focussed on improving patient safety. The effect of internal auditing was assessed 15 months after the audit, using linear mixed models, on the patient, professional, team and departmental levels. The measurement methods were patient record review on adverse events (AEs), surveys regarding patient experiences, safety culture and team climate, analysis of administrative hospital data (standardized mortality rate, SMR) and safety walk rounds (SWRs) to observe frontline care processes on safety. The AE rate decreased from 36.1% to 31.3% and the preventable AE rate from 5.5% to 3.6%; however, the differences before and after auditing were not statistically significant. The patient-reported experience measures regarding patient safety improved slightly over time (P audit. The SWRs showed that medication safety and information security were improved (P auditing was associated with improved patient experiences and observed safety on wards. No effects were found on adverse outcomes, safety culture and team climate 15 months after the internal audit.

  4. Developing a research agenda for patient safety in primary care. Background, aims and output of the LINNEAUS collaboration on patient safety in primary care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esmail, Aneez; Valderas, Jose M; Verstappen, Wim; Godycki-Cwirko, Maciek; Wensing, Michel

    2015-09-01

    This paper is an introduction to a supplement to The European Journal of General Practice, bringing together a body of research focusing on the issue of patient safety in relation to primary care. The supplement represents the outputs of the LINNEAUS collaboration on patient safety in primary care, which was a four-year (2009-2013) coordination and support action funded under the Framework 7 programme by the European Union. Being a coordination and support action, its aim was not to undertake new research, but to build capacity through engaging primary care researchers and practitioners in identifying some of the key challenges in this area and developing consensus statements, which will be an essential part in developing a future research agenda. This introductory article describes the aims of the LINNEAUS collaboration, provides a brief summary of the reasons to focus on patient safety in primary care, the epidemiological and policy considerations, and an introduction to the papers included in the supplement.

  5. Can we Improve Patient Safety?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martin Thomas Corbally

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Despite greater awareness of patient safety issues especially in the operating room and the widespread implementation of surgical time out (WHO,errors, especially wrong site surgery, continue. Most such errors are due to lapses in communication where decision makers fail to consult or confirm operative findings but worryingly where parental concerns over the planned procedure are ignored or not followed through. The WHO surgical pause / Time Out aims to capture these errors and prevent them but the combination of human error and complex hospital environments can overwhelm even robust safety structures and simple common sense. Parents are the ultimate repository of information on their child's condition and planned surgery but are traditionally excluded from the process of Surgical pause and Time Out perhaps to avoid additional stress. In addition surgeons, like pilots, are subject to the phenomenon of plan continue fail with potentially disastrous outcomes.

  6. Application of patient safety indicators internationally: a pilot study among seven countries

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Drösler, Saskia E.; Klazinga, Niek S.; Romano, Patrick S.; Tancredi, Daniel J.; Gogorcena Aoiz, Maria A.; Hewitt, Moira C.; Scobie, Sarah; Soop, Michael; Wen, Eugene; Quan, Hude; Ghali, William A.; Mattke, Soeren; Kelley, Edward

    2009-01-01

    To explore the potential for international comparison of patient safety as part of the Health Care Quality Indicators project of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) by evaluating patient safety indicators originally published by the US Agency for Healthcare Research and

  7. The effects of patient education on patient safety: can we change patient perceptions and attitudes?: Lessons from the Armed Forces Capital Hospital in Korea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    An, JinOk; Kim, Seung Ju; Park, Sohee; Moon, Ki Tae; Park, Eun-Cheol

    2017-06-01

    Strategies to promote patient involvement in medical error prevention have been implemented, but little is known about the effects of education on changes in perceptions and attitudes about patients' own safety. We administered a survey to military personnel admitted to the Armed Forces Capital Hospital. Responses were classified according to perception and attitude. Single military hospital in Korea. A total of 483 completed surveys were included in our study; 252 of the respondents received safety education at admission. We provided educational program material to one-half of the patients at admission (intervention group). The other one-half of patients received no safety education (non-intervention group). We then performed two rounds of a self-administered survey, based on whether the patient received patient safety education. Cronbach's alpha was calculated to determine scale score reliability. Regression analysis was used to evaluate associations between education and change in scores. Scores for perception and attitude were greater in the intervention group. The results of the regression analysis revealed that compared with the non-intervention respondents, the respondents who received education had higher perception (estimate: 7.809, P patient education was associated with higher scores in both perception and attitudes about safety. To improve patient engagement in this area, efficient methods that encourage patient empowerment should be developed. Specialized health care providers who provide patient level education are needed to achieve a satisfactory patient safety climate. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

  8. Perspective of Nurses toward the Patient Safety Culture in Neonatal Intensive Care Units

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saba Farzi

    2017-12-01

    Conclusion: According to the results, adherence to the dimensions of the patient safety culture was poor in the studied hospitals. Therefore, the patient safety culture requires special attention by providing proper facilities, adequate staff, developing checklists for handoffs and transitions, and surveillance and continuous monitoring by healthcare centers. Furthermore, a system-based approach should be implemented to deal with errors, while a persuasive reporting approach is needed to promote the patient safety culture in the NICUs of these hospitals.

  9. The interplay between teamwork, clinicians' emotional exhaustion, and clinician-rated patient safety: a longitudinal study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Welp, Annalena; Meier, Laurenz L; Manser, Tanja

    2016-04-19

    Effectively managing patient safety and clinicians' emotional exhaustion are important goals of healthcare organizations. Previous cross-sectional studies showed that teamwork is associated with both. However, causal relationships between all three constructs have not yet been investigated. Moreover, the role of different dimensions of teamwork in relation to emotional exhaustion and patient safety is unclear. The current study focused on the long-term development of teamwork, emotional exhaustion, and patient safety in interprofessional intensive care teams by exploring causal relationships between these constructs. A secondary objective was to disentangle the effects of interpersonal and cognitive-behavioral teamwork. We employed a longitudinal study design. Participants were 2100 nurses and physicians working in 55 intensive care units. They answered an online questionnaire on interpersonal and cognitive-behavioral aspects of teamwork, emotional exhaustion, and patient safety at three time points with a 3-month lag. Data were analyzed with cross-lagged structural equation modeling. We controlled for professional role. Analyses showed that emotional exhaustion had a lagged effect on interpersonal teamwork. Furthermore, interpersonal and cognitive-behavioral teamwork mutually influenced each other. Finally, cognitive-behavioral teamwork predicted clinician-rated patient safety. The current study shows that the interrelations between teamwork, clinician burnout, and clinician-rated patient safety unfold over time. Interpersonal and cognitive-behavioral teamwork play specific roles in a process leading from clinician emotional exhaustion to decreased clinician-rated patient safety. Emotionally exhausted clinicians are less able to engage in positive interpersonal teamwork, which might set in motion a vicious cycle: negative interpersonal team interactions negatively affect cognitive-behavioral teamwork and vice versa. Ultimately, ineffective cognitive

  10. Learning from no-fault treatment injury claims to improve the safety of older patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wallis, Katharine Ann

    2015-09-01

    New Zealand's treatment injury compensation claims data set provides an uncommon no-fault perspective of patient safety incidents. Analysis of primary care claims data confirmed medication as the leading threat to the safety of older patients in primary care and drew particular attention to the threat posed by antibiotics. For most injuries there was no suggestion of error. The no-fault perspective reveals the greatest threat to the safety of older patients in primary care to be, not error, but the risk posed by treatment itself. To improve patients' safety, in addition to reducing error, clinicians need to reduce patients' exposure to treatment risk, where appropriate. © 2015 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.

  11. Safety as experienced by patients themselves: a Finnish survey of the most recent period of care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sahlström, Merja; Partanen, Pirjo; Turunen, Hannele

    2014-06-01

    We examined patients' experiences of patient safety and participation in promoting safe care during their most recent care period. A survey of patients (N = 175) revealed that treatment, medication, and device safety were mostly experienced as very good or excellent, but responses varied by age and experience. Patients ages 66-75 were most critical of treatment and medication safety. Device safety was rated the worst aspect of safety. Twenty percent of respondents had experienced errors at some time during their care. Patients who had experienced errors and those who were treated at inpatient wards versus a day surgery unit were most critical towards patient participation. Open and transparent error management involving patients is needed to promote treatment, medication, and especially device safety. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  12. Meso-modeling of Carbon Fiber Composite for Crash Safety Analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lin, Shih-Po; Chen, Yijung; Zeng, Danielle; Su, Xuming

    2017-04-06

    In the conventional approach, the material properties for crash safety simulations are typically obtained from standard coupon tests, where the test results only provide single layer material properties used in crash simulations. However, the lay-up effects for the failure behaviors of the real structure were not considered in numerical simulations. Hence, there was discrepancy between the crash simulations and experimental tests. Consequently, an intermediate stage is required for accurate predictions. Some component tests are required to correlate the material models in the intermediate stage. In this paper, a Mazda Tube under high-impact velocity is chosen as an example for the crash safety analysis. The tube consists of 24 layers of uni-directional (UD) carbon fiber composite materials, in which 4 layers are perpendicular to, while the other layers are parallel to the impact direction. An LS-DYNA meso-model was constructed with orthotropic material models counting for the single-layer material behaviors. Between layers, a node-based tie-break contact was used for modeling the delamination of the composite material. Since fiber directions are not single-oriented, the lay-up effects could be an important effect. From the first numerical trial, premature material failure occurred due to the use of material parameters obtained directly from the coupon tests. Some parametric studies were conducted to identify the cause of the numerical instability. The finding is that the material failure strength used in the numerical model needs to be enlarged to stabilize the numerical model. Some hypothesis was made to provide the foundation for enlarging the failure strength and the corresponding experiments will be conducted to validate the hypothesis.

  13. Psychometrics of the AAN Caregiver Driving Safety Questionnaire and contributors to caregiver concern about driving safety in older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carvalho, Janessa O; Springate, Beth; Bernier, Rachel A; Davis, Jennifer

    2018-03-01

    ABSTRACTBackground:The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) updated their practice parameters in the evaluation of driving risk in dementia and developed a Caregiver Driving Safety Questionnaire, detailed in their original manuscript (Iverson Gronseth, Reger, Classen, Dubinsky, & Rizzo, 2010). They described four factors associated with decreased driving ability in dementia patients: history of crashes or citations, informant-reported concerns, reduced mileage, and aggressive driving. An informant-reported AAN Caregiver Driving Safety Questionnaire was designed with these elements, and the current study was the first to explore the factor structure of this questionnaire. Additionally, we examined associations between these factors and cognitive and behavioral measures in patients with mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer's disease and their informants. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a four-component structure, consistent with the theory behind the AAN scale composition. These four factor scores also were significantly associated with performance on cognitive screening instruments and informant reported behavioral dysfunction. Regressions revealed that behavioral dysfunction predicted caregiver concerns about driving safety beyond objective patient cognitive dysfunction. In this first known quantitative exploration of the scale, our results support continued use of this scale in office driving safety assessments. Additionally, patient behavioral changes predicted caregiver concerns about driving safety over and above cognitive status, which suggests that caregivers may benefit from psychoeducation about cognitive factors that may negatively impact driving safety.

  14. Strengthening leadership as a catalyst for enhanced patient safety culture: a repeated cross-sectional experimental study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kristensen, Solvejg; Christensen, Karl Bang; Jaquet, Annette; Møller Beck, Carsten; Sabroe, Svend; Bartels, Paul; Mainz, Jan

    2016-05-13

    Current literature emphasises that clinical leaders are in a position to enable a culture of safety, and that the safety culture is a performance mediator with the potential to influence patient outcomes. This paper aims to investigate staff's perceptions of patient safety culture in a Danish psychiatric department before and after a leadership intervention. A repeated cross-sectional experimental study by design was applied. In 2 surveys, healthcare staff were asked about their perceptions of the patient safety culture using the 7 patient safety culture dimensions in the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire. To broaden knowledge and strengthen leadership skills, a multicomponent programme consisting of academic input, exercises, reflections and discussions, networking, and action learning was implemented among the clinical area level leaders. In total, 358 and 325 staff members participated before and after the intervention, respectively. 19 of the staff members were clinical area level leaders. In both surveys, the response rate was >75%. The proportion of frontline staff with positive attitudes improved by ≥5% for 5 of the 7 patient safety culture dimensions over time. 6 patient safety culture dimensions became more positive (increase in mean) (pculture are remarkable, and imply that strengthening the leadership can act as a significant catalyst for patient safety culture improvement. Further studies using a longitudinal study design are recommended to investigate the mechanism behind leadership's influence on patient safety culture, sustainability of improvements over time, and the association of change in the patient safety culture measures with change in psychiatric patient safety outcomes. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

  15. Patient safety in midwifery-led care in the Netherlands

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Martijn, L.L.M.; Jacobs, A.J.E.; Maassen, I.I.M.; Buitendijk, S.S.E.; Wensing, M.M.

    2013-01-01

    Objective: to describe the incidence and characteristics of patient safety incidents in midwifery-led care for low-risk pregnant women. Design: multi-method study. Setting: 20 midwifery practices in the Netherlands; 1,000 patient records. Population: low-risk pregnant women. Methods: prospective

  16. Patterns of patient safety culture: a complexity and arts-informed project of knowledge translation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitchell, Gail J; Tregunno, Deborah; Gray, Julia; Ginsberg, Liane

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to describe patterns of patient safety culture that emerged from an innovative collaboration among health services researchers and fine arts colleagues. The group engaged in an arts-informed knowledge translation project to produce a dramatic expression of patient safety culture research for inclusion in a symposium. Scholars have called for a deeper understanding of the complex interrelationships among structure, process and outcomes relating to patient safety. Four patterns of patient safety culture--blinding familiarity, unyielding determination, illusion of control and dismissive urgency--are described with respect to how they informed creation of an arts-informed project for knowledge translation.

  17. Patient Safety Movement: History and Future Directions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lark, Meghan E; Kirkpatrick, Kay; Chung, Kevin C

    2018-02-01

    Despite progress within the past 15 years, improving patient safety in health care remains an important public health issue. The history of safety policies, research, and development has revealed that this issue is more complex than initially perceived and is pertinent to all health care settings. Solutions, therefore, must be approached at the systems level and supplemented with a change in safety culture, especially in higher risk fields such as surgery. To do so, health care agents at all levels have started to prioritize the improvement of nontechnical skills such as teamwork, communication, and accountability, as reflected by the development of various checklists and safety campaigns. This progress may be sustained by adopting teamwork training programs that have proven successful in other high-risk industries, such as crew resource management in aviation. These techniques can be readily implemented among surgical teams; however, successful application depends heavily on the strong leadership and vigilance of individual surgeons. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. 77 FR 32975 - Patient Safety Organizations: Expired Listing for The American Cancer Biorepository, Inc. d/b/a...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-04

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety... Biorepository or ``ACB'' as a Patient Safety Organization (PSO) due to its failure to seek continued listing. The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act) authorizes the listing of...

  19. Efficacy and safety of milnacipran 100 mg/day in patients with fibromyalgia: results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnold, Lesley M; Gendreau, R Michael; Palmer, Robert H; Gendreau, Judy F; Wang, Yong

    2010-09-01

    To assess the efficacy and safety of milnacipran at a dosage of 100 mg/day (50 mg twice daily) for monotherapy treatment of fibromyalgia. A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was performed to assess 1,025 patients with fibromyalgia who were randomized to receive milnacipran 100 mg/day (n = 516) or placebo (n = 509). Patients underwent 4-6 weeks of flexible dose escalation followed by 12 weeks of stable-dose treatment. Two composite responder definitions were used as primary end points to classify the response to treatment. The 2-measure composite response required achievement of ≥30% improvement from baseline in the pain score and a rating of "very much improved" or "much improved" on the Patient's Global Impression of Change (PGIC) scale. The 3-measure composite response required satisfaction of these same 2 improvement criteria for pain and global status as well as improvement in physical function on the Short Form 36 (SF-36) physical component summary (PCS) score. After 12 weeks of stable-dose treatment, a significantly greater proportion of milnacipran-treated patients compared with placebo-treated patients showed clinically meaningful improvements, as evidenced by the proportion of patients meeting the 2-measure composite responder criteria (P recall pain score, PGIC score, SF-36 PCS and mental component summary scores, average pain severity score on the Brief Pain Inventory, Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire total score (all P total score (P = 0.036 versus placebo). Milnacipran was well tolerated by most patients, with nausea being the most commonly reported adverse event (placebo-adjusted rate of 15.8%). Milnacipran administered at a dosage of 100 mg/day improved pain, global status, fatigue, and physical and mental function in patients with fibromyalgia.

  20. Patient safety in anesthesia: learning from the culture of high-reliability organizations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wright, Suzanne M

    2015-03-01

    There has been an increased awareness of and interest in patient safety and improved outcomes, as well as a growing body of evidence substantiating medical error as a leading cause of death and injury in the United States. According to The Joint Commission, US hospitals demonstrate improvements in health care quality and patient safety. Although this progress is encouraging, much room for improvement remains. High-reliability organizations, industries that deliver reliable performances in the face of complex working environments, can serve as models of safety for our health care system until plausible explanations for patient harm are better understood. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. A patient safety course for preclinical medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shekhter, Ilya; Rosen, Lisa; Sanko, Jill; Everett-Thomas, Ruth; Fitzpatrick, Maureen; Birnbach, David

    2012-12-01

    We developed a course to introduce incoming third-year medical students to the subject of patient safety, to focus their attention on teamwork and communication, and to create an awareness of patient-safe practices that will positively impact their performance as clinicians. The course, held prior to the start of clinical rotations, consisted of lectures, web-based didactic materials, small group activities and simulation exercises, with an emphasis on experiential learning. First, students inspected a 'room of horrors', which is a simulated clinical environment riddled with errors. Second, we used lenticular puzzles in small groups to elicit teamwork behaviours that parallel real-life interactions in health care. Each team was given 8 minutes to complete a 48-piece puzzle, with five pieces removed at random and given to other teams. The salient teaching point of this exercise is that for a team to complete the task, team members must communicate with members of their own team as well as with other teams. Last, simulation scenarios provided a clinical context to reinforce the skills introduced through the puzzle exercise and lectures. The students were split into groups of six or seven members and challenged with two scenarios. Both scenarios focused on a 56-year-old man in respiratory distress. The teams were debriefed on both clinical management and teamwork. The vast majority of the students (93%) agreed that the course improved their patient safety knowledge and skills. The positive response from students to the introductory course is an important step in fostering a culture of patient safety. © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2012.

  2. Critical incidents related to cardiac arrests reported to the Danish Patient Safety Database

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Peter Oluf; Maaløe, Rikke; Andersen, Henning Boje

    2010-01-01

    Background Critical incident reports can identify areas for improvement in resuscitation practice. The Danish Patient Safety Database is a mandatory reporting system and receives critical incident reports submitted by hospital personnel. The aim of this study is to identify, analyse and categorize...... critical incidents related to cardiac arrests reported to the Danish Patient Safety Database. Methods The search terms “cardiac arrest” and “resuscitation” were used to identify reports in the Danish Patient Safety Database. Identified critical incidents were then classified into categories. Results One...

  3. Differences in emergency colorectal surgery in Medicaid and uninsured patients by hospital safety net status.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bradley, Cathy J; Dahman, Bassam; Sabik, Lindsay M

    2015-02-01

    We examined whether safety net hospitals reduce the likelihood of emergency colorectal cancer (CRC) surgery in uninsured and Medicaid-insured patients. If these patients have better access to care through safety net providers, they should be less likely to undergo emergency resection relative to similar patients at non- safety net hospitals. Using population-based data, we estimated the relationship between safety net hospitals, patient insurance status, and emergency CRC surgery. We extracted inpatient admission data from the Virginia Health Information discharge database and matched them to the Virginia Cancer Registry for patients aged 21 to 64 years who underwent a CRC resection between January 1, 1999, and December 31, 2005 (n = 5488). We differentiated between medically defined emergencies and those that originated in the emergency department (ED). For each definition of emergency surgery, we estimated the linear probability models of the effects of being treated at a safety net hospital on the probability of having an emergency resection. Safety net hospitals reduce emergency surgeries among uninsured and Medicaid CRC patients. When defining an emergency resection as those that involved an ED visit, these patients were 15 to 20 percentage points less likely to have an emergency resection when treated in a safety net hospital. Our results suggest that these hospitals provide a benefit, most likely through the access they afford to timely and appropriate care, to uninsured and Medicaid-insured patients relative to hospitals without a safety net mission.

  4. Patient safety culture in China: a case study in an outpatient setting in Beijing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Chaojie; Liu, Weiwei; Wang, Yuanyuan; Zhang, Zhihong; Wang, Peng

    2014-07-01

    To investigate the patient safety culture in an outpatient setting in Beijing and explore the meaning and implications of the safety culture from the perspective of health workers and patients. A mixed methods approach involving a questionnaire survey and in-depth interviews was adopted. Among the 410 invited staff members, 318 completed the Hospital Survey of Patient Safety Culture (HSOPC). Patient safety culture was described using 12 subscale scores. Inter-subscale correlation analysis, ANOVA and stepwise multivariate regression analyses were performed to identify the determinants of the patient safety culture scores. Interviewees included 22 patients selected through opportunity sampling and 27 staff members selected through purposive sampling. The interview data were analysed thematically. The survey respondents perceived high levels of unsafe care but had personally reported few events. Lack of 'communication openness' was identified as a major safety culture problem, and a perception of 'penalty' was the greatest barrier to the encouragement of error reporting. Cohesive 'teamwork within units', while found to be an area of strength, conversely served as a protective and defensive mechanism for medical practice. Low levels of trust between providers and consumers and lack of management support constituted an obstacle to building a positive patient safety culture. This study in China demonstrates that a punitive approach to error is still widespread despite increasing awareness of unsafe care, and managers have been slow in acknowledging the importance of building a positive patient safety culture. Strong 'teamwork within units', a common area of strength, could fuel the concealment of errors. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  5. Patient safety competence for final-year health professional students: Perceptions of effectiveness of an interprofessional education course.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hwang, Jee-In; Yoon, Tai-Young; Jin, Hyeon-Jeong; Park, Yikyun; Park, Ju-Young; Lee, Beom-Joon

    2016-11-01

    As final-year medical and nursing students will soon play key roles in frontline patient care, their preparedness for safe, reliable care provision is of special importance. We assessed patient safety competencies of final-year health profession students, and the effect of a 1-day patient safety education programme on these competencies. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 233 students in three colleges of medicine, nursing, and traditional medicine in Seoul. A before-and-after study followed to evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum. Patient safety competency was measured using the Health-Professional Education for Patients Safety Survey (H-PEPSS) and an objective patient safety knowledge test. The mean scores were 3.4 and 1.7 out of 5.0, respectively. The communication domain was rated the highest and the teamwork domain was rated the lowest. H-PEPSS scores significantly differed between the students from three colleges. The 1-day patient safety education curriculum significantly improved H-PEPSS and knowledge test scores. These results indicated that strengthening patient safety competencies, especially teamwork, of students is required in undergraduate healthcare curricula. A 1-day interprofessional patient safety education programme may be a promising strategy. The findings suggest that interprofessional patient safety education needs to be implemented as a core undergraduate course to improve students' safety competence.

  6. Sensemaking and the co-production of safety: a qualitative study of primary medical care patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rhodes, Penny; McDonald, Ruth; Campbell, Stephen; Daker-White, Gavin; Sanders, Caroline

    2016-02-01

    This study explores the ways in which patients make sense of 'safety' in the context of primary medical care. Drawing on qualitative interviews with primary care patients, we reveal patients' conceptualisation of safety as fluid, contingent, multi-dimensional, and negotiated. Participant accounts drew attention to a largely invisible and inaccessible (but taken for granted) architecture of safety, the importance of psycho-social as well as physical dimensions and the interactions between them, informal strategies for negotiating safety, and the moral dimension of safety. Participants reported being proactive in taking action to protect themselves from potential harm. The somewhat routinised and predictable nature of the primary medical care consultation, which is very different from 'one off' inpatient spells, meant that patients were not passive recipients of care. Instead they had a stock of accumulated knowledge and experience to inform their actions. In addition to highlighting the differences and similarities between hospital and primary care settings, the study suggests that a broad conceptualisation of patient safety is required, which encompasses the safety concerns of patients in primary care settings. © 2015 The Authors. Sociology of Health & Illness published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Foundation for SHIL.

  7. Relationship between ethical leadership and organisational commitment of nurses with perception of patient safety culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lotfi, Zahra; Atashzadeh-Shoorideh, Foroozan; Mohtashami, Jamileh; Nasiri, Maliheh

    2018-03-12

    To determine the relationship between ethical leadership, organisational commitment of nurses and their perception of patient safety culture. Patient safety, organisational commitment and ethical leadership styles are very important for improving the quality of nursing care. In this descriptive-correlational study, 340 nurses were selected using random sampling from the hospitals in Tehran in 2016. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS v.20. There was a significant positive relationship between the ethical leadership of nursing managers, perception of patient safety culture and organisational commitment. The regression analysis showed that nursing managers' ethical leadership and nurses' organisational commitment is a predictor of patient safety culture and confirms the relationship between the variables. Regarding the relationship between the nurses' safety performance, ethical leadership and organisational commitment, it seems that the optimisation of the organisational commitment and adherence to ethical leadership by administrators and managers in hospitals could improve the nurses' performance in terms of patient safety. Implementing ethical leadership seems to be one feasible strategy to improve nurses' organisational commitment and perception of patient safety culture. Efforts by nurse managers to develop ethical leadership reinforce organisational commitment to improve patient outcomes. Nurse managers' engagement and performance in this process is vital for a successful result. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  8. 76 FR 79192 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From the Georgia Hospital Association...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-12-21

    ... Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From the Georgia Hospital Association Research and Education Foundation Patient Safety Organization (GHA-PSO) AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), HHS... The Georgia Hospital Association Research and Education Foundation Patient Safety Organization (GHA...

  9. Patients' experiences of safety during haemodialysis treatment--a qualitative study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lovink, Marleen H; Kars, Marijke C; de Man-van Ginkel, Janneke M; Schoonhoven, Lisette

    2015-01-01

    AIM: To explore the experiences of safety of adult patients during their haemodialysis treatment. BACKGROUND: Haemodialysis is a complex treatment with a risk for harm that causes anxiety among many patients. To date, no in-depth study of haemodialysis patients' emotional responses to conditions of

  10. Patients' experiences of safety during haemodialysis treatment - a qualitative study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lovink, M.H.; Kars, M.C.; Man-van Ginkel, J.M. de; Schoonhoven, L.

    2015-01-01

    AIM: To explore the experiences of safety of adult patients during their haemodialysis treatment. BACKGROUND: Haemodialysis is a complex treatment with a risk for harm that causes anxiety among many patients. To date, no in-depth study of haemodialysis patients' emotional responses to conditions of

  11. “Health Courts” and Accountability for Patient Safety

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mello, Michelle M; Studdert, David M; Kachalia, Allen B; Brennan, Troyen A

    2006-01-01

    Proposals that medical malpractice claims be removed from the tort system and processed in an alternative system, known as administrative compensation or ‘health courts,’ attract considerable policy interest during malpractice ‘crises,’ including the current one. This article describes current proposals for the design of a health court system and the system's advantages for improving patient safety. Among these advantages are the cultivation of a culture of transparency regarding medical errors and the creation of mechanisms to gather and analyze data on medical injuries. The article discusses the experiences of foreign countries with administrative compensation systems for medical injury, including their use of claims data for research on patient safety; choices regarding the compensation system's relationship to physician disciplinary processes; and the proposed system's possible limitations. PMID:16953807

  12. Patient Safety in Pediatrics: a Developing Discipline

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    C. van der Starre (Cynthia)

    2011-01-01

    markdownabstract__Abstract__ The publication of the breakthrough report “To Err is Human” by the Institute of Medicine was the launch of patient safety initiatives all over the world. In the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Erasmus MC-Sophia Children’s Hospital this resulted in the institution

  13. Implementation of patient safety and patient-centeredness strategies in Iranian hospitals.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Asgar Aghaei Hashjin

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To examine the extent of implementation for patient safety (PS and patient-centeredness (PC strategies and their association with hospital characteristics (type, ownership, teaching status, annual evaluation grade in Iran. METHODS: A cross-sectional study through an adapted version of the MARQuIS questionnaire, eliciting information from hospital and nursing managers in 84 Iranian hospitals on the implementation of PS and PC strategies in 2009-2010. RESULTS: The majority of hospitals reported to have implemented 84% of the PS and 72% of the PC strategies. In general, implementation of PS strategies was unrelated to the type of hospital, with the exception of health promotion reports, which were more common in the Social Security Organization (SSO, and MRSA testing, which was reported more often in nonprofit hospitals. MRSA testing was also more common among teaching hospitals compared to non-teaching hospitals. The higher grade hospitals reported PS strategies significantly more frequently than lower grade hospitals. Overall, there was no significant difference in the reported implementation of PC strategies across general and specialized hospitals; except for the provision of information in different languages and recording of patient's diet which were reported significantly more often by general than specialized hospitals. Moreover, patient hotel services were more common in private compared to public hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: Despite substantial reporting of PS and PC strategies, there is still room for strengthening standard setting on safety, patient services and patient-centered information strategies in Iranian hospitals. To assure effective implementation of PS and PC strategies, enforcing standards, creating a PS and PC culture, increasing organizational responsiveness, and partnering with patients and their families need more attention.

  14. Implementation of patient safety and patient-centeredness strategies in Iranian hospitals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aghaei Hashjin, Asgar; Kringos, Dionne S; Manoochehri, Jila; Ravaghi, Hamid; Klazinga, Niek S

    2014-01-01

    To examine the extent of implementation for patient safety (PS) and patient-centeredness (PC) strategies and their association with hospital characteristics (type, ownership, teaching status, annual evaluation grade) in Iran. A cross-sectional study through an adapted version of the MARQuIS questionnaire, eliciting information from hospital and nursing managers in 84 Iranian hospitals on the implementation of PS and PC strategies in 2009-2010. The majority of hospitals reported to have implemented 84% of the PS and 72% of the PC strategies. In general, implementation of PS strategies was unrelated to the type of hospital, with the exception of health promotion reports, which were more common in the Social Security Organization (SSO), and MRSA testing, which was reported more often in nonprofit hospitals. MRSA testing was also more common among teaching hospitals compared to non-teaching hospitals. The higher grade hospitals reported PS strategies significantly more frequently than lower grade hospitals. Overall, there was no significant difference in the reported implementation of PC strategies across general and specialized hospitals; except for the provision of information in different languages and recording of patient's diet which were reported significantly more often by general than specialized hospitals. Moreover, patient hotel services were more common in private compared to public hospitals. Despite substantial reporting of PS and PC strategies, there is still room for strengthening standard setting on safety, patient services and patient-centered information strategies in Iranian hospitals. To assure effective implementation of PS and PC strategies, enforcing standards, creating a PS and PC culture, increasing organizational responsiveness, and partnering with patients and their families need more attention.

  15. Understanding middle managers' influence in implementing patient safety culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gutberg, Jennifer; Berta, Whitney

    2017-08-22

    The past fifteen years have been marked by large-scale change efforts undertaken by healthcare organizations to improve patient safety and patient-centered care. Despite substantial investment of effort and resources, many of these large-scale or "radical change" initiatives, like those in other industries, have enjoyed limited success - with practice and behavioural changes neither fully adopted nor ultimately sustained - which has in large part been ascribed to inadequate implementation efforts. Culture change to "patient safety culture" (PSC) is among these radical change initiatives, where results to date have been mixed at best. This paper responds to calls for research that focus on explicating factors that affect efforts to implement radical change in healthcare contexts, and focuses on PSC as the radical change implementation. Specifically, this paper offers a novel conceptual model based on Organizational Learning Theory to explain the ability of middle managers in healthcare organizations to influence patient safety culture change. We propose that middle managers can capitalize on their unique position between upper and lower levels in the organization and engage in 'ambidextrous' learning that is critical to implementing and sustaining radical change. This organizational learning perspective offers an innovative way of framing the mid-level managers' role, through both explorative and exploitative activities, which further considers the necessary organizational context in which they operate.

  16. The Patient Safety Attitudes among the Operating Room Personnel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cherdsak Iramaneerat

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Background: The first step in cultivating the culture of safety in the operating room is the assessment of safety culture among operating room personnel. Objective: To assess the patient safety culture of operating room personnel at the Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, and compare attitudes among different groups of personnel, and compare them with the international standards. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of safety attitudes among 396 operating room personnel, using a short form of the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ. The SAQ employed 30 items to assess safety culture in six dimensions: teamwork climate, safety climate, stress recognition, perception of hospital management, working conditions, and job satisfaction. The subscore of each dimension was calculated and converted to a scale score with a full score of 100, where higher scores indicated better safety attitudes. Results: The response rate was 66.4%. The overall safety culture score of the operating room personnel was 65.02, higher than an international average (61.80. Operating room personnel at Siriraj Hospital had safety attitudes in teamwork climate, safety climate, and stress recognition lower than the international average, but had safety attitudes in the perception of hospital management, working conditions, and job satisfaction higher than the international average. Conclusion: The safety culture attitudes of operating room personnel at the Department of Surgery, Siriraj Hospital were comparable to international standards. The safety dimensions that Siriraj Hospital operating room should try to improve were teamwork climate, safety climate, and stress recognition.

  17. Composite augmentation phalloplasty: personal experience after 275 patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan Monreal

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Aim: To report the author's experience in augmentation phalloplasty by studying a retrospective series of patients who underwent fat grafting for girth enhancement or a composite technique based on suspensory ligament release plus fat grafting performed simultaneously. Methods: The author analyzed retrospectively the outcomes of 275 augmentation phalloplasty procedures performed in 259 patients until November 2013. Of these, 127 correspond to girth augmentation with fat grafting and 148 to composite augmentation phalloplasty (girth augmentation with fat grafting and length improvement by suspensory ligament release. In 16 patients girth and length enhancement were performed in two separate procedures. Results: Of this 259 patients, 87 underwent postoperative follow-up for at least 12 months and 160 patients underwent follow-up for at least 6 months. The average increase in circumference at 6 months was 1.7 cm (1.57 cm at 12 months and the average increase in length of 3.2 cm (3.1 cm at 12 months. Twenty-two patients showed minor complications that were treated without sequelae and without influencing the final result. Conclusion: By judicious use of currently available techniques, it is possible to achieve stable increases in penis size. The use of composite techniques provides better final results than the use of individual techniques performed alone due to the increase of the actual volume of the penis. An adequate informed consent is essential in all patients due to the unrealistic expectations expressed by the majority of them.

  18. Patient safety culture in out-of-hours primary care services in the Netherlands: a cross-sectional survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smits, Marleen; Keizer, Ellen; Giesen, Paul; Deilkås, Ellen Catharina Tveter; Hofoss, Dag; Bondevik, Gunnar Tschudi

    2018-03-01

    To examine patient safety culture in Dutch out-of-hours primary care using the safety attitudes questionnaire (SAQ) which includes five factors: teamwork climate, safety climate, job satisfaction, perceptions of management and communication openness. Cross-sectional observational study using an anonymous web-survey. Setting Sixteen out-of-hours general practitioner (GP) cooperatives and two call centers in the Netherlands. Subjects Primary healthcare providers in out-of-hours services. Main outcome measures Mean scores on patient safety culture factors; association between patient safety culture and profession, gender, age, and working experience. Overall response rate was 43%. A total of 784 respondents were included; mainly GPs (N = 470) and triage nurses (N = 189). The healthcare providers were most positive about teamwork climate and job satisfaction, and less about communication openness and safety climate. The largest variation between clinics was found on safety climate; the lowest on teamwork climate. Triage nurses scored significantly higher than GPs on each of the five patient safety factors. Older healthcare providers scored significantly higher than younger on safety climate and perceptions of management. More working experience was positively related to higher teamwork climate and communication openness. Gender was not associated with any of the patient safety factors. Our study showed that healthcare providers perceive patient safety culture in Dutch GP cooperatives positively, but there are differences related to the respondents' profession, age and working experience. Recommendations for future studies are to examine reasons for these differences, to examine the effects of interventions to improve safety culture and to make international comparisons of safety culture. Key Points Creating a positive patient safety culture is assumed to be a prerequisite for quality and safety. We found that: • healthcare providers in Dutch GP cooperatives

  19. An analysis of electronic health record-related patient safety concerns

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meeks, Derek W; Smith, Michael W; Taylor, Lesley; Sittig, Dean F; Scott, Jean M; Singh, Hardeep

    2014-01-01

    Objective A recent Institute of Medicine report called for attention to safety issues related to electronic health records (EHRs). We analyzed EHR-related safety concerns reported within a large, integrated healthcare system. Methods The Informatics Patient Safety Office of the Veterans Health Administration (VA) maintains a non-punitive, voluntary reporting system to collect and investigate EHR-related safety concerns (ie, adverse events, potential events, and near misses). We analyzed completed investigations using an eight-dimension sociotechnical conceptual model that accounted for both technical and non-technical dimensions of safety. Using the framework analysis approach to qualitative data, we identified emergent and recurring safety concerns common to multiple reports. Results We extracted 100 consecutive, unique, closed investigations between August 2009 and May 2013 from 344 reported incidents. Seventy-four involved unsafe technology and 25 involved unsafe use of technology. A majority (70%) involved two or more model dimensions. Most often, non-technical dimensions such as workflow, policies, and personnel interacted in a complex fashion with technical dimensions such as software/hardware, content, and user interface to produce safety concerns. Most (94%) safety concerns related to either unmet data-display needs in the EHR (ie, displayed information available to the end user failed to reduce uncertainty or led to increased potential for patient harm), software upgrades or modifications, data transmission between components of the EHR, or ‘hidden dependencies’ within the EHR. Discussion EHR-related safety concerns involving both unsafe technology and unsafe use of technology persist long after ‘go-live’ and despite the sophisticated EHR infrastructure represented in our data source. Currently, few healthcare institutions have reporting and analysis capabilities similar to the VA. Conclusions Because EHR-related safety concerns have complex

  20. Mentorship for newly appointed physicians: a strategy for enhancing patient safety?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harrison, Reema; McClean, Serwaa; Lawton, Rebecca; Wright, John; Kay, Clive

    2014-09-01

    Mentorship is an increasingly popular innovation from business and industry that is being applied in health-care contexts. This paper explores the concept of mentorship for newly appointed physicians in their first substantive senior post, and specifically its utilization to enhance patient safety. Semi-structured face to face and telephone interviews with Medical Directors (n = 5), Deputy Medical Directors (n = 4), and Clinical Directors (n = 6) from 9 acute NHS Trusts in the Yorkshire and Humber region in the north of England. A focused thematic analysis was used. A number of beneficial outcomes were associated with mentorship for newly appointed physicians including greater personal and professional support, organizational commitment, and general well-being. Providing newly appointed senior physicians with support through mentorship was considered to enhance the safety of patient care. Mentorship may prevent or reduce active failures, be used to identify threats in the local working environment, and in the longer term, address latent threats to safety within the organization by encouraging a healthier safety culture. Offering mentorship to all newly appointed physicians in their first substantive post in health care may be a useful strategy to support the development of their clinical, professional, and personal skills in this transitional period that may also enhance the safety of patient care.

  1. Patient safety in maternal healthcare at secondary and tertiary level facilities in Delhi, India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chandrakant Lahariya

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: There is insufficient information on causes of unsafe care at facility levels in India. This study was conducted to understand the challenges in government hospitals in ensuring patient safety and to propose solutions to improve patient care. Materials and Methods: Desk review, in-depth interviews, and focused group discussions were conducted between January and March 2014. Healthcare providers and nodal persons for patient safety in Gynecology and Obstetrics Departments of government health facilities from Delhi state of India were included. Data were analyzed using qualitative research methods and presented adopting the "health system approach." Results: The patient safety was a major concern among healthcare providers. The key challenges identified were scarcity of resources, overcrowding at health facilities, poor communications, patient handovers, delay in referrals, and the limited continuity of care. Systematic attention on the training of care providers involved in service delivery, prescription audits, peer reviews, facility level capacity building plan, additional financial resources, leadership by institutional heads and policy makers were suggested as possible solutions. Conclusions: There is increasing awareness and understanding about challenges in patient safety. The available local information could be used for selection, designing, and implementation of measures to improve patient safety at facility levels. A systematic and sustained approach with attention on all functions of health systems could be beneficial. Patient safety could be used as an entry point to improve the quality of health care services in India.

  2. PReSaFe: A model of barriers and facilitators to patients providing feedback on experiences of safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Brún, Aoife; Heavey, Emily; Waring, Justin; Dawson, Pamela; Scott, Jason

    2017-08-01

    The importance of involving patients in reporting on safety is increasingly recognized. Whilst studies have identified barriers to clinician incident reporting, few have explored barriers and facilitators to patient reporting of safety experiences. This paper explores patient perspectives on providing feedback on safety experiences. Patients (n=28) were invited to take part in semi-structured interviews when given a survey about their experiences of safety following hospital discharge. Transcripts were thematically analysed using NVivo10. Patients were recruited from four hospitals in the UK. Three themes were identified as barriers and facilitators to patient involvement in providing feedback on their safety experiences. The first, cognitive-cultural, found that whilst safety was a priority for most, some felt the term was not relevant to them because safety was the "default" position, and/or because safety could not be disentangled from the overall experience of care. The structural-procedural theme indicated that reporting was facilitated when patients saw the process as straightforward, but that disinclination or perceived inability to provide feedback was a barrier. Finally, learning and change illustrated that perception of the impact of feedback could facilitate or inhibit reporting. When collecting patient feedback on experiences of safety, it is important to consider what may help or hinder this process, beyond the process alone. We present a staged model of prerequisite barriers and facilitators and hypothesize that each stage needs to be achieved for patients to provide feedback on safety experiences. Implications for collecting meaningful data on patients' safety experiences are considered. © 2016 The Authors. Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  3. Safety of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients with Cardiac Devices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nazarian, Saman; Hansford, Rozann; Rahsepar, Amir A; Weltin, Valeria; McVeigh, Diana; Gucuk Ipek, Esra; Kwan, Alan; Berger, Ronald D; Calkins, Hugh; Lardo, Albert C; Kraut, Michael A; Kamel, Ihab R; Zimmerman, Stefan L; Halperin, Henry R

    2017-12-28

    Patients who have pacemakers or defibrillators are often denied the opportunity to undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) because of safety concerns, unless the devices meet certain criteria specified by the Food and Drug Administration (termed "MRI-conditional" devices). We performed a prospective, nonrandomized study to assess the safety of MRI at a magnetic field strength of 1.5 Tesla in 1509 patients who had a pacemaker (58%) or an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (42%) that was not considered to be MRI-conditional (termed a "legacy" device). Overall, the patients underwent 2103 thoracic and nonthoracic MRI examinations that were deemed to be clinically necessary. The pacing mode was changed to asynchronous mode for pacing-dependent patients and to demand mode for other patients. Tachyarrhythmia functions were disabled. Outcome assessments included adverse events and changes in the variables that indicate lead and generator function and interaction with surrounding tissue (device parameters). No long-term clinically significant adverse events were reported. In nine MRI examinations (0.4%; 95% confidence interval, 0.2 to 0.7), the patient's device reset to a backup mode. The reset was transient in eight of the nine examinations. In one case, a pacemaker with less than 1 month left of battery life reset to ventricular inhibited pacing and could not be reprogrammed; the device was subsequently replaced. The most common notable change in device parameters (>50% change from baseline) immediately after MRI was a decrease in P-wave amplitude, which occurred in 1% of the patients. At long-term follow-up (results of which were available for 63% of the patients), the most common notable changes from baseline were decreases in P-wave amplitude (in 4% of the patients), increases in atrial capture threshold (4%), increases in right ventricular capture threshold (4%), and increases in left ventricular capture threshold (3%). The observed changes in lead parameters

  4. Relationship of hospital organizational culture to patient safety climate in the Veterans Health Administration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hartmann, Christine W; Meterko, Mark; Rosen, Amy K; Shibei Zhao; Shokeen, Priti; Singer, Sara; Gaba, David M

    2009-06-01

    Improving safety climate could enhance patient safety, yet little evidence exists regarding the relationship between hospital characteristics and safety climate. This study assessed the relationship between hospitals' organizational culture and safety climate in Veterans Health Administration (VA) hospitals nationally. Data were collected from a sample of employees in a stratified random sample of 30 VA hospitals over a 6-month period (response rate = 50%; n = 4,625). The Patient Safety Climate in Healthcare Organizations (PSCHO) and the Zammuto and Krakower surveys were used to measure safety climate and organizational culture, respectively. Higher levels of safety climate were significantly associated with higher levels of group and entrepreneurial cultures, while lower levels of safety climate were associated with higher levels of hierarchical culture. Hospitals could use these results to design specific interventions aimed at improving safety climate.

  5. Measuring patient safety in a UK dental hospital: development of a dental clinical effectiveness dashboard.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pemberton, M N; Ashley, M P; Shaw, A; Dickson, S; Saksena, A

    2014-10-01

    Patient safety is an important marker of quality for any healthcare organisation. In 2008, the British Government white paper entitled High quality care for all, resulting from a review led by Lord Darzi, identified patient safety as a key component of quality and discussed how it might be measured, analysed and acted upon. National and local clinically curated metrics were suggested, which could be displayed via a 'clinical dashboard'. This paper explains the development of a clinical effectiveness dashboard focused on patient safety in an English dental hospital and how it has helped us identify relevant patient safety issues in secondary dental care.

  6. 78 FR 55257 - Patient Safety and Quality Improvement: Civil Money Penalty Inflation Adjustment

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-09-10

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Patient Safety and Quality Improvement: Civil Money... Civil Rights has determined that an adjustment to the maximum civil money penalty amount for violations... confidentiality and privilege protections of Patient Safety Work Product (PSWP), and procedures for enforcement...

  7. Learning Patient Safety in Academic Settings: A Comparative Study of Finnish and British Nursing Students' Perceptions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tella, Susanna; Smith, Nancy-Jane; Partanen, Pirjo; Turunen, Hannele

    2015-06-01

    Globalization of health care demands nursing education programs that equip students with evidence-based patient safety competences in the global context. Nursing students' entrance into clinical placements requires professional readiness. Thus, evidence-based learning activities about patient safety must be provided in academic settings prior to students' clinical placements. To explore and compare Finnish and British nursing students' perceptions of learning about patient safety in academic settings to inform nursing educators about designing future education curriculum. A purpose-designed instrument, Patient Safety in Nursing Education Questionnaire (PaSNEQ) was used to examine the perceptions of Finnish (n = 195) and British (n = 158) nursing students prior to their final year of registration. Data were collected in two Finnish and two English nursing schools in 2012. Logistic regressions were used to analyze the differences. British students reported more inclusion (p motivation" related to patient safety in their programs. Both student groups considered patient safety education to be more valuable for their own learning than what their programs had provided. Training patient safety skills in the academic settings were the strongest predictors for differences (odds ratio [OR] = 34.69, 95% confidence interval [CI] 7.39-162.83), along with work experience in the healthcare sector (OR = 3.02, 95% CI 1.39-6.58). To prepare nursing students for practical work, training related to clear communication, reporting errors, systems-based approaches, interprofessional teamwork, and use of simulation in academic settings requires comprehensive attention, especially in Finland. Overall, designing patient safety-affirming nursing curricula in collaboration with students may enhance their positive experiences on teaching and learning about patient safety. An international collaboration between educators could help to develop and harmonize patient safety education and to better

  8. [An approach to care indicators benchmarking. Learning to improve patient safety].

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Andrés Gimeno, B; Salazar de la Guerra, R M; Ferrer Arnedo, C; Revuelta Zamorano, M; Ayuso Murillo, D; González Soria, J

    2014-01-01

    Improvements in clinical safety can be achieved by promoting a safety culture, professional training, and learning through benchmarking. The aim of this study was to identify areas for improvement after analysing the safety indicators in two public Hospitals in North-West Madrid Region. Descriptive study performed during 2011 in Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro Majadahonda (HUPHM) and Hospital de Guadarrama (HG). The variables under study were 40 indicators on nursing care related to patient safety. Nineteen of them were defined in the SENECA project as care quality standards in order to improve patient safety in the hospitals. The data collected were clinical history, Madrid Health Service assessment reports, care procedures, and direct observation Within the 40 indicators: 22 of them were structured (procedures), HUPHM had 86%, and HG 95% 14 process indicators (training and protocols compliance) with similar results in both hospitals, apart from the care continuity reports and training in hand hygiene. The 4 results indicators (pressure ulcer, falls and pain) showed different results. The analysis of the indicators allowed the following actions to be taken: to identify improvements to be made in each hospital, to develop joint safety recommendations in nursing care protocols in prevention and treatment of chronic wound, to establish systematic pain assessments, and to prepare continuity care reports on all patients transferred from HUPHM to HG. Copyright © 2013 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  9. The impact of nurse working hours on patient safety culture: a cross-national survey including Japan, the United States and Chinese Taiwan using the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture

    OpenAIRE

    Wu, Yinghui; Fujita, Shigeru; Seto, Kanako; Ito, Shinya; Matsumoto, Kunichika; Huang, Chiu-Chin; Hasegawa, Tomonori

    2013-01-01

    Background A positive patient safety culture (PSC) is one of the most critical components to improve healthcare quality and safety. The Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPS), developed by the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, has been used to assess PSC in 31 countries. However, little is known about the impact of nurse working hours on PSC. We hypothesized that long nurse working hours would deteriorate PSC, and that the deterioration patterns would vary between coun...

  10. Comparing safety climate in naval aviation and hospitals: implications for improving patient safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singer, Sara J; Rosen, Amy; Zhao, Shibei; Ciavarelli, Anthony P; Gaba, David M

    2010-01-01

    with naval aviation. Major interventions to bolster hospital safety climate continue to be required to improve patient safety.

  11. Is culture associated with patient safety in the emergency department? A study of staff perspectives.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Verbeek-van Noord, I.; Wagner, C.; Dyck, C. van; Twisk, J.W.R.; Bruijne, M.C. de

    2014-01-01

    Objective: To describe the patient safety culture of Dutch emergency departments (EDs), to examine associations between safety culture dimensions and patient safety grades as reported by ED staff and to compare these associations between nurses and physicians. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey

  12. Effects of Implemented Initiatives on Patient Safety Culture in Fateme Al-zahra Hospital in Najafabad

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmadreza Izadi

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Patient safety improvement requires ongoing culture. This cultural change is the most important challenge that managers are faced with in creation of a safe system. This study aims to show the results of initiatives to improvement in patient safety culture in Fateme Al-zahra hospital. Method: In the quasi-experimental research, patient safety culture was measured using the Persian questionnaire on adaptation of the hospital survey on patient safety culture in 12 dimensions. The research was conducted before (January 2010 and after (September 2012 the improvement initiatives. In this study, all units were determined and no sampling method was used. Reliability of the questionnaire was tested by Alpha Chronbakh (0.83. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics indices and Independent T-Test by SPSS Software (version 18. Results: 350 questionnaires were distributed in each phaseand overall response rate was 58 and 56 percent, respectively. According to Independent T-test, Management expectations and actions, Organizational learning, Management support, Feedback and communication about error, Communication openness, Overall Perceptions of Safety, Non-punitive Response to Error, Frequency of Event Reporting, and Patient safety culture showed significant differences (P-value0.05. The mean score of Patient safety culture was 2.27 (from 5 and it was increased to 2.46 after initiatives that showed a significant difference (P-value<0.05. Conclusion: Although, improvement in patient safety culture needs teamwork and continuous attempts, the study showed that initiatives implemented in the case hospital had been effective in some dimensions. However, Teamwork within hospital units, Teamwork across units, Hospital handoffs and transitions, and Staffing dimensions were recognized for further intervention. Hospital could improve the patient safety culture with planning and measures in these dimensions.

  13. Application of patient safety indicators internationally: a pilot study among seven countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drösler, Saskia E; Klazinga, Niek S; Romano, Patrick S; Tancredi, Daniel J; Gogorcena Aoiz, Maria A; Hewitt, Moira C; Scobie, Sarah; Soop, Michael; Wen, Eugene; Quan, Hude; Ghali, William A; Mattke, Soeren; Kelley, Edward

    2009-08-01

    To explore the potential for international comparison of patient safety as part of the Health Care Quality Indicators project of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) by evaluating patient safety indicators originally published by the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). A retrospective cross-sectional study. Acute care hospitals in the USA, UK, Sweden, Spain, Germany, Canada and Australia in 2004 and 2005/2006. Routine hospitalization-related administrative data from seven countries were analyzed. Using algorithms adapted to the diagnosis and procedure coding systems in place in each country, authorities in each of the participating countries reported summaries of the distribution of hospital-level and overall (national) rates for each AHRQ Patient Safety Indicator to the OECD project secretariat. Each country's vector of national indicator rates and the vector of American patient safety indicators rates published by AHRQ (and re-estimated as part of this study) were highly correlated (0.821-0.966). However, there was substantial systematic variation in rates across countries. This pilot study reveals that AHRQ Patient Safety Indicators can be applied to international hospital data. However, the analyses suggest that certain indicators (e.g. 'birth trauma', 'complications of anesthesia') may be too unreliable for international comparisons. Data quality varies across countries; undercoding may be a systematic problem in some countries. Efforts at international harmonization of hospital discharge data sets as well as improved accuracy of documentation should facilitate future comparative analyses of routine databases.

  14. [Exploration of the Association Between Workplace Bullying and Attitudes Toward Patient Safety in Female Nurses].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Yuh-Hsuan; Hsiao, Shu-Tai Sheen; Lin, Chiou-Fen; Yang, Chyn-Yng; Chung, Min-Huey

    2018-02-01

    Workplace bullying is known to have a significant and detrimental effect on the physical and psychological outcomes of its victims. The reactions of victims to bullying may decrease clinical care outcomes and patient safety. To explore the relationship between workplace bullying and the attitudes of female nurses toward the safety of their patients. This cross-sectional survey study used convenience sampling. Participants included female nurses from a regional teaching hospital. The research tool was a three-part, structured questionnaire that included a basic personal information datasheet, negative behavior scale, and patient safety attitude scale. The researcher distributed 420 questionnaires and collected 329 valid samples (valid return rate: 78.3%). Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 22.0. The analysis found that 29.8% of the participants had suffered from various degrees of workplace bullying. The mean score for patient safety attitudes was 3.58 (standard deviation = 0.55). Workplace bullying and patient safety attitudes were negatively correlated (p workplace bullying was identified as a significant predictor of attitudes toward patient safety. Based on the results, we suggest that supervisors should take the initiative to care for their nursing staffs and to provide them with training in conflict-oriented skills. Organization managers should set up relevant committee-notification mechanisms that construct the safe working environment necessary to reduce workplace bullying and to enhance the patient safety attitudes of nurses, which will indirectly improve the quality of patient care.

  15. Improving patient safety in radiotherapy through error reporting and analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Findlay, Ú.; Best, H.; Ottrey, M.

    2016-01-01

    Aim: To improve patient safety in radiotherapy (RT) through the analysis and publication of radiotherapy errors and near misses (RTE). Materials and methods: RTE are submitted on a voluntary basis by NHS RT departments throughout the UK to the National Reporting and Learning System (NRLS) or directly to Public Health England (PHE). RTE are analysed by PHE staff using frequency trend analysis based on the classification and pathway coding from Towards Safer Radiotherapy (TSRT). PHE in conjunction with the Patient Safety in Radiotherapy Steering Group publish learning from these events, on a triannual and summarised on a biennial basis, so their occurrence might be mitigated. Results: Since the introduction of this initiative in 2010, over 30,000 (RTE) reports have been submitted. The number of RTE reported in each biennial cycle has grown, ranging from 680 (2010) to 12,691 (2016) RTE. The vast majority of the RTE reported are lower level events, thus not affecting the outcome of patient care. Of the level 1 and 2 incidents reported, it is known the majority of them affected only one fraction of a course of treatment. This means that corrective action could be taken over the remaining treatment fractions so the incident did not have a significant impact on the patient or the outcome of their treatment. Analysis of the RTE reports demonstrates that generation of error is not confined to one professional group or to any particular point in the pathway. It also indicates that the pattern of errors is replicated across service providers in the UK. Conclusion: Use of the terminology, classification and coding of TSRT, together with implementation of the national voluntary reporting system described within this report, allows clinical departments to compare their local analysis to the national picture. Further opportunities to improve learning from this dataset must be exploited through development of the analysis and development of proactive risk management strategies

  16. 78 FR 6819 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From The Connecticut Hospital Association...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-31

    ... Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From The Connecticut Hospital Association Federal Patient Safety Organization AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), HHS. ACTION: Notice of delisting..., 42 U.S.C. 299b-21--b-26, provides for the formation of Patient Safety Organizations (PSOs), which...

  17. Patient safety in the care of mentally ill people in Switzerland: Action plan 2016

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richard, Aline; Mascherek, Anna C; Schwappach, David L B

    2017-01-01

    Background: Patient safety in mental healthcare has not attracted great attention yet, although the burden and the prevalence of mental diseases are high. The risk of errors with potential for harm of patients, such as aggression against self and others or non-drug treatment errors is particularly high in this vulnerable group. Aim: To develop priority topics and strategies for action to foster patient safety in mental healthcare. Method: The Swiss patient safety foundation together with experts conducted round table discussions and a Delphi questionnaire to define topics along the treatment pathway, and to prioritise these topics. Finally, fields of action were developed. Results: An action plan was developed including the definition and prioritization of 9 topics where errors may occur. A global rating task revealed errors concerning diagnostics and structural errors as most important. This led to the development of 4 fields of action (awareness raising, research, implementation, and education and training) including practice-oriented potential starting points to enhance patient safety. Conclusions: The action plan highlights issues of high concern for patient safety in mental healthcare. It serves as a starting point for the development of strategies for action as well as of concrete activities.

  18. Quality management, a directive approach to patient safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ayuso-Murillo, Diego; de Andrés-Gimeno, Begoña; Noriega-Matanza, Concha; López-Suárez, Rafael Jesús; Herrera-Peco, Ivan

    Nowadays the implementation of effective quality management systems and external evaluation in healthcare is a necessity to ensure not only transparency in activities related to health but also access to health and patient safety. The key to correctly implementing a quality management system is support from the managers of health facilities, since it is managers who design and communicate to health professionals the strategies of action involved in quality management systems. This article focuses on nursing managers' approach to quality management through the implementation of cycles of continuous improvement, participation of improvement groups, monitoring systems and external evaluation quality models (EFQM, ISO). The implementation of a quality management system will enable preventable adverse effects to be minimized or eliminated, and promote patient safety and safe practice by health professionals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  19. Nurses' Views Highlight a Need for the Systematic Development of Patient Safety Culture in Forensic Psychiatry Nursing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuosmanen, Anssi; Tiihonen, Jari; Repo-Tiihonen, Eila; Eronen, Markku; Turunen, Hannele

    2017-11-04

    Although forensic nurses work with the most challenging psychiatric patients and manifest a safety culture in their interactions with patients, there have been few studies on patient safety culture in forensic psychiatric nursing. The aim of this qualitative study was to describe nurses' views of patient safety culture in their working unit and daily hospital work in 2 forensic hospitals in Finland. Data were collected over a period of 1 month by inviting nurses to answer an open-ended question in an anonymous Web-based questionnaire. A qualitative inductive analysis was performed on nurses' (n = 72) written descriptions of patient safety culture in state-owned forensic hospitals where most Finnish forensic patients are treated. Six main themes were identified: "systematization of an open and trusting communication culture," "visible and close interaction between managers and staff," "nonpunitive responses to errors, learning and developing," "balancing staff and patient perspectives on safety culture," "operational safety guidelines," and "adequate human resources to ensure safety." The findings highlight the influence of the prevailing culture on safety behaviors and outcomes for both healthcare workers and patients. Additionally, they underline the importance of an open culture with open communication and protocols.

  20. Implementation of Patient Safety and Patient-Centeredness Strategies in Iranian Hospitals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aghaei Hashjin, Asgar; Kringos, Dionne S.; Manoochehri, Jila; Ravaghi, Hamid; Klazinga, Niek S.

    2014-01-01

    Objective To examine the extent of implementation for patient safety (PS) and patient-centeredness (PC) strategies and their association with hospital characteristics (type, ownership, teaching status, annual evaluation grade) in Iran. Methods A cross-sectional study through an adapted version of the MARQuIS questionnaire, eliciting information from hospital and nursing managers in 84 Iranian hospitals on the implementation of PS and PC strategies in 2009–2010. Results The majority of hospitals reported to have implemented 84% of the PS and 72% of the PC strategies. In general, implementation of PS strategies was unrelated to the type of hospital, with the exception of health promotion reports, which were more common in the Social Security Organization (SSO), and MRSA testing, which was reported more often in nonprofit hospitals. MRSA testing was also more common among teaching hospitals compared to non-teaching hospitals. The higher grade hospitals reported PS strategies significantly more frequently than lower grade hospitals. Overall, there was no significant difference in the reported implementation of PC strategies across general and specialized hospitals; except for the provision of information in different languages and recording of patient’s diet which were reported significantly more often by general than specialized hospitals. Moreover, patient hotel services were more common in private compared to public hospitals. Conclusions Despite substantial reporting of PS and PC strategies, there is still room for strengthening standard setting on safety, patient services and patient-centered information strategies in Iranian hospitals. To assure effective implementation of PS and PC strategies, enforcing standards, creating a PS and PC culture, increasing organizational responsiveness, and partnering with patients and their families need more attention. PMID:25268797

  1. Safety culture in a pharmacy setting using a pharmacy survey on patient safety culture: a cross-sectional study in China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jia, P L; Zhang, L H; Zhang, M M; Zhang, L L; Zhang, C; Qin, S F; Li, X L; Liu, K X

    2014-06-30

    To explore the attitudes and perceptions of patient safety culture for pharmacy workers in China by using a Pharmacy Survey on Patient Safety Culture (PSOPSC), and to assess the psychometric properties of the translated Chinese language version of the PSOPSC. Cross-sectional study. Data were obtained from 20 hospital pharmacies in the southwest part of China. We performed χ(2) test to explore the differences on pharmacy staff in different hospital and qualification levels and countries towards patient safety culture. We also computed descriptive statistics, internal consistency coefficients and intersubscale correlation analysis, and then conducted an exploratory factor analysis. A test-retest was performed to assess reproducibility of the items. A total of 630 questionnaires were distributed of which 527 were responded to validly (response rate 84%). The positive response rate for each item ranged from 37% to 90%. The positive response rate on three dimensions ('Teamwork', 'Staff Training and Skills' and 'Staffing, Work Pressure and Pace') was higher than that of Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) data (pculture at different hospital and qualification levels. The internal consistency of the total survey was comparatively satisfied (Cronbach's α=0.89). The results demonstrated that among the pharmacy staffs surveyed in China, there was a positive attitude towards patient safety culture in their organisations. Identifying perspectives of patient safety culture from pharmacists in different hospital and qualification levels are important, since this can help support decisions about action to improve safety culture in pharmacy settings. The Chinese translation of the PSOPSC questionnaire (V.2012) applied in our study is acceptable. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  2. The Armstrong Institute: An Academic Institute for Patient Safety and Quality Improvement, Research, Training, and Practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pronovost, Peter J; Holzmueller, Christine G; Molello, Nancy E; Paine, Lori; Winner, Laura; Marsteller, Jill A; Berenholtz, Sean M; Aboumatar, Hanan J; Demski, Renee; Armstrong, C Michael

    2015-10-01

    Academic medical centers (AMCs) could advance the science of health care delivery, improve patient safety and quality improvement, and enhance value, but many centers have fragmented efforts with little accountability. Johns Hopkins Medicine, the AMC under which the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Health System are organized, experienced similar challenges, with operational patient safety and quality leadership separate from safety and quality-related research efforts. To unite efforts and establish accountability, the Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality was created in 2011.The authors describe the development, purpose, governance, function, and challenges of the institute to help other AMCs replicate it and accelerate safety and quality improvement. The purpose is to partner with patients, their loved ones, and all interested parties to end preventable harm, continuously improve patient outcomes and experience, and eliminate waste in health care. A governance structure was created, with care mapped into seven categories, to oversee the quality and safety of all patients treated at a Johns Hopkins Medicine entity. The governance has a Patient Safety and Quality Board Committee that sets strategic goals, and the institute communicates these goals throughout the health system and supports personnel in meeting these goals. The institute is organized into 13 functional councils reflecting their behaviors and purpose. The institute works daily to build the capacity of clinicians trained in safety and quality through established programs, advance improvement science, and implement and evaluate interventions to improve the quality of care and safety of patients.

  3. Changing patient safety culture in China: a case study of an experimental Chinese hospital from a comparative perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gu, Yong Hong; Ng, Chui Shan; Cai, Xiao; Xu, Jun; Zhang, Xin Shi; Ke, Dong Ge; Yu, Qian Hui; Chan, Chi Kuen

    2018-01-01

    Background The World Health Organization highlights that patient safety interventions are not lacking but that the local context affects their successful implementation. Increasing attention is being paid to patient safety in Mainland China, yet few studies focus on patient safety in organizations with mixed cultures. This paper evaluates the current patient safety culture in an experimental Chinese hospital with a Hong Kong hospital management culture, and it aims to explore the application of Hong Kong’s patient safety strategies in the context of Mainland China. Methods A quantitative survey of 307 hospital staff members was conducted using the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture questionnaire. The findings were compared with a similar study on general Chinese hospitals and were appraised with reference to the Manchester Patient Safety Framework. Results Lower scores were observed among participants with the following characteristics: males, doctors, those with more work experience, those with higher education, and those from the general practice and otolaryngology departments. However, the case study hospital achieved better scores in management expectations, actions and support for patient safety, incident reporting and communication, and teamwork within units. Its weaknesses were related to non-punitive responses to errors, teamwork across units, and staffing. Conclusions The case study hospital contributes to a changing patient safety culture in Mainland China, yet its patient safety culture remains mostly bureaucratic. Further efforts could be made to deepen the staff’s patient safety culture mind-set, to realize a “bottom-up” approach to cultural change, to build up a comprehensive and integrated incident management system, and to improve team building and staffing for patient safety. PMID:29750061

  4. Does external evaluation of laboratories improve patient safety?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noble, Michael A

    2007-01-01

    Laboratory accreditation and External Quality Assessment (also called proficiency testing) are mainstays of laboratory quality assessment and performance. Both practices are associated with examples of improved laboratory performance. The relationship between laboratory performance and improved patient safety is more difficult to assess because of the many variables that are involved with patient outcome. Despite this difficulty, the argument to continue external evaluation of laboratories is too compelling to consider the alternative.

  5. Dental radiographic units - radiation safety and patient doses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagpal, J.S.; Varadharajan, Geetha

    2001-01-01

    Three models of dental radiographic machines have been examined for radiation safety. Using TL dosemeters, doses received by the patients at chest level and the gonads have been estimated. Care should be taken to shield gonads during dental radiographic examinations. (author)

  6. Patient safety in the operating room: an intervention study on latent risk factors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    van Beuzekom Martie

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Patient safety is one of the greatest challenges in healthcare. In the operating room errors are frequent and often consequential. This article describes an approach to a successful implementation of a patient safety program in the operating room, focussing on latent risk factors that influence patient safety. We performed an intervention to improve these latent risk factors (LRFs and increase awareness of patient safety issues amongst OR staff. Methods Latent risk factors were studied using a validated questionnaire applied to the OR staff before and after an intervention. A pre-test/post-test control group design with repeated measures was used to evaluate the effects of the interventions. The staff from one operating room of an university hospital acted as the intervention group. Controls consisted of the staff of the operating room in another university hospital. The outcomes were the changes in LRF scores, perceived incident rate, and changes in incident reports between pre- and post-intervention. Results Based on pre-test scores and participants’ key concerns about organizational factors affecting patient safety in their department the intervention focused on the following LRFs: Material Resources, Training and Staffing Recourses. After the intervention, the intervention operating room - compared to the control operating room - reported significantly fewer problems on Material Resources and Staffing Resources and a significantly lower score on perceived incident rate. The contribution of technical factors to incident causation decreased significantly in the intervention group after the intervention. Conclusion The change of state of latent risk factors can be measured using a patient safety questionnaire aimed at these factors. The change of the relevant risk factors (Material and Staffing resources concurred with a decrease in perceived and reported incident rates in the relevant categories. We conclude that

  7. Anesthesia Quality and Patient Safety in China: A Survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Bin; Gao, Huan; Zhou, Xiangyong; Huang, Jeffrey

    There has been no nationwide investigation into anesthesia quality and patient safety in China. The authors surveyed Chinese anesthesiologists about anesthesia quality by sending a survey to all anesthesiologist members of the New Youth Anesthesia Forum via WeChat. The respondents could choose to use a mobile device or desktop to complete the survey. The overall response rate was 43%. Intraoperative monitoring: 77.9% of respondents reported that electrocardiogram monitoring was routinely applied for all patients; only 55% of the respondents reported that they routinely used end-tidal carbon dioxide monitoring for their patients under general anesthesia. 10.3% of respondents admitted that they had at least one wrong medicine administration in the past 3 months; 12.4% reported that they had at least one case of cardiac arrest in the past year. This is the first anesthesia quality survey in China. The findings revealed potential anesthesia safety issues in China.

  8. [Improving patient safety through voluntary peer review].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kluge, S; Bause, H

    2015-01-01

    The intensive care unit (ICU) is one area of the hospital in which processes and communication are of primary importance. Errors in intensive care units can lead to serious adverse events with significant consequences for patients. Therefore quality and risk-management are important measures when treating critically ill patients. A pragmatic approach to support quality and safety in intensive care is peer review. This approach has gained significant acceptance over the past years. It consists of mutual visits by colleagues who conduct standardised peer reviews. These reviews focus on the systematic evaluation of the quality of an ICU's structure, its processes and outcome. Together with different associations, the State Chambers of Physicians and the German Medical Association have developed peer review as a standardized tool for quality improvement. The common goal of all stakeholders is the continuous and sustainable improvement in intensive care with peer reviews significantly increasing and improving communication between professions and disciplines. Peer reviews secure the sustainability of planned change processes and consequently lead the way to an improved culture of quality and safety.

  9. Language barriers and patient safety risks in hospital care. A mixed methods study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Rosse, Floor; de Bruijne, Martine; Suurmond, Jeanine; Essink-Bot, Marie-Louise; Wagner, Cordula

    2016-02-01

    A language barrier has been shown to be a threat for quality of hospital care. International studies highlighted a lack of adequate noticing, reporting, and bridging of a language barrier. However, studies on the link between language proficiency and patient safety are scarce, especially in Europe. The present study investigates patient safety risks due to language barriers during hospitalization, and the way language barriers are detected, reported, and bridged in Dutch hospital care. We combined quantitative and qualitative methods in a sample of 576 ethnic minority patients who were hospitalized on 30 wards within four urban hospitals. The nursing and medical records of 17 hospital admissions of patients with language barriers were qualitatively analyzed, and complemented by 12 in-depth interviews with care providers and patients and/or their relatives to identify patient safety risks during hospitalization. The medical records of all 576 patients were screened for language barrier reports. The results were compared to patients' self-reported Dutch language proficiency. The policies of wards regarding bridging language barriers were compared with the reported use of interpreters in the medical records. Situations in hospital care where a language barrier threatened patient safety included daily nursing tasks (i.e. medication administration, pain management, fluid balance management) and patient-physician interaction concerning diagnosis, risk communication and acute situations. In 30% of the patients that reported a low Dutch proficiency, no language barrier was documented in the patient record. Relatives of patients often functioned as interpreter for them and professional interpreters were hardly used. The present study showed a wide variety of risky situations in hospital care for patients with language barriers. These risks can be reduced by adequately bridging the language barrier, which, in the first place, demands adequate detecting and reporting of a

  10. The patient safety climate in healthcare organizations (PSCHO) survey: Short-form development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benzer, Justin K; Meterko, Mark; Singer, Sara J

    2017-08-01

    Measures of safety climate are increasingly used to guide safety improvement initiatives. However, cost and respondent burden may limit the use of safety climate surveys. The purpose of this study was to develop a 15- to 20-item safety climate survey based on the Patient Safety Climate in Healthcare Organizations survey, a well-validated 38-item measure of safety climate. The Patient Safety Climate in Healthcare Organizations was administered to all senior managers, all physicians, and a 10% random sample of all other hospital personnel in 69 private sector hospitals and 30 Veterans Health Administration hospitals. Both samples were randomly divided into a derivation sample to identify a short-form subset and a confirmation sample to assess the psychometric properties of the proposed short form. The short form consists of 15 items represented 3 overarching domains in the long-form scale-organization, work unit, and interpersonal. The proposed short form efficiently captures 3 important sources of variance in safety climate: organizational, work-unit, and interpersonal. The short-form development process was a practical method that can be applied to other safety climate surveys. This safety climate short form may increase response rates in studies that involve busy clinicians or repeated measures. Published 2017. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

  11. Exploring the Influence of Nurse Work Environment and Patient Safety Culture on Attitudes Toward Incident Reporting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoo, Moon Sook; Kim, Kyoung Ja

    2017-09-01

    The aim of this study was to explore the influence of nurse work environments and patient safety culture on attitudes toward incident reporting. Patient safety culture had been known as a factor of incident reporting by nurses. Positive work environment could be an important influencing factor for the safety behavior of nurses. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The structured questionnaire was administered to 191 nurses working at a tertiary university hospital in South Korea. Nurses' perception of work environment and patient safety culture were positively correlated with attitudes toward incident reporting. A regression model with clinical career, work area and nurse work environment, and patient safety culture against attitudes toward incident reporting was statistically significant. The model explained approximately 50.7% of attitudes toward incident reporting. Improving nurses' attitudes toward incident reporting can be achieved with a broad approach that includes improvements in work environment and patient safety culture.

  12. To make or buy patient safety solutions: a resource dependence and transaction cost economics perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fareed, Naleef; Mick, Stephen S

    2011-01-01

    For almost a decade, public and private organizations have pressured hospitals to improve their patient safety records. Since 2008, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has no longer been reimbursing hospitals for secondary diagnoses not reported during the point of admission. This ruling has motivated some hospitals to engage in safety-oriented programs to decrease adverse events. This study examined which hospitals may engage in patient safety solutions and whether they create these patient safety solutions within their structures or use suppliers in the market. We used a theoretical model that incorporates the key constructs of resource dependence theory and transaction cost economics theory to predict a hospital's reaction to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services "never event" regulations. We present propositions that speculate on how forces conceptualized from the resource dependence theory may affect adoption of patient safety innovations and, when they do, whether the adopting hospitals will do so internally or externally according to the transaction cost economics theory. On the basis of forces identified by the resource dependence theory, we predict that larger, teaching, safety net, horizontally integrated, highly interdependent, and public hospitals in concentrated, high public payer presence, competitive, and resource-rich environments will be more likely to engage in patient safety innovations. Following the logic of the transaction cost economics theory, we predict that of the hospitals that react positively to the never event regulation, most will internalize their innovations in patient safety solutions rather than approach the market, a choice that helps hospitals economize on transaction costs. This study helps hospital managers in their strategic thinking and planning in relation to current and future regulations related to patient safety. For researchers and policy analysts, our propositions provide the basis for empirical testing.

  13. Advancing perinatal patient safety through application of safety science principles using health IT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Webb, Jennifer; Sorensen, Asta; Sommerness, Samantha; Lasater, Beth; Mistry, Kamila; Kahwati, Leila

    2017-12-19

    The use of health information technology (IT) has been shown to promote patient safety in Labor and Delivery (L&D) units. The use of health IT to apply safety science principles (e.g., standardization) to L&D unit processes may further advance perinatal safety. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with L&D units participating in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's (AHRQ's) Safety Program for Perinatal Care (SPPC) to assess units' experience with program implementation. Analysis of interview transcripts was used to characterize the process and experience of using health IT for applying safety science principles to L&D unit processes. Forty-six L&D units from 10 states completed participation in SPPC program implementation; thirty-two (70%) reported the use of health IT as an enabling strategy for their local implementation. Health IT was used to improve standardization of processes, use of independent checks, and to facilitate learning from defects. L&D units standardized care processes through use of electronic health record (EHR)-based order sets and use of smart pumps and other technology to improve medication safety. Units also standardized EHR documentation, particularly related to electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) and shoulder dystocia. Cognitive aids and tools were integrated into EHR and care workflows to create independent checks such as checklists, risk assessments, and communication handoff tools. Units also used data from EHRs to monitor processes of care to learn from defects. Units experienced several challenges incorporating health IT, including obtaining organization approval, working with their busy IT departments, and retrieving standardized data from health IT systems. Use of health IT played an integral part in the planning and implementation of SPPC for participating L&D units. Use of health IT is an encouraging approach for incorporating safety science principles into care to improve perinatal safety and should be incorporated

  14. The Effect of Individual and Organizational Variables on Patient Safety Culture (PSC: A Case Study on Nurses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Khandan

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Background & Aims of the Study: The purpose of the hospital accreditation program is to improve the patients' safety. Prevention of mistakes in medical procedures, patients' safety risk identification and infection prevention besides the patients' safety culture (PSC are the key factors that must be considered in a successful patients' safety program.This study aimed to assess PSC and its association with demographic factors among nurses of a hospital in Qom, Iran. Materials & Methods: This research as a descriptive-analytical andcross-sectional study on the effect of individual and organizational variables on patients' safety culture among nurses was conducted in 2015. The final sample included 106 employees from one of the hospitals located in Qom province of Iran. The questionnaires consisted demographic questions and a valid questionnaire about patients' safety culture. T-test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation were conducted to analyze the data by SPSS V20. Results:The age of nurses was 35.15±10.33 (Mean±SD years. Results showed that the patients' safety climate scoreamongnurseswas 70.15±7.23. In addition, there are significant differences between groups of work shift and also education levels in the viewpoints of patients' safety (p0.05. Conclusions: Although, based on our finding,considered hospital had a suitable situation of patients' safety culture, but it is important to pay attention to continuous improvement in the scope of health care workers and patient safety to achieve criticalmission and visions of organizing. Job selection on the basis of demographic considerations and implementation of an accreditation plan for health care systems are two examples of how occupational safety and health tools can be used to provide quality improvement information for health care organizations such as hospitals.

  15. Patient Safety Culture Status From The Perspective Medical Staff Of Yasuj Hospitals In 2015

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M Rezaean

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Background & aim: One of the most important problems in the health sector, particularly in clinical centers, is the quality of healthcare. Patient safety is one of the most important elements in creating health care quality due to the fact that it is a critical component to the quality of health care and many errors are present in patient care and treatment practices..                                                               Thus, the aim of the present study was to determine the status of the patient safety culture and its relationship with events reported in Yasuj hospitals. Methods: The present descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 361 medical staff of Yasuj hospitals. The data were collected through a hospital survey on patient safety culture. The collected data were analyzed by using SPSS statistics soft ware version 21, using Descriptive methods, Pearson Coefficient, ANOVA, and T-Test. Results: The results of the present study revealed that the teamwork among hospital units (71/89percent, with expectations and management measures (66/38% in the case of safety obtained the most score and non-punitive response to errors (48/79% and manager support (55/88 percent obtained the least score. 73/7% of employees of three hospitals in the past 12 months did not report any event. In addition, there was a meaningful statistical relationship between the total score of safety culture and reporting the events. In this study, 15.5 % of respondents assess their safety culture in work as good, 44.3 % as acceptable and 30.5 percent reported poor. The overall safety culture among the three studied hospitals was 61.81 %. Results confirmed that the culture safety of patient in studied hospitals was average. Conclusions: The hospitals may rely on their strong points in terms of patient safety culture and try to remove their weak points to form a safe environment and appropriate

  16. Safety of Patient Mobilization and Rehabilitation in the Intensive Care Unit. Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nydahl, Peter; Sricharoenchai, Thiti; Chandra, Saurabh; Kundt, Firuzan Sari; Huang, Minxuan; Fischill, Magdalena; Needham, Dale M

    2017-05-01

    Early mobilization and rehabilitation of patients in intensive care units (ICUs) may improve physical function, and reduce the duration of delirium, mechanical ventilation, and ICU length of stay. However, safety concerns are an important barrier to widespread implementation. To synthesize safety data regarding patient mobilization and rehabilitation in the ICU, including falls, removal of endotracheal tubes, removal or dysfunction of intravascular catheters, removal of other catheters/tubes, cardiac arrest, hemodynamic changes, and desaturation. Systematic literature review, including searches of five databases. Eligible studies evaluated patients who received mobilization-related interventions in the ICU. Exclusion criteria included: (1) case series with fewer than 10 patients; (2) majority of patients under 18 years of age; and (3) data not reported to permit calculation of incidence of safety events. Number of patients, mobilization/rehabilitation sessions, potential safety events, and events with negative consequences (e.g., requiring intervention or additional therapy). Heterogeneity was assessed by I 2 statistics, and bias assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and Cochrane risk of bias assessment. The literature search identified 20,660 titles. There were 48 eligible publications evaluating 7,546 patients, with 583 potential safety events occurring in 22,351 mobilization/rehabilitation sessions. There was a total of 583 (2.6%) potential safety events with heterogeneity in the definitions for these events. For the safety event types that could be meta-analyzed, pooled incidences per 1,000 mobilization/rehabilitation sessions (95% confidence interval), were: hemodynamic changes, 3.8 (1.3-11.4), and desaturation, 1.9 (0.9-4.3). A total of 24 studies of 3,404 patients reported on any consequences of potential safety events (e.g., needing to increase dose of vasopressor due to mobility-related hypotension), with a frequency of 0.6% in 14,398 mobilization

  17. Improving Patient Safety in Anesthesia: A Success Story?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Botney, Richard

    2008-01-01

    Anesthesia is necessary for surgery; however, it does not deliver any direct therapeutic benefit. The risks of anesthesia must therefore be as low as possible. Anesthesiology has been identified as a leader in improving patient safety. Anesthetic mortality has decreased, and in healthy patients can be as low as 1:250,000. Trends in anesthetic morbidity have not been as well defined, but it appears that the risk of injury is decreasing. Studies of error during anesthesia and Closed Claims studies have identified sources of risk and methods to reduce the risks associated with anesthesia. These include changes in technology, such as anesthetic delivery systems and monitors, the application of human factors, the use of simulation, and the establishment of reporting systems. A review of the important events in the past 50 years illustrates the many steps that have contributed to the improvements in anesthesia safety

  18. Therapeutic risk management of the suicidal patient: safety planning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matarazzo, Bridget B; Homaifar, Beeta Y; Wortzel, Hal S

    2014-05-01

    This column is the fourth in a series describing a model for therapeutic risk management of the suicidal patient. Previous columns presented an overview of the therapeutic risk management model, provided recommendations for how to augment risk assessment using structured assessments, and discussed the importance of risk stratification in terms of both severity and temporality. This final column in the series discusses the safety planning intervention as a critical component of therapeutic risk management of suicide risk. We first present concerns related to the relatively common practice of using no-suicide contracts to manage risk. We then present the safety planning intervention as an alternative approach and provide recommendations for how to use this innovative strategy to therapeutically mitigate risk in the suicidal patient.

  19. Changing patient safety culture in China: a case study of an experimental Chinese hospital from a comparative perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xu XP

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Xiao Ping Xu,* Dong Ning Deng,* Yong Hong Gu, Chui Shan Ng, Xiao Cai, Jun Xu, Xin Shi Zhang, Dong Ge Ke, Qian Hui Yu, Chi Kuen Chan Clinical Service Department, The University of Hong Kong - Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: The World Health Organization highlights that patient safety interventions are not lacking but that the local context affects their successful implementation. Increasing attention is being paid to patient safety in Mainland China, yet few studies focus on patient safety in organizations with mixed cultures. This paper evaluates the current patient safety culture in an experimental Chinese hospital with a Hong Kong hospital management culture, and it aims to explore the application of Hong Kong’s patient safety strategies in the context of Mainland China. Methods: A quantitative survey of 307 hospital staff members was conducted using the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture questionnaire. The findings were compared with a similar study on general Chinese hospitals and were appraised with reference to the Manchester Patient Safety Framework. Results: Lower scores were observed among participants with the following characteristics: males, doctors, those with more work experience, those with higher education, and those from the general practice and otolaryngology departments. However, the case study hospital achieved better scores in management expectations, actions and support for patient safety, incident reporting and communication, and teamwork within units. Its weaknesses were related to non-punitive responses to errors, teamwork across units, and staffing. Conclusions: The case study hospital contributes to a changing patient safety culture in Mainland China, yet its patient safety culture remains mostly bureaucratic. Further efforts could be made to deepen the staff’s patient safety culture mind-set, to realize a

  20. Gun Safety Management with Patients at Risk for Suicide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simon, Robert I.

    2007-01-01

    Guns in the home are associated with a five-fold increase in suicide. All patients at risk for suicide must be asked if guns are available at home or easily accessible elsewhere, or if they have intent to buy or purchase a gun. Gun safety management requires a collaborative team approach including the clinician, patient, and designated person…

  1. Implementation and evaluation of a prototype consumer reporting system for patient safety events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weingart, Saul N; Weissman, Joel S; Zimmer, Karen P; Giannini, Robert C; Quigley, Denise D; Hunter, Lauren E; Ridgely, M Susan; Schneider, Eric C

    2017-08-01

    No methodologically robust system exists for capturing consumer-generated patient safety reports. To address this challenge, we developed and pilot-tested a prototype consumer reporting system for patient safety, the Health Care Safety Hotline. Mixed methods evaluation. The Hotline was implemented in two US healthcare systems from 1 February 2014 through 30 June 2015. Patients, family members and caregivers associated with two US healthcare systems. A consumer-oriented incident reporting system for telephone or web-based administration was developed to elicit medical mistakes and care-related injuries. Key informant interviews, measurement of website traffic and analysis of completed reports. Key informants indicated that Hotline participation was motivated by senior leaders' support and alignment with existing quality and safety initiatives. During the measurement period from 1 October 2014 through 30 June 2015, the home page had 1530 visitors with a unique IP address. During its 17 months of operation, the Hotline received 37 completed reports including 20 mistakes without harm and 15 mistakes with injury. The largest category of mistake concerned problems with diagnosis or advice from a health practitioner. Hotline reports prompted quality reviews, an education intervention, and patient follow-ups. While generating fewer reports than its capacity to manage, the Health Care Safety Hotline demonstrated the feasibility of consumer-oriented patient safety reporting. Further research is needed to understand how to increase consumers' use of these systems. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

  2. Behavioral Emergency Response Team: Implementation Improves Patient Safety, Staff Safety, and Staff Collaboration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zicko, Cdr Jennifer M; Schroeder, Lcdr Rebecca A; Byers, Cdr William S; Taylor, Lt Adam M; Spence, Cdr Dennis L

    2017-10-01

    Staff members working on our nonmental health (non-MH) units (i.e., medical-surgical [MS] units) were not educated in recognizing or deescalating behavioral emergencies. Published evidence suggests a behavioral emergency response team (BERT) composed of MH experts who assist with deescalating behavioral emergencies may be beneficial in these situations. Therefore, we sought to implement a BERT on the inpatient non-MH units at our military treatment facility. The objectives of this evidence-based practice process improvement project were to determine how implementation of a BERT affects staff and patient safety and to examine nursing staffs' level of knowledge, confidence, and support in caring for psychiatric patients and patients exhibiting behavioral emergencies. A BERT was piloted on one MS unit for 5 months and expanded to two additional units for 3 months. Pre- and postimplementation staff surveys were conducted, and the number of staff assaults and injuries, restraint usage, and security intervention were compared. The BERT responded to 17 behavioral emergencies. The number of assaults decreased from 10 (pre) to 1 (post); security intervention decreased from 14 to 1; and restraint use decreased from 8 to 1. MS staffs' level of BERT knowledge and rating of support between MH staff and their staff significantly increased. Both MS and MH nurses rated the BERT as supportive and effective. A BERT can assist with deescalating behavioral emergencies, and improve staff collaboration and patient and staff safety. © 2017 Sigma Theta Tau International.

  3. [Patient safety and errors in medicine: development, prevention and analyses of incidents].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rall, M; Manser, T; Guggenberger, H; Gaba, D M; Unertl, K

    2001-06-01

    "Patient safety" and "errors in medicine" are issues gaining more and more prominence in the eyes of the public. According to newer studies, errors in medicine are among the ten major causes of death in association with the whole area of health care. A new era has begun incorporating attention to a "systems" approach to deal with errors and their causes in the health system. In other high-risk domains with a high demand for safety (such as the nuclear power industry and aviation) many strategies to enhance safety have been established. It is time to study these strategies, to adapt them if necessary and apply them to the field of medicine. These strategies include: to teach people how errors evolve in complex working domains and how types of errors are classified; the introduction of critical incident reporting systems that are free of negative consequences for the reporters; the promotion of continuous medical education; and the development of generic problem-solving skills incorporating the extensive use of realistic simulators wherever possible. Interestingly, the field of anesthesiology--within which realistic simulators were developed--is referred to as a model for the new patient safety movement. Despite this proud track record in recent times though, there is still much to be done even in the field of anesthesiology. Overall though, the most important strategy towards a long-term improvement in patient safety will be a change of "culture" throughout the entire health care system. The "culture of blame" focused on individuals should be replaced by a "safety culture", that sees errors and critical incidents as a problem of the whole organization. The acceptance of human fallability and an open-minded non-punitive analysis of errors in the sense of a "preventive and proactive safety culture" should lead to solutions at the systemic level. This change in culture can only be achieved with a strong commitment from the highest levels of an organization. Patient

  4. Measurement equivalence of patient safety climate in Chinese hospitals: can we compare across physicians and nurses?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Junya

    2018-06-11

    Self-report instruments have been widely used to better understand variations in patient safety climate between physicians and nurses. Research is needed to determine whether differences in patient safety climate reflect true differences in the underlying concepts. This is known as measurement equivalence, which is a prerequisite for meaningful group comparisons. This study aims to examine the degree of measurement equivalence of the responses to a patient safety climate survey of Chinese hospitals and to demonstrate how the measurement equivalence method can be applied to self-report climate surveys for patient safety research. Using data from the Chinese Hospital Survey of Patient Safety Climate from six Chinese hospitals in 2011, we constructed two groups: physicians and nurses (346 per group). We used multiple-group confirmatory factor analyses to examine progressively more stringent restrictions for measurement equivalence. We identified weak factorial equivalence across the two groups. Strong factorial equivalence was found for Organizational Learning, Unit Management Support for Safety, Adequacy of Safety Arrangements, Institutional Commitment to Safety, Error Reporting and Teamwork. Strong factorial equivalence, however, was not found for Safety System, Communication and Peer Support and Staffing. Nevertheless, further analyses suggested that nonequivalence did not meaningfully affect the conclusions regarding physician-nurse differences in patient safety climate. Our results provide evidence of at least partial equivalence of the survey responses between nurses and physicians, supporting mean comparisons of its constructs between the two groups. The measurement equivalence approach is essential to ensure that conclusions about group differences are valid.

  5. Triangulating case-finding tools for patient safety surveillance: a cross-sectional case study of puncture/laceration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, Jennifer A; Gerwin, Daniel; Morlock, Laura; Miller, Marlene R

    2011-12-01

    To evaluate the need for triangulating case-finding tools in patient safety surveillance. This study applied four case-finding tools to error-associated patient safety events to identify and characterise the spectrum of events captured by these tools, using puncture or laceration as an example for in-depth analysis. Retrospective hospital discharge data were collected for calendar year 2005 (n=48,418) from a large, urban medical centre in the USA. The study design was cross-sectional and used data linkage to identify the cases captured by each of four case-finding tools. Three case-finding tools (International Classification of Diseases external (E) and nature (N) of injury codes, Patient Safety Indicators (PSI)) were applied to the administrative discharge data to identify potential patient safety events. The fourth tool was Patient Safety Net, a web-based voluntary patient safety event reporting system. The degree of mutual exclusion among detection methods was substantial. For example, when linking puncture or laceration on unique identifiers, out of 447 potential events, 118 were identical between PSI and E-codes, 152 were identical between N-codes and E-codes and 188 were identical between PSI and N-codes. Only 100 events that were identified by PSI, E-codes and N-codes were identical. Triangulation of multiple tools through data linkage captures potential patient safety events most comprehensively. Existing detection tools target patient safety domains differently, and consequently capture different occurrences, necessitating the integration of data from a combination of tools to fully estimate the total burden.

  6. Medical error disclosure and patient safety: legal aspects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olivier Guillod

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Reducing the number of preventable adverse events has become a public health issue. The paper discusses in which ways the law can contribute to that goal, especially by encouraging a culture of safety among healthcare professionals. It assesses the need or the usefulness to pass so-called disclosure laws and apology laws, to adopt mandatory but strictly confidential Critical Incidents Reporting Systems in hospitals, to change the fault-based system of medical liability or to amend the rules on criminal liability. The paper eventually calls for adding the law to the present agenda of patient safety.

  7. The work environment and empowerment as predictors of patient safety culture in Turkey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dirik, Hasan Fehmi; Intepeler, Seyda Seren

    2017-05-01

    As scant research based information is available regarding the work environment, empowerment and patient safety culture, this study from a developing country (Turkey) in which health care institutions are in a state of transition, aimed to investigate further the relationships between these three variables. A cross-sectional descriptive design was employed. The sample comprised 274 nurse participants working in a university hospital located in Izmir (Turkey). In data evaluation, descriptive statistics and hierarchical regression analyses were applied. The work environment and structural empowerment were related to the patient safety culture and explained 55% of the variance in patient safety culture perceptions. 'Support for optimal patient care', 'nurse/physician relationships' and 'staff involvement in organisational affairs' were the significant predictors. An enhancement of the work environment and providing access to empowerment structures may help health care organisations improve the patient safety culture. In light of the findings, the following actions can be recommended to inform health care leaders: providing necessary resources for nursing practise, encouraging nurses' participation in decision-making, strengthening communication within the team and giving nurses the opportunities to cope with challenging work problems to learn and grow. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  8. Impact of a Patient Navigator Program on Hospital-Based and Outpatient Utilization Over 180 Days in a Safety-Net Health System.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balaban, Richard B; Zhang, Fang; Vialle-Valentin, Catherine E; Galbraith, Alison A; Burns, Marguerite E; Larochelle, Marc R; Ross-Degnan, Dennis

    2017-09-01

    With emerging global payment structures, medical systems need to understand longer-term impacts of care transition strategies. To determine the effect of a care transition program using patient navigators (PNs) on health service utilization among high-risk safety-net patients over a 180-day period. Randomized controlled trial conducted October 2011 through April 2013. Patients admitted to the general medicine service with ≥1 readmission risk factor: (1) age ≥ 60; (2) in-network inpatient admission within prior 6 months; (3) index length of stay ≥ 3 days; or (4) admission diagnosis of heart failure or (5) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The analytic sample included 739 intervention patients, 1182 controls. Through hospital visits and 30 days of post-discharge telephone outreach, PNs provided coaching and assistance with medications, appointments, transportation, communication with primary care, and self-care. Primary outcomes: (1) hospital-based utilization, a composite of ED visits and hospital admissions; (2) hospital admissions; (3) ED visits; and (4) outpatient visits. We evaluated outcomes following an index discharge, stratified by patient age (≥ 60 and safety-net patients differentially impacted patients based on age, and among younger patients, outcomes varied over time. Our findings highlight the importance for future research to evaluate care transition programs among different subpopulations and over longer time periods.

  9. Improving patient safety in the radiation oncology setting through crew resource management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sundararaman, Srinath; Babbo, Angela E; Brown, John A; Doss, Richard

    2014-01-01

    This paper demonstrates how the communication patterns and protocol rigors of a methodology called crew resource management (CRM) can be adapted to a radiation oncology environment to create a culture of patient safety. CRM training was introduced to our comprehensive radiation oncology department in the autumn of 2009. With 34 full-time equivalent staff, we see 100-125 patients daily on 2 hospital campuses. We were assisted by a consulting group with considerable experience in helping hospitals incorporate CRM principles and practices. Implementation steps included developing change initiative skills for key leaders, providing training in teamwork and communications, creating site-specific tools for safety and efficiency, and collecting data to document results. Our goals were to improve patient safety, teamwork, communication, and efficiency through the use of tools we developed that emphasized teamwork and communication, cross-checking, and routinizing specific protocols. Our CRM plan relies on the following 4 pillars: patient identification methods; "pause for the cause"; enabling all staff to halt treatment and question decisions; and daily morning meetings. We discuss some of the hurdles to change we encountered. Our safety record has improved. Our near-miss rate before CRM implementation averaged 11 per month; our near-miss rate currently averages 1.2 per month. In the 5 years prior to CRM implementation, we experienced 1 treatment deviation per year, although none rose to the level of "mis-administration." Since implementing CRM, our current patient treatment setup and delivery process has eliminated all treatment deviations. Our practices have identified situations where ambiguity or conflicting documentation could have resulted in inappropriate treatment or treatment inefficiencies. Our staff members have developed an extraordinary sense of teamwork combined with a high degree of personal responsibility to assure patient safety and have spoken up when

  10. Patient safety and quality of care: how may clinical simulation contribute?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Sanne

    2015-01-01

    The usability of health information technology (IT) is increasingly recognized as critically important to the development of systems that ensure patient safety and quality of care. The substantial complexity of organizations, work practice and physical environments within the healthcare sector...... influences the development and application of health IT. When health IT is introduced in local clinical work practices, potential patient safety hazards and insufficient support of work practices need to be examined. Qualitative methods, such as clinical simulation, may be used to evaluate new technology...

  11. Investing in Physicians Is Investing in Patients: Enhancing Patient Safety Through Physician Health and Well-being Research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brooks, Elizabeth; Gundersen, Doris C; Gendel, Michael H

    2017-07-20

    Keeping medical practitioners healthy is an important consideration for workforce satisfaction and retention, as well as public safety. However, there is limited evidence demonstrating how to best care for this group. The absence of data is related to the lack of available funding in this area of research. Supporting investigations that examine physician health often "fall through the cracks" of traditional funding opportunities, landing somewhere between patient safety and workforce development priorities. To address this, funders must extend the scope of current grant opportunities by broadening the scope of patient safety and its relationship to physician health. Other considerations are allocating a portion of doctors' licensing fees to support physician health research and encourage researchers to collaborate with interested stakeholders who can underwrite the costs of studies. Ultimately, funding studies of physician health benefits not only the community of doctors but also the millions of patients receiving care each year.

  12. [Assessment of the patient-safety culture in a healthcare district].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pozo Muñoz, F; Padilla Marín, V

    2013-01-01

    1) To describe the frequency of positive attitudes and behaviours, in terms of patient safety, among the healthcare providers working in a healthcare district; 2) to determine whether the level of safety-related culture differs from other studies; and 3) to analyse negatively valued dimensions, and to establish areas for their improvement. A descriptive, cross-sectional study based on the results of an evaluation of the safety-related culture was conducted on a randomly selected sample of 247 healthcare providers, by using the Spanish adaptation of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC) designed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), as the evaluation tool. Positive and negative responses were analysed, as well as the global score. Results were compared with international and national results. A total of 176 completed survey questionnaires were analysed (response rate: 71.26%); 50% of responders described the safety climate as very good, 37% as acceptable, and 7% as excellent. Strong points were: «Teamwork within the units» (80.82%) and «Supervisor/manager expectations and actions» (80.54%). Dimensions identified for potential improvement included: «Staffing» (37.93%), «Non-punitive response to error» (41.67%), and «Frequency of event reporting» (49.05%). Strong and weak points were identified in the safety-related culture of the healthcare district studied, together with potential improvement areas. Benchmarking at the international level showed that our safety-related culture was within the average of hospitals, while at the national level, our results were above the average of hospitals. Copyright © 2013 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  13. Efficacy and Safety of Fingolimod in an Unselected Patient Population.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Rasenack

    Full Text Available Fingolimod is a first in class oral compound approved for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RR-MS. The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical and neuroradiological responses to fingolimod as well as the safety and tolerability in RR-MS patients in clinical practice. In addition, a panel of pro-inflammatory serum cytokines was explored as potential biomarker for treatment response.We conducted a retrospective, non-randomized, open-label, observational study in 105 patients with RR-MS and measured cytokines in longitudinal serum samples.Compared to the year before fingolimod start the annualized relapse rate was reduced by 44%. Also, the percentage of patients with a worsening of the EDSS decreased. Accordingly, the fraction of patients with no evidence of disease activity (no relapse, stable EDSS, no new active lesions in MRI increased from 11% to 38%. The efficacy and safety were comparable between highly active patients or patients with relevant comorbidities and our general patient population.The efficacy in reducing relapses was comparable to that observed in the phase III trials. In our cohort fingolimod was safe and efficacious irrespective of comorbidities and previous treatment.

  14. Social capital and knowledge sharing: effects on patient safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Chia-Wen; Huang, Heng-Chiang; Chiang, Chi-Yun; Hsu, Chiu-Ping; Chang, Chia-Chen

    2012-08-01

    This article is a report on a study that empirically examines the influence of social capital on knowledge sharing and the impact of knowledge sharing on patient safety. Knowledge sharing is linked to many desirable managerial outcomes, including learning and problem-solving, which are essential for patient safety. Rather than studying the tangible effects of rewards, this study examines whether social capital (including social interaction, trust and shared vision) directly supports individual knowledge sharing in an organization. This cross-sectional study analysed data collected through a questionnaire survey of nurses from a major medical centre in northern Taiwan. The data were collected over a 9-month period from 2008 to 2009. The data analysis was conducted using the Partial Least Squares Graph v3.0 program to evaluate the measurement properties and the structural relationships specified in the research model. Based on a large-scale survey, empirical results indicate that Registered Nurses' perceptions of trust and shared vision have statistically significant and direct effects on knowledge sharing. In addition, knowledge sharing is significantly and positively associated with patient safety. The findings suggest that hospital administrators should foster group trust and initiate a common vision among Registered Nurses. In addition, administrators and chief knowledge officers of hospitals should encourage positive intentions towards knowledge sharing. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of Advanced Nursing © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  15. [Attitudes towards patient safety culture in a hospital setting and related variables].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mir-Abellán, Ramon; Falcó-Pegueroles, Anna; de la Puente-Martorell, María Luisa

    To describe attitudes towards patient safety culture among workers in a hospital setting and determine the influence of socio-demographic and professional variables. The Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture was distributed among a sample of professionals and nursing assistants. A dimension was considered a strength if positive responses exceeded 75% and an opportunity for improvement if more than 50% of responses were negative. 59% (n=123) of respondents rated safety between 7 and 8. 53% (n=103) stated that they had not used the notification system to report any incidents in the previous twelve months. The strength identified was "teamwork in the unit/service" and the opportunity for improvement was "staffing". A more positive attitude was observed in outpatient services and among nursing professionals and part-time staff. This study has allowed us to determine the rating of the hospital in patient safety culture. This is vital for developing improvement strategies. Copyright © 2016 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  16. Are measurements of patient safety culture and adverse events valid and reliable? Results from a cross sectional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farup, Per G

    2015-05-02

    The association between measurements of the patient safety culture and the "true" patient safety has been insufficiently documented, and the validity of the tools used for the measurements has been questioned. This study explored associations between the patient safety culture and adverse events, and evaluated the validity of the tools. In 2008/2009, a survey on patient safety culture was performed with Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC) in two medical departments in two geographically separated hospitals of Innlandet Hospital Trust. Later, a retrospective analysis of adverse events during the same period was performed with the Global Trigger Tool (GTT). The safety culture and adverse events were compared between the departments. 185 employees participated in the study, and 272 patient records were analysed. The HSOPSC scores were lower and adverse events less prevalent in department 1 than in department 2. In departments 1 and 2 the mean HSOPSC scores (SD) were at the unit level 3.62 (0.42) and 3.90 (0.37) (p culture and adverse events. Until the criterion validity of the tools for measuring patient safety culture and tracking of adverse events have been further evaluated, measurement of patient safety culture could not be used as a proxy for the "true" safety.

  17. Efficacy and safety of febuxostat in elderly female patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mizuno T

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Tomohiro Mizuno,1,2 Takahiro Hayashi,3 Sayo Hikosaka,1 Yuka Shimabukuro,1 Maho Murase,1 Kazuo Takahashi,2 Hiroki Hayashi,2 Yukio Yuzawa,2 Tadashi Nagamatsu,1 Shigeki Yamada3 1Department of Analytical Pharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmacy, Meijo University, Nagoya, Japan; 2Department of Nephrology, School of Medicine, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Japan; 3Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Medicine, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Japan Background: Maintenance of low serum urate levels is important for the management of gout. Achieving the recommended serum urate levels of less than 6.0 mg/dL is difficult in elderly (65 years of age or older patients with renal impairment. Xanthine oxidase inhibitors allopurinol and febuxostat are used for this purpose. Although febuxostat had been shown to be efficacious in elderly patients, its safety and efficacy in elderly female patients with hyper­uricemia remain unclear.Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of febuxostat in elderly female patients.Methods: We studied a retrospective cohort study. The study included elderly Japanese patients (65 years of age or older who were treated with febuxostat at Fujita Health University Hospital from January 2012 to December 2013. The treatment goal was defined as achievement of serum urate levels of 6.0 mg/dL or lower within 16 weeks; this was the primary endpoint in the present study. Adverse events of febuxostat were defined as more than twofold increases in Common Terminology Criteria for adverse events scores from baseline. Results: We evaluated 82 patients treated with febuxostat during the observation period and classified them into male (n=53 and female (n=29 groups. The mean time to achievement of the treatment goal was significantly shorter in the female group (53 days than in the male group (71 days. There were no significant differences in adverse events between the 2 groups.Conclusion: Our

  18. Effects of auditing patient safety in hospital care: design of a mixed-method evaluation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hanskamp-Sebregts, M.E.; Zegers, M.; Boeijen, W.M.J.; Westert, G.P.; Gurp, P.J.M. van; Wollersheim, H.C.

    2013-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Auditing of patient safety aims at early detection of risks of adverse events and is intended to encourage the continuous improvement of patient safety. The auditing should be an independent, objective assurance and consulting system. Auditing helps an organisation accomplish its

  19. Measuring patient safety culture in maternal and child health institutions in China: a qualitative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yuanyuan; Liu, Weiwei; Shi, Huifeng; Liu, Chaojie; Wang, Yan

    2017-07-12

    Patient safety culture (PSC) plays a critical role in ensuring safe and quality care. Extensive PSC studies have been undertaken in hospitals. However, little is known about PSC in maternal and child health (MCH) institutions in China, which provide both population-based preventive services as well as individual care for patients. This study aimed to develop a theoretical framework for conceptualising PSC in MCH institutions in China. The study was undertaken in six MCH institutions (three in Hebei and three in Beijing). Participants (n=118) were recruited through stratified purposive sampling: 20 managers/administrators, 59 care providers and 39 patients. In-depth interviews were conducted with the participants. The interview data were coded using both inductive (based on the existing PSC theory developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) and deductive (open coding arising from data) approaches. A PSC framework was formulated through axial coding that connected initial codes and selective coding that extracted a small number of themes. The interviewees considered patient safety in relation to six aspects: safety and security in public spaces, safety of medical services, privacy and information security, financial security, psychological safety and gap in services. A 12-dimensional PSC framework was developed, containing 69 items. While the existing PSC theory was confirmed by this study, some new themes emerged from the data. Patients expressed particular concerns about psychological safety and financial security. Defensive medical practices emerged as a PSC dimension that is associated with not only medical safety but also financial security and psychological safety. Patient engagement was also valued by the interviewees, especially the patients, as part of PSC. Although there are some common features in PSC across different healthcare delivery systems, PSC can also be context specific. In MCH settings in China, the meaning of 'patient safety

  20. Patient's safety culture among Tunisian healthcare workers: results ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Conclusion: our study has allowed us to conclude that all dimensions of patients' safety culture need to be improved among our establishment's professionals. Therefore, more efforts are necessary in order to develop a security culture based on confidence, learning, communication and team work and rejecting sanction, ...