Preventable Harm Research Articles

An Estimate of Preventable Harms Associated with Screening Colonoscopy Overuse in the United States

An Estimate of Preventable Harms Associated with Screening Colonoscopy Overuse in the United States

Protecting Parkinson's Patients: Hospital Care Standards to Avoid Preventable Harm

Protecting Parkinson's Patients: Hospital Care Standards to Avoid Preventable Harm

Perceptions of Cognitive Load and Workload in Nurse Handoffs: A Comparative Study Across Differing Patient-Nurse Ratios and Acuity Levels.

Medical errors, often resulting from miscommunication and cognitive lapses during handoffs, account for numerous preventable deaths and patient harm annually. This research examined nurses' perceived workload and cognitive load during handoffs on hospital units with varying patient acuity levels and patient-nurse ratios. Conducted at a southeastern US medical facility, the study analyzed 20 handoff dyads using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index to measure perceived workload and cognitive load. Linear regressions revealed significant associations between patient acuity levels, patient-nurse ratios, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index subscales, specifically mental demand (P = .007) and performance (P = .008). Fisher exact test and Wilcoxon rank sum test showed no significant associations between these factors and nurses' roles (P > .05). The findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to manage workload and cognitive load, emphasizing standardized handoff protocols and technological aids. The study underscores the variability in perceived workload and cognitive load among nurses across different units. Medical-surgical units showed higher cognitive load, indicating the need for improved workload management strategies. Despite limitations, including the single-center design and small sample size, the study provides valuable insights for enhancing handoff communications and reducing medical errors.

Detecting clinical medication errors with AI enabled wearable cameras

Drug-related errors are a leading cause of preventable patient harm in the clinical setting. We present the first wearable camera system to automatically detect potential errors, prior to medication delivery. We demonstrate that using deep learning algorithms, our system can detect and classify drug labels on syringes and vials in drug preparation events recorded in real-world operating rooms. We created a first-of-its-kind large-scale video dataset from head-mounted cameras comprising 4K footage across 13 anesthesiology providers, 2 hospitals and 17 operating rooms over 55 days. The system was evaluated on 418 drug draw events in routine patient care and a controlled environment and achieved 99.6% sensitivity and 98.8% specificity at detecting vial swap errors. These results suggest that our wearable camera system has the potential to provide a secondary check when a medication is selected for a patient, and a chance to intervene before a potential medical error.

The Predictors of Patient Safety Culture in Hospital Setting: A Systematic Review.

Patient safety (PS) is a global public health concern. It is estimated that 10% of patients experience preventable harm while hospitalized. Patient safety culture (PSC) has been recognized as essential to improving PS, drawing inspiration from other high-risk industries. In PS research, however, PSC poses conceptual challenges, with inconsistent terminology, a lack of definitions, and limited use of substantiating theory. Despite these challenges, PSC remains widely used in PS research and practice, as it is seen as a potential gateway to understanding sociotechnical complex aspects of the healthcare system and improving safe patient treatment and care. This review explores the concept of PSC in a hospital setting. How PSC is used as an outcome, thus exploring the theoretical position underpinning PSC, which predictors impact PSC, and how these predictors are related to PSC. Using a search of 3 electronic databases, 23 studies that met the inclusion criteria were selected for review. The review identified 81 predictors of PSC. Study population, unit of analysis and method varied widely. PSC as an outcome was assessed based on one of 4 surveys. Thus, the underpinning position of the PSC construct is dominated by an organizational/managerial approach. The large number of predictors explored and the range in outcome measures, units of analysis, and methods make it hard to establish any causal relationship. We argue that studies closer to actual practices in the messy conditions of clinical practice are needed.

Nonfatal Firearm Injury & Subsequent Emergency Department Utilization Among Non-Elderly Adults

IntroductionThe mortality, long-term morbidity, and exacerbated healthcare needs due to firearm injury in the US are significant and growing. However, the relationship between exposure to a nonfatal firearm injury and long-term ED utilization is poorly understood. This study estimates the association between exposure to a nonfatal firearm injury and ED utilization in the subsequent year. MethodsUsing all-payer ED data among non-elderly adults in Georgia and New York, all ED visits for nonfatal firearm injuries from 2017-2018 were identified. Sociodemographic, clinical, and contextual characteristics between nonfatal firearm injury ED patients and the broader population of ED users were compared. ED utilization in the year following a nonfatal firearm injury relative to ED use in the year before, and compared to ED use by a propensity score matched control group was examined, using Poisson and negative binomial multivariable regressions. Analyses were performed in 2024. ResultsNonfatal firearm injury ED patients were disproportionately male, younger, non-Hispanic Black, uninsured, and residents of areas with low median income and high firearm ownership. Compared to a matched control group, multivariable analyses indicated that nonfatal firearm injury ED patients had significantly higher risks of having hospital admissions through the ED (aRR: 1.42), all-cause injury-related ED visits (aRR: 1.47), non-firearm injury-related ED visits (aRR: 1.26), and additional nonfatal firearm injury-related ED visits (aRR: 325.45) in the subsequent year (p<0.001 for all). About one in every eight ED users with a firearm-related injury at index also sought ED care for another nonfatal firearm injury within one year. ConclusionsNonfatal firearm-related injuries contribute to preventable harm, health inequity and increased ED utilization.

Enabling diagnostic excellence in the real world: Managing complexity, uncertainty and clinical responsibility.

Diagnostic error is a significant category within preventable patient harm, and it takes many years of effort to develop proficiency in diagnostic reasoning. One of the key challenges medical schools must address is preparing students for the complexity, uncertainty and clinical responsibility in going from student to doctor. Recognising the importance of both cognitive and systems-related factors in diagnostic accuracy, we designed the QUID Prompt (Questions to Use for Improving Diagnosis) for students to refer to at the bedside. This set of questions prompts careful consideration, analysis, and signposting of decision-making processes, to assist students in transitioning from medical school to the real-world of work and achieving diagnostic excellence in clinical settings.

Detection of anticoagulant medication errors by triggers

Medication errors can cause preventable adverse events. For example, inappropriate use of anticoagulants (AC) can result in bleeding and thromboembolic complications. Detection and analysis of AC medication errors allow to reveal deficiencies in the safety systems in healthcare organizations. The study was aimed to develop a method of systematic detection of anticoagulant medication errors for consequent audit, analysis and development of medication safety improvement measures. The study was conducted in the multidisciplinary hospital and included 4924 patients admitted from January 2019 to December 2021 who received AC. Three laboratory triggers (international normalized ratio ≥4, serum creatinine ≥133 μmol/l, and glomerulofiltration rate <30 ml/min/1.73 m2) helped to reveal 4304 cases. Their matching with patient's data helped to develop combined triggers. Two clinical pharmacologists reviewed all cases identified by combined triggers for checking medication errors. The trigger was considered positive when anticoagulant medication error was detected in the history selected by combined trigger. Of the 4924 patients 253 (5.3%) were selected by combined triggers. Combined trigger allowed to reduce the amount of medical health records audit by 97.3%. Medication errors were detected in 137 patients. Positive predictive value of selected combined triggers varied from 0 to 63.9%. Aggregated positive predictive value of all combined triggers amounted to 54.2%. AC medication errors were detected in 2.8% patients. Method of systematic detection of AC medication errors using combined triggers in all hospitalized patients receiving AC allowed to reveal typical medication errors for consequent analysis and elaboration of measures to reduce preventable patient harm in healthcare settings.

A survey and analysis of peri-operative quality indicators promoted by National Societies of Anaesthesiologists in Europe: The EQUIP project.

To capture preventable peri-operative patient harm and guide improvement initiatives, many quality indicators (QIs) have been developed. Several National Anaesthesiologist Societies (NAS) in Europe have implemented quality indicators. To date, the definitions, validity and dissemination of such quality indicators, and their comparability with validated published indicators are unknown. The aim of this study was to identify all quality indicators promoted by NAS in Europe, to assess their characteristics and to compare them with published validated quality indicators. A cross-sectional study with mixed methods analysis. Using a survey questionnaire, representatives of 37 NAS were asked if their society provided quality indicators to their members and, if so, to provide the list, definitions and details of quality indicators. Characteristics of reported quality indicators were analysed. The 37 NAS affiliated with the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC) at the time. Data collection, translations: March 2018 to February 2020. Representatives of all 37 NAS completed the survey. QIs reported by NAS. Only 12 (32%) of the 37 NAS had made a set of quality indicators available to their members. Data collection was mandatory in six (16.2%) of the 37 countries. We identified 163 individual quality indicators, which were most commonly descriptive (60.1%), anaesthesia-specific (50.3%) and related to intra-operative care (21.5%). They often measured structures (41.7%) and aspects of safety (35.6%), appropriateness (20.9%) and prevention (16.6%). Patient-centred care (3.7%) was not well covered. Only 11.7% of QIs corresponded to published validated or well established quality indicator sets. Few NAS in Europe promoted peri-operative quality indicators. Most of them differed from published sets of validated indicators and were often related to the structural dimension of quality. There is a need to establish a European-wide comprehensive core set of usable and validated quality indicators to monitor the quality of peri-operative care. No registration.

Lessons learnt from a 2017 Irish national clinical claims review: a retrospective observational study

ObjectiveLearning from adverse outcomes in health and social care is critical to advancing a culture of patient safety and reducing the likelihood of future preventable harm to service users. This...

Preventing Prescribing Cascades: Ensuring Medication Safety for Older Adults.

To define prescribing cascades (PCs) and provide tools to identify PCs, including the most common PCs described in the literature. PCs lead to the accumulation of medications prescribed to older adults, disproportionately affecting those who often have additional health care complexities, such as multiple chronic conditions and multiple transitions of care. Review of recent research efforts to identify and describe evolving clinical practice interventions to detect and reverse PCs. Clinicians can contribute to mitigating PCs through better understanding of how PCs occur in practice. Armed with this knowledge, clinical team members can implement proposed strategies and techniques to engage in primary and secondary prevention of PCs. Ultimately, PCs are a culprit of preventable medication harm. Several tools are presented, which are initiated through maintaining a high index of suspicion for PCs in the evaluation of a new symptom presentation by older patients. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 50(9), 7-11.].

Improvement proposals and actions in medication error reports: Quality and strength: A cross-sectional study.

Medication errors (MEs) are a significant source of preventable harm in patient care. Voluntary incident reporting and ME reporting systems are essential for managing medication safety. Analyzing aggregated ME reports instead of individual reports can reveal organizational risks. Organizational culture influences reporting activity and the effectiveness of safety improvements depends on their system-focus. This study uses aggregated ME reports to investigate the ME management process and reporting culture in medication safety. It aims to create a hierarchy for ME improvement actions and analyze their strength and management flow in aggregated reports. A retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted to review improvement proposals and actions of ME reports in a Finnish tertiary hospital in 2017-2021. The improvement proposals and actions were categorized into strength classes during three stages: reporter proposals, manager proposals, and documented actions. The report management flow was analyzed. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the characteristics and the chi-squared test for categorical variables in the statistical analysis. A new strength classification hierarchy was created with three classes and corresponding numerical values: "strong (3)," "medium (2)," and "weak (1)" Additionally, categories for "no action (0)" and "vague (0)" were included. Out of 5463 ME reports analyzed, improvement proposals and actions were predominantly weak, ranging from 23.4% to 54.2% across different stages of the management process. A significant proportion had no action included (20.5-49.1%) or were vague (4.2-20.6%). Analyzing the strength of improvement proposals and actions in aggregated ME reports provides new insights into reporting culture and the ME management. The new combined strength classification hierarchy is a suitable tool for this analysis.

Beyond the Basics: Partnerships and Innovations for Empowerment to Address Workplace Violence, a Call to Action.

Workplace violence (WPV) has become a crisis for health care workers, with a significant increase in violent events taking place in health care settings across the nation. Health care organizations should develop a comprehensive WPV program that includes recognition, management, and reporting of all types of WPV. A large health care system developed strategies and a program to address WPV. The health care system believes that a safe and respectful work environment is foundational to the goal of zero preventable harm. The "Safety in the Workplace" initiative was designed to raise awareness of concerning behaviors and to offer tools and resources for identifying, responding to, and reporting incidents of violence, aggression, or disruptive behaviors of WPV. During a 6-month pilot of a WPV bundle, there was a 44% reduction in physical violence reports and a 44% reduction in reported incidents of WPV. From June 2020 to June 2021, there was a 10% decrease in WPV overall.

How immigration detention harms children: A conceptual framework to inform policy and practice.

This paper identifies the multiple adversities and trauma experienced by children who are detained after seeking asylum. A conceptual framework identifies the specific impact of immigration detention on the psychosocial development and mental health of refugee children that can inform policy and prevent additional migration-related trauma. The paper draws on international evidence about the impact of childhood adversity, challenges faced by all displaced children, and the additional negative consequences of immigration detention. It integrates socioecological, temporal, and relational approaches to identify the pathways through which detention of forcibly displaced children causes preventable harm. The public health and human rights implications are identified. The framework draws on Bronfenbrenner's socioecological model and has the child, their development, and experience at the center. Refugee children are exposed to cumulative adversity during displacement, flight, and resettlement. Immigration detention is associated with multiple additional adversities and human rights violations. International and national contexts and the detention environment impact on family functioning and directly on the child's well-being. Immigration detention is a preventable and profoundly negative reception experience for already vulnerable children. It is unavoidably associated with multiple additional adverse exposures with significant health and public health consequences. The proposed framework demonstrates adversity in each socioecological sphere of the detained child's life and across time. The framework can inform migration, child protection, and public health policy. Advocacy and political action to end this practice are urgently required to prevent further harm. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Formative qualitative evaluation of an improvement programme delivered in an English hospital trust to reduce harm from pressure ulcers

BackgroundPressure ulcers (PUs) are a leading cause of preventable harm globally and can cause patients significant pain, infection and, in rare incidents, death. There is a strong evidence base for...

Patient Harm Events and Associated Cost Outcomes Reported to a Patient Safety Organization.

The aims of the study were to describe inpatient harm events detected via an automatic electronic trigger system (ETS) and to consider their financial consequences. Over a 27-month period, inpatient harm events were identified and documented in 1 healthcare system with 37 acute care facilities. Patients who experienced harm (all harm or preventable harm only) were compared with similar patients who did not. Clinical, financial, and demographic data were used to identify labor-adjusted direct variable costs (DVC) and potential differences in length of stay (LOS) associated with all-harm, preventable-harm, and nonharmed cohorts. Age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index, case mix index, diagnosis-related groups, major diagnostic category, sex, age, location, diagnosis, adverse event category and subcategory, preventability, and harm severity were used to compare cohorts. Total harm events reported via the ETS and the health system's voluntary event reporting system were compared. Nearly 93,000 encounters for all-harm (n = 25,665) and nonharmed cohorts (n = 67,217) were compared by random sampling of diagnosis-related group-matched all-harm and nonharmed groups to ensure similar clinical conditions, as measured by Charlson Comorbidity Index and case mix index. Sampling (2 groups, n = 100 and n = 200) showed that increased LOS was associated with harm; yet other clinical comparators were similar across groups. the preventable-harm subcohort had longer LOS (10.7 versus 5.9 days) and higher DVC ($13,442 versus $8024) than the nonharmed cohort. Identification of harm events was nearly 6-fold higher with the ETS than with the voluntary event reporting system. Patients with preventable harm had increased LOS that was associated with higher DVC per preventable-harm encounter in a large US healthcare system.

Diagnostic Errors in Obstetric Morbidity and Mortality: Methods for and Challenges in Seeking Diagnostic Excellence.

Pregnancy-related morbidity and mortality remain high across the United States, with the majority of deaths being deemed preventable. Misdiagnosis and delay in diagnosis are thought to be significant contributors to preventable harm. These diagnostic errors in obstetrics are understudied. Presented here are five selected research methods to ascertain the rates of and harm associated with diagnostic errors and the pros and cons of each. These methodologies include clinicopathologic autopsy studies, retrospective chart reviews based on clinical criteria, obstetric simulations, pregnancy-related harm case reviews, and malpractice and administrative claim database research. We then present a framework for a future study of diagnostic errors and the pursuit of diagnostic excellence in obstetrics: (1) defining and capturing diagnostic errors, (2) targeting bias in diagnostic processes, (3) implementing and monitoring safety bundles, (4) leveraging electronic health record triggers for case reviews, (5) improving diagnostic skills via simulation training, and (6) publishing error rates and reduction strategies. Evaluation of the effectiveness of this framework to ascertain diagnostic error rates, as well as its impact on patient outcomes, is required.

Early identification of pressure injuries in people with dark skin tones: Qualitative perspectives from community-based patients and their carers.

To examine the personal experiences and perceptions of people with dark skin tones and their carers, in relation to pressure injury. Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews. Twenty-two interviews with people with dark skin tone and/or their family carers, who were known to and visited by community nurses for pressure area management or who had been identified as being at high risk for developing a pressure injury were carried out. Thematic analysis of the interview transcripts revealed that skin discolouration towards a darker hue than usual was the commonest symptom identified by participants as a sign of altered skin integrity and potential pressure damage. Four main overarching themes were revealed through comprehensive analysis of the transcripts: (1) indicators of pressure injury; (2) experienced symptoms of pressure damage; (3) trust in healthcare workers; and (4) improving care for populations with dark skin tones. The findings from this study clearly present how early-stage pressure damage is identified among people with dark skin tones. These findings have the potential to reduce health inequality by influencing and informing clinical policies and strategies in practice. Findings could also lead to the development of patient-informed educational strategies for nurses and health workers which will enable the early identification of pressure ulcers among people with dark skin tones. Further research is needed to better understand health disparities in relation to preventable patient safety harm. The findings demonstrate the importance of engaging with and listening to the stories and experiences of people living with pressure damage to help in the early recognition of pressure injuries. The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) guidelines for qualitative research were followed. A project steering group reviewed information sheets for participants and checked the interview questions were relevant and suitable.

Going Commando as Part of a Multifaceted Intervention to Reduce CAUTIs in Critically Ill Children

Background and Objectives: Catheter associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are a source of preventable harm in children. Insertion and maintenance bundles have significantly reduced CAUTIs, but infections still occur. Starting in mid-2019, we experienced an increase in CAUTIs in our pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). The objective was to identify preventable causes of CAUTI and develop and test interventions to reduce them. Methods: This quality improvement project was initiated in the PICU of a large tertiary children’s hospital. Interdisciplinary rounds led by the hospital epidemiologist and unit nursing leader with the bedside nurse occurred weekly (starting October 2019) for patients with urinary catheters in place for greater than three days. Discussions included strategies to optimize maintenance of the urinary catheter and identify catheters that could be removed. Additional interventions included no diapers for patients with a urinary catheter (starting March 2021) and use of a urine collection device that prevented both urine stasis in the drainage tube and retrograde flow of urine into the bladder (starting August 2021). Hand hygiene and CAUTI prevention bundle compliance was measured by direct observation of staff. CAUTIs were identified by prospective surveillance by infection prevention using standard definitions. The rate of CAUTIs over time was analyzed using statistical process control charts. Results: The baseline CAUTI rate (January 2017 - June 2019) was 0.5 infections/1000 catheter days with an average of 349 days between CAUTIs. Between July 2019 and February 2021, the CAUTI rate increased to 3.3 with an average of 88 days between CAUTIs. Annual compliance with hand hygiene and the CAUTI prevention bundle elements remained above 90% throughout all time periods. No improvement was seen after the institution of weekly interdisciplinary rounds. Starting in March 2021 after removal of diapers and implementation of the urine collection device that prevented retrograde flow, the CAUTI rate decreased to 0.9 and an average of 200 days between CAUTIs. Currently, it has been 512 days since the last CAUTI. Conclusion: CAUTIs decreased after removing diapers in children with urinary catheters and use of the urine collection device. Removal of diapers likely reduced stool contamination around the catheter and urethral opening. The urine collection device prevented inadvertent retrograde flow of urine into the bladder. These interventions could augment current CAUTI prevention strategies.

Patient Falls in the Operating Room: Why Is This Still a Problem in 2024?

Abstract Despite advances in patient safety, perioperative patient falls continue to be a persistent and preventable harm. Patient falls in procedural areas have been associated with multiple postoperative complications such as additional falls, functional decline, and hospital readmissions. Although fall-related databases exist, the specific number of periprocedural falls is difficult to ascertain, and the causes of such falls also remain elusive. We explore various solutions and recommend the creation of a national, focused database of periprocedural falls that will allow institutions to track numbers of falls in patients receiving anesthetic care and to identify the most common etiologies to enable the implementation of targeted strategies to prevent falls. Lacking this, we suggest specific screening and procedural recommendations during all phases of anesthetic care to increase providers’ awareness and vigilance surrounding patient falls.