Intensive Care Unit Safety Research Articles

Soft Factors, Smooth Transport? The role of safety climate and team processes in reducing adverse events during intrahospital transport in intensive care.

Intrahospital patient transports (IHTs) in intensive care involve an appreciable risk of adverse events (AEs). Research on determinants of AE occurrence during IHT has hitherto focused on patient, transport, and intensive care unit (ICU) characteristics. By contrast, the role of "soft" factors, although arguably relevant for IHTs and a topic of interest in general health care settings, has not yet been explored. The study aims at examining the effect of safety climate and team processes on the occurrence of AE during IHT and whether team processes mediate the effect of safety climate. Data stem from a noninterventional, observational multicenter study in 33 ICUs (from 12 European countries), with 858 transports overall recorded during 28 days. AEs include medication errors, dislodgments, equipment failures, and delays. Safety climate scales were taken from the "Patient Safety Climate in Healthcare Organizations" (short version), team processes scales from the "Leiden Operating Theatre and Intensive Care Safety" questionnaire. Patient condition was assessed with NEMS (Nine Equivalents of Nursing Manpower Use Score). All other variables could be directly observed. Hypothesis testing and assessment of effects rely on bivariate correlations and binomial logistic multilevel models (with ICU as random effect). Both safety climate and team processes are comparatively important determinants of AE occurrence, also when controlling for transport-, staff-, and ICU-related variables. Team processes partially mediate the effect of safety climate. Patient condition and transport duration are consistently related with AE occurrence, too. Unlike most patient, transport, and ICU characteristics, safety climate and team processes are basically amenable to managerial interventions. Coupled with their considerable effect on AE occurrence, this makes pertinent endeavors a potentially promising approach for improving patient safety during IHT. Although literature suggests that safety climate is slow and hard to change (also compared to team processes), efforts to improve safety climate should not be forgone.

The Impact of active surveillance culture and decolonization programs on NICU MRSA transmission: A multicenter, mechanistic modeling approach.

BackgroundMethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) remains a major threat to patient safety in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of active surveillance cultures (ASC) and decolonization in reducing MRSA transmission in the NICU.MethodsRetrospective cohort data, including admission and discharge times, weekly surveillance culture results and mupirocin-administration information, were collected from three urban, tertiary care NICU in the US. The study period was 2007–2014, during which ASC and decolonization strategies were employed for MRSA control. We used Markov-Chain Monte Carlo methods to fit a probabilistic transmission model to the data. To account for the interval-censored nature of weekly surveillance screening, we used an integrated Bayesian framework to impute the date of conversion to MRSA-positive. We estimated the risk of MRSA acquisition associated with non-patient sources, undetected MRSA carriers, detected MRSA carriers on contact precautions, and MRSA carriers on contact precautions that also received decolonization treatment.ResultsOf the 12,677 neonates that were screened for MRSA colonization at study sites, 533 (4.2%) had a MRSA-positive surveillance culture. Neonates with undetected MRSA colonization were estimated to be the source of 67% (95% credible interval [CI]: 0.64–0.69) of MRSA acquisition. Compared with undetected MRSA carriers, detection and placement on contact precautions deceased the odds of transmission by 99.8% (odds ratio [OR]: 0.0016, 95% CI: 0.0000026–0.033), 99.6% (OR = 0.0036, 95% CI: 0.0000025–0.13), and 99.8% (OR = 0.0024; 95% CI: 0.00000042–0.043) at sites A, B, C, respectively. A 99.9% reduction in transmissibility was sustained among MRSA carriers who also received decolonization treatment (OR = 0.0014, 95% CI: 0.0000080–0.024).ConclusionIn this multi-centered NICU cohort, ASC and decolonization programs were highly effective in reducing transmission risk from MRSA carriers. Detection of MRSA carriers and the use of contact precautions, alone, were associated with a near-complete reduction in transmission risk. Improving time-to-detection as well as prioritizing nonpatient reservoirs of MRSA could further reduce MRSA acquisition in the NICU.Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

Health professional perspectives of patient safety issues in intensive care units in Saudi Arabia.

To examine attitudes to patient safety in two intensive care units from the perspective of health care professionals in Saudi Arabia. Despite adverse errors leading to poor patient outcomes, there is a paucity of literature, including staff perceptions, on adverse errors in Saudi Arabian intensive care units. A descriptive cross-sectional design was used. Health professionals (n=144) completed the safety attitude questionnaire-intensive care unit. The scores from the six safety domains of the safety attitude questionnaire-intensive care unit showed all respondents had a negative attitude towards patient safety, with participants in one intensive care unit scoring lower in all domains. The mean scores across all domains ranged from 47.1 to 70.3 on a 100-point scale, with the lowest score reported in the "perceptions of management" domain. Respiratory therapists reported a significantly higher job satisfaction score than nurses, and physicians rated communication amongst themselves and nurses as high. There are significant challenges for safety culture in this study, with negative attitudes across all domains. Managers may need to review and consider policies relating to safety culture including workforce planning, leadership and patient centred care. Further research into this global health priority is required to contribute to improving patient safety in intensive care units.

Facilitated Nurse Medication-Related Event Reporting to Improve Medication Management Quality and Safety in Intensive Care Units.

Medication safety presents an ongoing challenge for nurses working in complex, fast-paced, intensive care unit (ICU) environments. Studying ICU nurse's medication management-especially medication-related events (MREs)-provides an approach to analyze and improve medication safety and quality. The goal of this study was to explore the utility of facilitated MRE reporting in identifying system deficiencies and the relationship between MREs and nurses' work in the ICUs. We conducted 124 structured 4-hour observations of nurses in three different ICUs. Each observation included measurement of nurse's moment-to-moment activity and self-reports of workload and negative mood. The observer then obtained MRE reports from the nurse using a structured tool. The MREs were analyzed by three experts. MREs were reported in 35% of observations. The 60 total MREs included four medication errors and seven adverse drug events. Of the 49 remaining MREs, 65% were associated with negative patient impact. Task/process deficiencies were the most common contributory factor for MREs. MRE occurrence was correlated with increased total task volume. MREs also correlated with increased workload, especially during night shifts. Most of these MREs would not be captured by traditional event reporting systems. Facilitated MRE reporting provides a robust information source about potential breakdowns in medication management safety and opportunities for system improvement.

Developing minimum clinical standards for physiotherapy in South African ICUs: A qualitative study

Physiotherapists are integral members of the intensive care unit (ICU) team. Clinicians working in ICU are dependent on their own experience when making decisions regarding individual patient management thus resulting in variation in clinical practice. No formalized clinical practice guidelines or standards exist for the educational profile or scope of practice requirements for ICU physiotherapy. This study explored perceptions of physiotherapists on minimum clinical standards that ICU physiotherapists should adhere to for delivering safe, effective physiotherapy services to critically ill patients. Experienced physiotherapists offering a service to South African ICUs were purposively sampled. Three focus group sessions were held in different parts of the country to ensure national participation. Each was audio recorded. The stimulus question posed was "What is the minimum standard of clinical practice needed by physiotherapists to ensure safe and independent practice in South African ICUs?" Three categories were explored, namely, knowledge, skill, and attributes. Themes and subthemes were developed using the codes identified. An inductive approach to data analysis was used to perform conventional content analysis. Twenty-five physiotherapists participated in 1 of 3 focus group sessions. Mean years of ICU experience was 10.8years (±7.0; range, 3-33). Three themes emerged from the data namely, integrated medical knowledge, multidisciplinary teamwork, and physiotherapy practice. Integrated medical knowledge related to anatomy and physiology, conditions that patients present with in ICU, the ICU environment, pathology and pathophysiology, and pharmacology. Multidisciplinary teamwork encompassed elements related to communication, continuous professional development, cultural sensitivity, documentation, ethics, professionalism, safety in ICU, and technology. Components related to physiotherapy practice included clinical reasoning, handling skills, interventions, and patient care. The information obtained will be used to inform the development of a list of standards to be presented to the wider national physiotherapy and ICU communities for further consensus-building activities.

Impact of Low-Dose Ketamine on the Usage of Continuous Opioid Infusion for the Treatment of Pain in Adult Mechanically Ventilated Patients in Surgical Intensive Care Units.

Ketamine at subanesthetic doses has been shown to provide analgesic effects without causing respiratory depression and may be a viable option in mechanically ventilated patients to assist with extubation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of low-dose ketamine on opioid consumption in mechanically ventilated adult surgical intensive care unit (ICU) patients. A retrospective review of mechanically ventilated adult patients receiving low-dose ketamine continuous infusion (1-5 µcg/kg/min) for adjunctive pain control admitted to surgical ICUs was conducted. Patients were included if they met an ICU safety screen for a spontaneous breathing trial (SBT) implying extubation readiness pending SBT results. The primary end point was the slope of change in morphine equivalents (MEs) 12 hours pre- and postketamine infusion. We hypothesized that low-dose ketamine would increase the slope of opioid dose reduction. Forty patients were analyzed. The median dose of ketamine was 5 µg/kg/min (interquartile range [IQR]: 3.5-5) and the treatment duration was 1.89 days (IQR: 0.96-3.06). Prior to ketamine, the majority of patients received volume-controlled or pressure-supported ventilation with a median duration of 2.05 days (IQR: 1.38-3.61). The median time from the initiation of ketamine to extubation was 1.44 days (IQR: 0.58-2.66). For the primary outcome, there was a significant difference in the slope of ME changes from 1 to -0.265 mg/h 12 hours pre- and postketamine initiation (P < .001). For the secondary outcomes, ketamine was associated with a decrease in vasopressor requirements (phenylephrine equivalent 70 vs 40 mg/h; P = .019). Low-dose continuous infusion ketamine in mechanically ventilated adult patients was associated with a significant increase in the rate of opioid dose reduction without adverse effects on hemodynamic stability.

Quality Improvement and Safety in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Improving the safety and quality of care provided to patients has risen to the forefront of today’s medical landscape. Applying principles of improvement and reliability in an effective manner in the NICU is paramount for improving outcomes for our patients and their families. Using quality collaboratives for benchmarking and sharing best practices, developing a robust safety culture, and involving parents in safety and quality endeavors are ways in which NICUs can achieve this goal.

Focusing on patient safety in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit environment

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.

The Impact of Implementing Electronic Safety Program on Patient Safety in Intensive Care Unit, Istishari Hospital

The Impact of Implementing Electronic Safety Program on Patient Safety in Intensive Care Unit, Istishari Hospital

Use of the ketogenic diet in the neonatal intensive care unit-Safety and tolerability.

Drug-resistant epilepsy poses a challenge in neonatal patients, especially those in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), who have various secondary comorbidities. We present results of four children with a history of drug-resistant epilepsy for whom a ketogenic diet was initiated and used in the NICU. A nonfasting induction into ketosis over 1-2 weeks was utilized, with gradual increases in the ketogenic ratio every 2-3 days. Data were collected retrospectively from a database, which included medical history, daily progress notes, relevant laboratory data, and imaging and diagnostic information. The ketogenic diet was well tolerated in all cases. The most common side effects observed were constipation, hypoglycemia, and weight loss. Serum β-hydroxybutyrate levels demonstrated improved reliability as a marker of ketosis when compared to urine ketones in this population. Perceived benefits to the infants included improved seizure control, increased alertness, and decreased need for invasive respiratory support. These cases demonstrate that the use of the ketogenic diet for treatment of neonatal encephalopathy and refractory epilepsy can be undertaken safely in the NICU and is well tolerated by carefully screened neonates and infants.

Patient Safety Culture in Intensive Care Units from the Perspective of Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background:One of the goals of nursing is providing safe care, prevention of injury, and health promotion of patients. Patient safety in intensive care units is threatened for various reasons. This study aimed to survey patient safety culture from the perspective of nurses in intensive care units.Materials and Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016. Sampling was done using the convenience method. The sample consisted of 367 nurses working in intensive care units of teaching hospitals affiliated to Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. Data collection was performed using a two-part questionnaire that included demographic and hospital survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC) questionnaire. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation).Results:Among the 12 dimensions of safety culture, the nurses assigned the highest score to “team work within units” (97.3%) and “Organizational learning-continuous improvement” (84%). They assigned the least score to “handoffs and transitions”(21.1%), “non-punitive response to errors” (24.7%), “Staffing” (35.6%), “Communication openness” (47.5%), and “Teamwork across units” (49.4%).Conclusions:The patient safety culture dimensions have low levels that require adequate attention and essential measures of health care centers including facilitating teamwork, providing adequate staff, and developing a checklist of handoffs and transitions. Furthermore, to increase reporting error and to promote a patient safety culture in intensive care units, some strategies should be adopted including a system-based approach to deal with the error.

Establishing Patient Safety in Intensive Care— A Grounded Theory

Background: The modern intensive care unit (ICU) is a complex and high-risk environment, and even small adverse events and changes may deteriorate the patient’s conditions and eventually cause harm. Many factors can potentially be associated within an increased amount of errors, leading to adverse events. Nurses, nurse managers, and other leaders all play important roles in establishing patient safety. Aim: This study aimed to obtain a deeper understanding of leaders’ and nurses’ main concerns in establishing patient safety in Swedish intensive care units. Method: A grounded theory methodology was used. Data from 15 interviews with leaders and nurses involved in critical care in Sweden were collected, analysed and constant compared. Findings: The main concern in establishing patient safety was promoting quality of care, work engagement, and staffs well-being in strained ICUs. The core category building trust explained how the leaders’ and nurses’ strove for quality of care and wished a healthy, safe work environment. This is further explained in the categories “Being an accessible and able leader”, “Creating knowledge and understanding”, and “Establishing collaborative practice”. Conclusion: Establishing patient safety in the ICU requires that staffs enjoy going to work, have good work relations, are committed and want to stay at the unit. A healthy, salutogenetic unit with a work environment marked by trust provides a better opportunity to establish patient safety, and various leaders have potential to achieve this.

Medication Safety in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Big Measures for Our Smallest Patients.

Medication Safety in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Big Measures for Our Smallest Patients.

Physicochemical compatibility and emulsion stability of propofol with commonly used analgesics and sedatives in an intensive care unit

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was the determination of the physicochemical compatibility and emulsion stability of propofol with other sedatives and analgesics (clonidine hydrochloride, dexmedetomidine, 4-hydroxybutyric acid, (S)-ketamine, lormetazepam, midazolam...

Clinical Simulation Enables Process Change and Cognitive Adaptation: Essential Aspects for New NICU Adaptation

Staff preparation is the key driver for safety in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) transitions. The move to a single family room (SFR) NICU challenges staff to adapt to new care delivery processes. Simulation enables hands-on practice in the new environment and identifies specific areas that need adjustment prior to going live in the SFR model. Dissemination of a shared mental model prepares staff for practice changes in emergent and non-emergent situations. Attention to both the process and psychosocial components of organizational transition facilitate change. This article reviews techniques that facilitated management of one institution's transition, including engaging frontline staff, effective bidirectional communication, pre-move immersive clinical simulation, and development of an orientation workshop.

CLINICAL SUPERVISION – WHAT ABOUT THE SPECIALIST TRAINEES?

IntroductionClinical supervision is defined by Barber and Norman as having four main functions: educational, supportive, managerial and development of self-awareness.1It is common practice within initial pharmacy education for clinical supervision...

Rotavirus vaccine strain transmission by vaccinated infants in the foster home.

Previous studies have demonstrated the transmission of rotavirus vaccine strains from vaccinated children to nonvaccinated siblings. We sought to fully elucidate the safety of rotavirus (RV) vaccination in closed contact circumstance, such as the foster home for future assessment of the vaccine safety in an neonatal intensive care unit. Stool samples were collected from 4 RV vaccinated (160 samples) and 23 unvaccinated (766 samples) infants. RV viral RNA loads were measured using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RV vaccine strain RNA was persistently detected in stool samples collected from the four vaccine recipients and one unvaccinated infant, but not in the stool samples collected from the 22 other unvaccinated infants. The unvaccinated infant who tested positive for the RV vaccine strain was vaccinated prior to enrollment in this study. The quantitative real-time RT-PCR data revealed a peak viral RNA load 1 week after vaccination followed by a gradual decrease. The current study suggests that RV vaccination may be safe in a close contact environment because there was limited transmission from RV vaccinated to unvaccinated infants. J. Med. Virol. 89:79-84, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Device-associated infections in the pediatric intensive care unit at the American University of Beirut Medical Center

Device-associated healthcare-associated infections (DA-HAIs) are the principal threat to patient safety in intensive care units (ICUs). The primary objective of this study was to identify the most common DA-HAIs in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC). Length of stay (LOS) and mortality, antimicrobial resistance patterns, and suitability of empiric antibiotic choices for DA-HAIs according to the local resistance patterns were also studied. This was a retrospective study that included all patients admitted to the PICU at AUBMC between January 2007 and December 2011. All patients admitted to the PICU having a placed central line, an endotracheal tube, and/or a Foley catheter were included. Data was extracted from the patients' medical records through chart review. A total of 22 patients were identified with 25 central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI), 25 ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), and 9 catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs). The causing organisms, their resistance patterns, and the appropriateness of empiric antimicrobial therapy were reported. Gram-negative pathogens were found in 53% of the DA-HAIs, Gram-positive ones in 27%, and fungal organisms in 20%. A total of 80% of K. pneumonia isolates were extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) producers, and 30% of Pseudomonas isolates were multidrug resistant. No methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) were isolated. Based on culture results, the choice of empiric antimicrobial therapy was appropriate in 64% of the DA-HAIs. After the care bundle approach is adopted in our PICU, DA-HAIs are expected to decrease further.

A Novel ICU Hand-Over Tool: The Glass Door of the Patient Room

Poor communication among health-care providers is cited as the most common cause of sentinel events involving patients. Patient care in the critical care setting is incredibly complex. A consistent care plan is necessary between day/night shift teams and among bedside intensive care unit (ICU) nurses, consultants, and physicians. Our goal was to create a novel, easily accessible communication device to improve ICU patient care. This communication improvement project was done at an academic tertiary surgical/trauma/mixed 36-bed ICU with an average of 214 admissions per month. We created a glass door template embossed on the glass that included 3 columns for daily goals to be written: "day team," "night team," and "surgery/consultant team." Assigned areas for tracking "lines," "antibiotics," "ventilator weaning," and "Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) screening" were included. These doors are filled out/updated throughout the day by all of the ICU providers. All services can review current plans/active issues while evaluating the patient at the bedside. Patient-identifying data are not included. We retrospectively reviewed all ICU safety reported events over a 4-year period (2 years prior/2 years after glass door implementation) for specific handover communication-related errors and compared the 2 cohorts. Information on the glass doors is entered daily on rounds by all services. Prior to implementation, 7.96% of reported errors were related to patient handover communication errors. The post glass-door era had 4.26% of reported errors related to patient handover communication errors with a relative risk reduction of 46.5%. Due to its usefulness, this method of communication was quickly adopted by the other critical care services (cardiothoracic, medical, neurology/neurosurgery, cardiology) at our institution and is now used for over 150 ICU beds. Our glass door patient handover tool is an easily adaptable intervention that has improved communication leading to an overall decrease in the number of handover communication errors.

Identification of priorities for medication safety in the neonatal intensive care unit via failure mode and effect analysis

Prevention of medication errors in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) is of paramount importance due to age-specific and physiological conditions of neonates. This study aimed to evaluate the risk of medication prescription and administration via failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA), which was carried out at the Research and Medical Teaching Center of Imam Reza Hospital in Mashhad, Iran. Methods: In this study, we adopted qualitative (action research) and quantitative (descriptive cross-sectional research) methods. The FMEA of the prescribed and administered medications in the NICU was performed using the nine-step FMEA by the National Center for Patient Safety. A diagram was plotted to determine the potential failure modes and effects of an error by the brainstorming team and to evaluate factors leading to errors. It was suggested to determine improvement strategies via interviews with team members and consider the requirements of the study units. Quantitative analysis of descriptive statistics (total points) was used to assess the content and qualitative data and reach expert consensus. Results: In this study, two processes, including prescription and use of drugs in the pediatric intensive care unit, were used. In this regard, seven activities, 29 sub-processes 29, and 68 failure modes were identified by FMEA technique, five of which were identified as high-risk modes using prioritization matrix. Moreover, a risk priority number (RPN) of 100 was considered critical for the possible errors in drug prescription by physicians and was proposed as a method to reduce or eliminate failure modes. Conclusion: FMEA is an effective proactive risk-assessment tool, used to help multidisciplinary teams to understand the healthcare process and identify the possible errors. In addition, it helps prioritize remedial interventions for patients and enhance the safety of drug prescription in neonates.