Roughly 13 years after the Institute of Medicine report "To Err is Human," healthcare has experienced little progress in improving patient safety, according to a commentary in BMJ Quality and Safety.
The authors identify several challenges of patient safety improvement and potential solutions.
Challenges
• Low investment in patient safety
• Short time period of intervention compared with other initiatives (e.g., curing cancer)
• Limited existing research base
• Limited workforce studying and testing patient safety interventions
• Few effective patient safety interventions
• Low or inappropriate adoption of effective interventions
• Inadequate measure of changes in patient safety over time
Solution
• Targeted surveillance of events targeted by effective patient safety interventions
• In the transition to new models of healthcare delivery, occasionally conduct general chart reviews for triggers for possible harms
Study: Hospital-Outpatient Provider Communication Alone May Not Affect Readmissions
Study: HAI Rates Increased, Mortality Dropped in Cancer Patients
The authors identify several challenges of patient safety improvement and potential solutions.
Challenges
• Low investment in patient safety
• Short time period of intervention compared with other initiatives (e.g., curing cancer)
• Limited existing research base
• Limited workforce studying and testing patient safety interventions
• Few effective patient safety interventions
• Low or inappropriate adoption of effective interventions
• Inadequate measure of changes in patient safety over time
Solution
• Targeted surveillance of events targeted by effective patient safety interventions
• In the transition to new models of healthcare delivery, occasionally conduct general chart reviews for triggers for possible harms
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Patient Safety Tool: Checklist for Healthcare Personnel Flu ImmunizationStudy: Hospital-Outpatient Provider Communication Alone May Not Affect Readmissions
Study: HAI Rates Increased, Mortality Dropped in Cancer Patients