Five important articles for Patient Safety Awareness Week
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March 14 through March 20 is Patient Safety Awareness Week, which aims to raise “awareness about the importance of making health care as safe as possible,” according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
“Health care usually starts with a diagnosis, but all too often, diagnoses are not accurate or timely,” Jeff Brady, MD, MPH, director of the Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety within the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), said in a video on the agency’s website.
He cited data that suggest one in 20 United States adults have been subject to a diagnostic error. Other data on commonly misdiagnosed conditions indicate that about half of patients who experience a diagnostic error fall victim to permanent disability or death, he continued.
Brady encouraged clinicians to visit AHRQ’s website to read more about programs that can improve patient safety and to apply for grants that fund initiatives promoting safer health care.
In commemoration of Patient Safety Awareness Week, Healio Primary Care compiled a list of stories that highlight efforts and opportunities to enhance patient safety.
Q&A: Quality improvement program ‘removed barriers’ to antibiotic stewardship in hospitals
A quality improvement program reduced antibiotic use and strengthened antimicrobial stewardship in hospitals, according to an analysis published in JAMA Network Open. Read more.
Study shows benefit of serial testing in nursing home outbreaks
Modeling showed that serially testing asymptomatic residents and staff in nursing homes could prevent more than 50% of SARS-CoV-2 infections in an outbreak, according to study results published in Clinical Infectious Diseases. Read more.
Q&A: Toolkit reduces falls among hospitalized patients
A fall prevention toolkit that engages hospitalized patients and their families was linked to fewer falls and injuries, according to research published in JAMA Network Open. Healio Primary Care spoke with one of the study authors to learn more about the toolkit and how it can be implemented at hospitals across the country. Read more.
Medical imaging services sold on Groupon save money but may put patients’ safety at risk
The e-commerce website Groupon saved money for patients who bought medical imaging services, but sellers did not always “accurately or adequately” provide information about the risks of imaging, researchers reported. Read more.
Safety performance of EHRs vary widely
Despite the broad adoption and optimization of electronic health records over a 10-year period, researchers reported “wide variation” in the safety performance of operational EHR systems. Read more.