Human Factors Engineering Can Protect Patient Safety During COVID-19
Issue Number
714
May 26, 2020
AHRQ Stats
Access more data on this topic in the associated Statistical Brief
Today's Headlines:
- Human Factors Engineering Can Protect Patient Safety During COVID-19.
- New AHRQ Chartbook Shows Healthcare Trends for Asians, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.
- Highlights From AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network.
- When Assessing Transplants, Long-Term Outcomes Are More Meaningful.
- New Research and Evidence From AHRQ.
- AHRQ in the Professional Literature.
Human Factors Engineering Can Protect Patient Safety During COVID-19
A new primer from AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network (PSNET) describes how human factors engineering can help healthcare teams reduce patient safety risks that arise from stresses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In times of stress, failures such as misdiagnoses and adverse events may increase due to factors such as fatigue and burnout, absence of team trust, time constraints and medical illness among staff, according to the primer. The authors highlight several patient safety strategies—effective use of signage, workflow review and redesign, safety checklists and simulation training—regarded as essential for keeping patients and healthcare providers safe in the age of COVID-19. Access the primer.
New AHRQ Chartbook Shows Healthcare Trends for Asians, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders
AHRQ’s new Chartbook on Healthcare for Asians, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders shows several areas of improved patient safety, such as appropriate prescription medicines for seniors; more effective care for people suffering a stroke; and increased rates of vaccine for pneumonia. However, disparities remain, including getting timely medical or dental care or treatment, having language assistance during medical appointments, and being aware of serostatus among people with HIV. The chartbook summarizes trends in healthcare and disparities and shows selected demographics. It is part of a series derived from AHRQ's annual National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report.
Highlights From AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network
AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network (PSNet) highlights journal articles, books and tools related to patient safety. Articles featured this week include:
- The application of strong matrix management and PDCA cycle in the management of severe COVID-19 patients.
- We Want to Know–a mixed methods evaluation of a comprehensive program designed to detect and address patient-reported breakdowns in care.
- Association between cancer-specific adverse event triggers and mortality: a validation study.
- Annals Clinical Decision Making: avoiding cognitive errors in clinical decision making.
Review additional new publications in PSNet’s current issue or access recent cases and commentaries in AHRQ’s WebM&M (Morbidity and Mortality Rounds on the Web).
When Assessing Transplants, Long-Term Outcomes Are More Meaningful
Public reporting on outcomes for kidney, liver and lung transplants would be more meaningful if assessments were conducted longer after surgery than current assessments that occur after one year, according to an AHRQ-funded study. Post-transplant outcomes on graft survival (the probability of successful functioning after transplant) are publicly reported for patient and regulatory use. One-year assessments are commonly criticized for not identifying clinically meaningful differences between transplant programs and not providing information about longer-term outcomes. Researchers’ analysis of people who were listed as transplant candidates between 2011 and 2015, and who subsequently underwent transplants before the end of 2018, showed three- and five-year assessments provided more meaningful outcomes information than one-year follow-ups. Access the abstract of the study published in the American Journal of Transplantation.
New Research and Evidence From AHRQ
AHRQ in the Professional Literature
Association of work measures and specialty with assigned work relative value units among surgeons. Childers CP, Dworsky JQ, Russell MM, et al. JAMA Surg 2019 Oct 1;154(10):915-21. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
Hospital experience predicts outcomes after high-risk geriatric surgery. Dworsky JQ, Childers CP, Gornbein J, et al. Surgery 2020 Feb;167(2):468-74. Epub 2019 Sep 10. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
Anaphylaxis to PEGylated liposomal echocardiogram contrast in a patient with IgE-mediated macrogol allergy. Krantz MS, Liu Y, Phillips EJ, et al. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2020 Apr;8(4):1416-9.e3. Epub 2020 Jan 16. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
US hospital type and proximity to mass shooting events. Myers SR, DeSimone JD, Lorch SA, et al. JAMA Surg 2020 May;155(5):446-7. Epub 2020 Mar 18. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
COVID-19: pandemic contingency planning for the allergy and immunology clinic. Shaker MS, Oppenheimer J, Grayson M, et al. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2020 May;8(5):1477-88.e5. Epub 2020 Mar 26. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
Antibiotic stewardship for older adults in ambulatory care settings: addressing an unmet challenge. Pulia MS, Keller SC, Crnich CJ, et al. J Am Geriatr Soc 2020 Feb;68(2):244-9. Epub 2019 Nov 21. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
National referral and treatment patterns among mental health pediatric primary care visits. Peterson EL, Ndumele CD, Busch SH. Adm Policy Ment Health 2020 Jan;47(1):86-93. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
Using electronic health records to measure quality improvement efforts: findings from a large practice facilitation initiative. Liss DT, Peprah YA, Brown T, et al. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2020 Jan;46(1):11-7. Epub 2019 Nov 5. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
