National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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Search All Research Studies
Topics
- Adverse Drug Events (ADE) (3)
- Adverse Events (8)
- Cardiovascular Conditions (1)
- Communication (1)
- Imaging (1)
- (-) Medical Errors (9)
- Medical Liability (1)
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- Medication: Safety (1)
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AHRQ Research Studies
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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 9 of 9 Research Studies DisplayedLanglieb ME, Sharma P, Hocevar M
The additional cost of perioperative medication errors.
The aim of this study was to calculate the additional annual cost to the U.S. healthcare system attributable to preventable medication errors (MEs) in the operating room. The ME types were grouped into 13 categories by their related harm (or potential harm), and researchers calculated the incidence of operations involving each ME category: 1) delayed or missed required perioperative antibiotic; 2) prolonged hemodynamic swings; 3) untreated postoperative pain; 4) residual neuromuscular blockade; 5) oxygen saturation <90% due to ME; 6) delayed emergence; 7) untreated new onset intraoperative cardiac arrhythmia; 8) medication documentation errors; 9) syringe swaps; 10) presumed hypotension with inability to obtain a blood pressure reading; 11) potential for bacterial contamination due to expired medication syringes; 12) untreated bradycardia <40 beats/min; and 13) other. Through a PubMed search, the researchers established the possibility that the ME category would cause downstream patient harm such as surgical site infection or acute kidney injury, and the additional fully allocated cost of care for each potential downstream patient harm event. The cost of the MEs across the U.S. healthcare system was then calculated by scaling the number of MEs to the total number of annual operations in the United States. The total additional fully allocated annual cost of care due to perioperative MEs was estimated to be $5.33 billion U.S. dollars.
AHRQ-funded; HS024764.
Citation: Langlieb ME, Sharma P, Hocevar M .
The additional cost of perioperative medication errors.
J Patient Saf 2023 Oct 1; 19(6):375-78. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000001136..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Medical Errors, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Surgery, Patient Safety
Long S, Thomas GW, Karam MD
Surgical skill can be objectively measured from fluoroscopic images using a novel image-based Decision Error Analysis (IDEA) score.
This study introduces and evaluates a novel Image-based Decision Error Analysis (IDEA) score that captures performance during fluoroscopically assisted wire navigation. Findings showed that the fluoroscopic images obtained in the course of placing a guide wire contained a rich amount of information related to surgical skill. The IDEA scoring provided a basis for evaluating the competence of a resident. The score can be used to assess skill at key timepoints throughout residency, such as when rotating onto/off of a new surgical service and before performing certain procedures in the operating room, or as a tool for debriefing/providing feedback after a procedure is completed.
AHRQ-funded; HS022077; HS025353.
Citation: Long S, Thomas GW, Karam MD .
Surgical skill can be objectively measured from fluoroscopic images using a novel image-based Decision Error Analysis (IDEA) score.
Clin Orthop Relat Res 2021 Jun;479(6):1386-94. doi: 10.1097/corr.0000000000001623..
Keywords: Orthopedics, Surgery, Shared Decision Making, Medical Errors, Adverse Events, Imaging
Samost-Williams A, Nanji KC
A systems theoretic process analysis of the medication use process in the operating room.
While 4 to 10% of medications administered in the operating room may involve an error, few investigations have prospectively modeled how these errors might occur. Systems theoretic process analysis is a prospective risk analysis technique that uses systems theory to identify hazards. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the use of systems theoretic process analysis in a healthcare organization to prospectively identify causal factors for medication errors in the operating room.
AHRQ-funded; HS024764.
Citation: Samost-Williams A, Nanji KC .
A systems theoretic process analysis of the medication use process in the operating room.
Anesthesiology 2020 Aug;133(2):332-41. doi: 10.1097/aln.0000000000003376..
Keywords: Medication, Surgery, Medical Errors, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events
Banerjee A, Burden A, Slagle JM
Key performance gaps of practicing anesthesiologists: how they contribute to hazards in anesthesiology and proposals for addressing them.
This study analyzed performance gaps of practicing anesthesiologists, and used 4 different scenarios that illustrate those gaps and how they contribute to hazards in anesthesiology and proposals for addressing them. The authors used 4 standardized simulated scenarios of common events that anesthesiologists would expect to see in their practice. The 4 perioperative crisis events are: (1) local anesthetic systemic toxicity (LAST) leading to hemodynamic collapse; (2) retroperitoneal bleeding from insertion of a laparoscopic surgery trocar leading to hemorrhagic shock; (3) malignant hyperthermia (MH) presenting in the postanesthesia care unit; and (4) acute atrial fibrillation with hemodynamic instability, followed by signs of a ST-elevation myocardial infarction (AFib-MI). These scenarios came from a 2017 paper by Weinger, et al. A group of subject matter experts defined a set of clinical performance elements (CPEs) that they would expect to be performed in the scenarios. Only 4% of encounters in these scenarios had perfect performance by anesthesiologists where all prescribed CPEs were performed. Recommendations for improvement included providing high-fidelity simulation training, incorporating clinical lessons about gaps, fostering regular use by anesthesiologists and OR teams of clinical guidance, modifying organizational arrangements at clinical sites to ensure backup help is readily available, and implementing periodic formative performance assessments.
AHRQ-funded; HS020415.
Citation: Banerjee A, Burden A, Slagle JM .
Key performance gaps of practicing anesthesiologists: how they contribute to hazards in anesthesiology and proposals for addressing them.
Int Anesthesiol Clin 2020 Winter;58(1):13-20. doi: 10.1097/aia.0000000000000262..
Keywords: Medical Errors, Adverse Events, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Patient Safety, Provider Performance, Provider: Physician, Provider, Surgery
Mello MM, Greenberg Y, Senecal SK
Case outcomes in a communication-and-resolution program in New York hospitals.
The researchers sought to determine case outcomes in a communication-and-resolution program (CRP) implemented to respond to adverse events in general surgery. They concluded that the bulk of CRPs' work is in investigating and communicating about events not caused by substandard care. These CRPs were quite successful in handling such events, but less consistent in offering compensation in cases involving substandard care.
AHRQ-funded; R18 HS019505.
Citation: Mello MM, Greenberg Y, Senecal SK .
Case outcomes in a communication-and-resolution program in New York hospitals.
Health Serv Res 2016 Dec;51 Suppl 3:2583-99. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.12594.
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Keywords: Adverse Events, Communication, Medical Errors, Medical Liability, Surgery
Mueller SK, Yoon C, Schnipper JL
Association of a web-based handoff tool with rates of medical errors.
The researchers implemented a web-based handoff tool and training for health care professionals and evaluated the association of the tool with rates of medical errors in adult medical and surgical patients. They found that implementation of this tool was associated with a significant reduction in rates of medical errors, driven largely by a reduction in errors attributable to communication failure and errors that occurred during end-of-shift handoffs.
AHRQ-funded; HS023331.
Citation: Mueller SK, Yoon C, Schnipper JL .
Association of a web-based handoff tool with rates of medical errors.
JAMA Intern Med 2016 Sep;176(9):1400-2. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.4258.
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Keywords: Medical Errors, Patient Safety, Surgery, Tools & Toolkits, Web-Based
McElroy LM, Woods DM, Yanes AF
Applying the WHO conceptual framework for the International Classification for Patient Safety to a surgical population.
The researchers aimed to test the applicability of the International Classification for Patient Safety to a surgical population by developing a codebook for future use by researchers. They found that the most common severity classification was 'reportable circumstance' and that the most common incident type was 'resources/organizational management.' They noted that several aspects of surgical care were encompassed by more than one classification, including operating room scheduling, delays in care, trainee-related incidents, interruptions, and handoffs. They concluded that a framework for patient safety can be applied to facilitate the organization and analysis of surgical safety data.
AHRQ-funded; HS000078.
Citation: McElroy LM, Woods DM, Yanes AF .
Applying the WHO conceptual framework for the International Classification for Patient Safety to a surgical population.
Int J Qual Health Care 2016 Apr;28(2):166-74. doi: 10.1093/intqhc/mzw001.
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Keywords: Surgery, Patient Safety, Transplantation, Adverse Events, Medical Errors
Thompson DA, Marsteller JA, Pronovost PJ
Locating errors through networked surveillance: A multimethod approach to peer assessment, hazard identification, and prioritization of patient safety efforts in cardiac surgery.
The objectives of the study were to develop a scientifically sound and feasible peer-to-peer assessment model that allows health-care organizations to evaluate patient safety in cardiovascular operating rooms and to establish safety priorities for improvement. It identified 6 top priority hazard themes: safety culture, teamwork and communication, infection prevention, transitions of care, failure to adhere to practices or policies, and operating room layout and equipment.
AHRQ-funded; HS013904.
Citation: Thompson DA, Marsteller JA, Pronovost PJ .
Locating errors through networked surveillance: A multimethod approach to peer assessment, hazard identification, and prioritization of patient safety efforts in cardiac surgery.
J Patient Saf 2015 Sep;11(3):143-51. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000059..
Keywords: Patient Safety, Medical Errors, Adverse Events, Surgery, Cardiovascular Conditions, Prevention
Huang LC, Conley D, Lipsitz S
The Surgical Safety Checklist and teamwork coaching tools: a study of inter-rater reliability.
The authors assessed the inter-rater reliability (IRR) of two novel observation tools for measuring surgical safety checklist performance and teamwork. They found that both the Checklist Coaching Tool and the Surgical Teamwork Tool demonstrated substantial IRR and required limited training to use, indicating that both instruments may be used to observe checklist performance and teamwork in the operating room. They recommended that further refinement and calibration of observer expectations, particularly in rating teamwork, could improve the utility of the tools.
AHRQ-funded; HS019631.
Citation: Huang LC, Conley D, Lipsitz S .
The Surgical Safety Checklist and teamwork coaching tools: a study of inter-rater reliability.
BMJ Qual Saf 2014 Aug;23(8):639-50. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2013-002446.
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Keywords: Patient Safety, Surgery, Tools & Toolkits, Teams, Adverse Events, Medical Errors, Prevention