National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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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
151 to 175 of 1293 Research Studies DisplayedChilakamarri P, Finn EB, Sather J
Failure mode and effect analysis: engineering safer neurocritical care transitions.
Investigators presented failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) as a systems-engineering methodology to be applied to neurocritical care transitions to reduce failures in communication and improve patient safety. They described their local implementation of FMEA to improve the safety of inter-hospital transfer for patients with intracerebral and subarachnoid hemorrhage as evidence of success. They found that application of the FMEA approach yielded meaningful and sustained process change for patients with neurocritical care needs.
AHRQ-funded; HS023554.
Citation: Chilakamarri P, Finn EB, Sather J .
Failure mode and effect analysis: engineering safer neurocritical care transitions.
Neurocrit Care 2021 Aug;35(1):232-40. doi: 10.1007/s12028-020-01160-6..
Keywords: Patient Safety, Transitions of Care, Critical Care, Communication, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Caballero ML, Krantz MS, Quirce S
Hidden dangers: recognizing excipients as potential causes of drug and vaccine hypersensitivity reactions.
In this paper, the authors provided a review of the evidence-based literature outlining epidemiology and mechanisms of excipient reactions and provided strategies for heightened recognition and allergy testing.
AHRQ-funded; HS026395.
Citation: Caballero ML, Krantz MS, Quirce S .
Hidden dangers: recognizing excipients as potential causes of drug and vaccine hypersensitivity reactions.
J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2021 Aug;9(8):2968-82. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2021.03.002..
Keywords: Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medication, Medication: Safety, Vaccination, Patient Safety
Parmasad V, Keating JA, Carayon P
Physical distancing for care delivery in health care settings: considerations and consequences.
Physical distancing in high complexity systems such as health care is particularly challenging and may benefit from a human factors and systems engineering perspective. In this paper the investigators discussed challenges to implementing and maintaining physical distancing in health care settings and presented possible solutions from a human factors and systems engineering perspective.
AHRQ-funded; HS026226.
Citation: Parmasad V, Keating JA, Carayon P .
Physical distancing for care delivery in health care settings: considerations and consequences.
Am J Infect Control 2021 Aug;49(8):1085-88. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2020.12.014..
Keywords: COVID-19, Healthcare Delivery, Patient Safety
Vu K, Zhou J, Everhart A
Uptake of evidence by physicians: de-adoption of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents after the TREAT trial.
Variation in de-adoption of ineffective or unsafe treatments is not well-understood. In this study the investigators examined de-adoption of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESA) in anemia treatment among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) following new clinical evidence of harm and ineffectiveness (the TREAT trial) and the FDA's revision of its safety warning. The investigators found that physician specialty had a dominant role in prescribing decision, and specializations with higher use of treatment (nephrologists) were more responsive to new evidence of unsafety and ineffectiveness.
AHRQ-funded; HS025164.
Citation: Vu K, Zhou J, Everhart A .
Uptake of evidence by physicians: de-adoption of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents after the TREAT trial.
BMC Nephrol 2021 Aug 21;22(1):284. doi: 10.1186/s12882-021-02491-y..
Keywords: Evidence-Based Practice, Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Safety, Practice Patterns, Provider: Physician
Leung WY, Adelman J, Bates DW
Validating fall prevention icons to support patient-centered education.
Falls with injury are the most prevalent hospital adverse event. The objective of this project was to refine fall risk and prevention icons for a patient-centric bedside toolkit to promote patient and nurse engagement in accurately assessing fall risks and developing a tailored fall prevention plan. The investigators indicated that all 16 icons were refined and used to form the basis for a bedside fall prevention toolkit.
AHRQ-funded; HS023535.
Citation: Leung WY, Adelman J, Bates DW .
Validating fall prevention icons to support patient-centered education.
J Patient Saf 2021 Aug 1;17(5):e413-e22. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000354..
Keywords: Falls, Prevention, Patient Safety, Patient-Centered Healthcare, Education: Patient and Caregiver, Hospitals, Adverse Events
Kern-Goldberger AR, Kneifati-Hayek J, Fernandes Y
Wrong-patient orders in obstetrics.
The objective of this observational study was to compare rates of wrong-patient orders among patients on obstetric units compared with reproductive-aged women admitted to medical-surgical units. The investigators concluded that order errors occurred more frequently on obstetric units compared with medical-surgical units.
AHRQ-funded; HS024538; HS026121.
Citation: Kern-Goldberger AR, Kneifati-Hayek J, Fernandes Y .
Wrong-patient orders in obstetrics.
Obstet Gynecol 2021 Aug 1;138(2):229-35. doi: 10.1097/aog.0000000000004474..
Keywords: Medical Errors, Maternal Care, Pregnancy, Women, Adverse Events, Patient Safety
Kanji F, Cohen T, Alfred M
Room size influences flow in robotic-assisted surgery.
This study’s objective was to explore the impact of operating room size on the environmental causes of surgical flow disruptions occurring during robotic-assisted surgery. Findings from this study demonstrated previously unrecognized spatial challenges involved with introducing surgical robots into the operating domain. It is important to consider the needs of the technology prior to integration.
AHRQ-funded; HS026491.
Citation: Kanji F, Cohen T, Alfred M .
Room size influences flow in robotic-assisted surgery.
Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021 Jul 28;18(15). doi: 10.3390/ijerph18157984..
Keywords: Surgery, Patient Safety
Watterson TL, Stone JA, Brown R
CancelRx: a health IT tool to reduce medication discrepancies in the outpatient setting.
Medication list discrepancies between outpatient clinics and pharmacies can lead to medication errors. Within the last decade, a new health information technology (IT), CancelRx, emerged to send a medication cancellation message from the clinic's electronic health record (EHR) to the outpatient pharmacy's software. The objective of this study was to measure the impact of CancelRx on reducing medication discrepancies between the EHR and pharmacy dispensing software.
AHRQ-funded; HS025793.
Citation: Watterson TL, Stone JA, Brown R .
CancelRx: a health IT tool to reduce medication discrepancies in the outpatient setting.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2021 Jul 14;28(7):1526-33. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocab038..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Medical Errors, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Patient Safety, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Ambulatory Care and Surgery
Wu P, Nelson SD, Zhao J
DDIWAS: high-throughput electronic health record-based screening of drug-drug interactions.
In this study, the investigators developed and evaluated Drug-Drug Interaction Wide Association Study (DDIWAS). This novel method detected potential drug-drug interactions (DDIs) by leveraging data from the electronic health record (EHR) allergy list. The investigators concluded that they demonstrated the value of incorporating information mined from existing allergy lists to detect DDIs in a real-world clinical setting. They indicate that since allergy lists are routinely collected in EHRs, DDIWAS has the potential to detect and validate DDI signals across institutions.
AHRQ-funded; HS026395.
Citation: Wu P, Nelson SD, Zhao J .
DDIWAS: high-throughput electronic health record-based screening of drug-drug interactions.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2021 Jul 14;28(7):1421-30. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocab019..
Keywords: Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Medication, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety
King CR, Abraham J, Fritz BA
Predicting self-intercepted medication ordering errors using machine learning.
Current approaches to understanding medication ordering errors rely on relatively small manually captured error samples. These approaches are resource-intensive, do not scale for computerized provider order entry (CPOE) systems, and are likely to miss important risk factors associated with medication ordering errors. Previously, the investigators described a dataset of CPOE-based medication voiding accompanied by univariable and multivariable regression analyses. In this paper, they updated the analysis using machine learning (ML) models to predict erroneous medication orders and identify its contributing factors.
AHRQ-funded; HS025443.
Citation: King CR, Abraham J, Fritz BA .
Predicting self-intercepted medication ordering errors using machine learning.
PLoS One 2021 Jul 14;16(7):e0254358. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254358..
Keywords: Medication, Medical Errors, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety, Electronic Prescribing (E-Prescribing), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Brei BK, Sawyer T, Umoren R
Associations between family presence and neonatal intubation outcomes: a report from the National Emergency Airway Registry for Neonates: NEAR4NEOS.
This study looked at whether the presence of family members had an impact on neonatal tracheal intubation (TI) outcomes. This retrospective analysis looked at TIs performed in NICUs participating in the National Emergency Airway Registry for Neonates (NEAR4NEOS) at 13 academic NICUS from October 2014 to December 2017. Family members were present in less than 10% of TIs, but this varied by site. Success rates were not significantly different, with the first attempt success rate at 55% with family present versus 49% and success within 2 attempts was 74% versus 66%. Adverse TI-associated events (TIAEs) were 17% versus 20% and severe oxygen desaturation was 49% versus 52%. No independent association between any of these outcomes was found with family presence.
AHRQ-funded; HS027259; HS024511.
Citation: Brei BK, Sawyer T, Umoren R .
Associations between family presence and neonatal intubation outcomes: a report from the National Emergency Airway Registry for Neonates: NEAR4NEOS.
Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 2021 Jul;106(4):392-97. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2020-319709..
Keywords: Newborns/Infants, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Registries, Patient Safety
Cifra CL, Sittig DF, Singh H
Bridging the feedback gap: a sociotechnical approach to informing clinicians of patients' subsequent clinical course and outcomes.
This paper discusses challenges to the development of systems for effective patient outcome feedback to improve diagnosis and proposes the application of a sociotechnical approach using health information technology (HIT) to support the implementation of such systems. It discusses current barriers to effective clinician feedback, reasons for them, and features of potential IT solutions. Evaluation and implementation of the feedback process within a sociotechnical health system are then discussed. The authors use an eight-dimension sociotechnical model for studying health IT by authors Sittig and Singh. The eight dimensions are hardware and software; clinical content; human–computer interface; people; workflow and communication; organisational policies and procedures; external rules, regulations and pressures; and system measurement and monitoring. A table is included that shows the potential considerations for each dimension.
AHRQ-funded; 33201500022I; HS027363.
Citation: Cifra CL, Sittig DF, Singh H .
Bridging the feedback gap: a sociotechnical approach to informing clinicians of patients' subsequent clinical course and outcomes.
BMJ Qual Saf 2021 Jul;30(7):591-97. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2020-012464..
Keywords: Health Information Technology (HIT), Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Patient Safety, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Murray DJ, Boulet JR, Boyle WA
Competence in decision making: setting performance standards for critical care.
Health care professionals must be able to make frequent and timely decisions that can alter the illness trajectory of intensive care patients. A competence standard for this ability is difficult to establish yet assuring practitioners can make appropriate judgments is an important step in advancing patient safety. In this study, the investigators hypothesized that simulation could be used effectively to assess decision-making competence.
AHRQ-funded; HS022265.
Citation: Murray DJ, Boulet JR, Boyle WA .
Competence in decision making: setting performance standards for critical care.
Anesth Analg 2021 Jul 1;133(1):142-50. doi: 10.1213/ane.0000000000005053..
Keywords: Critical Care, Decision Making, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Simulation, Provider Performance, Patient Safety, Quality of Care
Hewage SCN, Cao LTT, Jones RM
Factors associated with environmental service worker cleaning practices in health care settings: a systematic review of the literature.
The objective of this systematic literature review was to identify factors associated with the disinfection practices of environmental service workers in health care settings. Findings showed that, when education/training was combined with performance evaluation/feedback, significant improvement in environmental service worker disinfection practices was reported. The long-term commitment of an organization was also found to be essential for continuous improvement in disinfection outcomes.
AHRQ-funded; HS025987.
Citation: Hewage SCN, Cao LTT, Jones RM .
Factors associated with environmental service worker cleaning practices in health care settings: a systematic review of the literature.
Am J Infect Control 2021 Jul;49(7):919-27. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2021.01.001..
Keywords: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Patient Safety
Rasooly IR, Kern-Goldberger AS, Xiao Rasooly IR, Kern-Goldberger AS, Xiao R
Physiologic monitor alarm burden and nurses' subjective workload in a children's hospital.
Physiologic monitor alarms occur at high rates in children's hospitals; ≤1% are actionable. The burden of alarms has implications for patient safety and is challenging to measure directly. Nurse workload, measured by using a version of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) validated among nurses, is a useful indicator of work burden that has been associated with patient outcomes. The objective of this study was to measure the relationship between alarm count and nurse workload by using the NASA-TLX.
AHRQ-funded; R18 HS026620.
Citation: Rasooly IR, Kern-Goldberger AS, Xiao Rasooly IR, Kern-Goldberger AS, Xiao R .
Physiologic monitor alarm burden and nurses' subjective workload in a children's hospital.
Hosp Pediatr 2021 Jul;11(7):703-10. doi: 10.1542/hpeds.2020-003509..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Nursing, Inpatient Care, Patient Safety
Mackie TI, Kovacs KM, Simmel C
A best-worst scaling experiment to identify patient-centered claims-based outcomes for evaluation of pediatric antipsychotic monitoring programs.
This study utilized a best-worst scaling (BWS) experiment to identify the claims-based outcomes that matter most to patients and other relevant parties when evaluating pediatric antipsychotic monitoring programs, specifically in foster care children. Relevant parties included policymakers (n = 31), foster care alumni (n = 28), caseworkers (n=23), prescribing clinicians (n = 32), and caregivers (n = 18). Participants received surveys with a scenario on antipsychotic monitoring programs and ranked 11 candidate claims-based outcomes as most and least important. Safety indicators ranked among the top three candidate outcomes across respondent groups. Foster care alumni put “antipsychotic treatment reduction” and “increased psychosocial treatment” as the highest ranking. Caseworkers, prescribers, and caregivers gave top priority to “increased follow-up after treatment initiation”. Potential unintended consequences ranked lowest, including increased use of other psychotropic medication classes, increased psychiatric hospital stays, and increased emergency room utilization.
AHRQ-funded; HS026001.
Citation: Mackie TI, Kovacs KM, Simmel C .
A best-worst scaling experiment to identify patient-centered claims-based outcomes for evaluation of pediatric antipsychotic monitoring programs.
Health Serv Res 2021 Jun;56(3):418-31. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13610..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Medication, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety, Policy
Lyson HC, Sharma AE, Cherian R
A qualitative analysis of outpatient medication use in community settings: observed safety vulnerabilities and recommendations for improved patient safety.
Researchers sought to analyze diverse patients' experiences throughout the medication use process to inform the development of overarching interventions that support safe medication use in community settings. They conducted approximately 18 hours of direct observation of the medication use process across multiple settings and also conducted 6 semistructured interviews with medication safety experts. Their findings underscored a need for overarching, comprehensive interventions that span the entire process of medication use, including integrated communication systems between clinicians, pharmacies, and patients, and a "patient navigator" program that assists patients in navigating the entire medication-taking process.
AHRQ-funded; HS023558.
Citation: Lyson HC, Sharma AE, Cherian R .
A qualitative analysis of outpatient medication use in community settings: observed safety vulnerabilities and recommendations for improved patient safety.
J Patient Saf 2021 Jun 1;17(4):e335-e42. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000590..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Safety
Worsham CM, Woo J, Jena AB
Adverse events and emergency department opioid prescriptions in adolescents.
Understanding the risks associated with opioid prescription in adolescents is critical for informing opioid policy, but the risks are challenging to quantify given the lack of randomized trial data. Using a regression discontinuity design, the investigators exploited a discontinuous increase in opioid prescribing in the emergency department (ED) when adolescents transitioned from "child" to "adult" at age eighteen to estimate the effect of an ED opioid prescription on subsequent opioid-related adverse events.
AHRQ-funded; HS026753.
Citation: Worsham CM, Woo J, Jena AB .
Adverse events and emergency department opioid prescriptions in adolescents.
Health Aff 2021 Jun;40(6):970-78. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2020.01762..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Emergency Department, Opioids, Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Patient Safety, Practice Patterns
Xu X, Desai VB, Wright JD
Hospital variation in responses to safety warnings about power morcellation in hysterectomy.
This study aimed to examine whether hospitals varied in their use of laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy after safety warnings about power morcellation and compare the risk of surgical complications at hospitals that had different response trajectories in use of laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy. The investigators found that hospitals varied in their use of laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy after safety warnings about power morcellation. Complication risk increased at hospitals that shifted considerably toward open abdominal hysterectomy.
AHRQ-funded; HS024702.
Citation: Xu X, Desai VB, Wright JD .
Hospital variation in responses to safety warnings about power morcellation in hysterectomy.
Am J Obstet Gynecol 2021 Jun;224(6):589.e1-89.e13. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2020.12.1207..
Keywords: Patient Safety, Surgery, Risk, Women
Stolldorf DP, Ridner SH, Vogus TJ
Implementation strategies in the context of medication reconciliation: a qualitative study.
Medication reconciliation (MedRec) is an important patient safety initiative that aims to prevent patient harm from medication errors. Yet, the implementation and sustainability of MedRec interventions have been challenging due to contextual barriers like the lack of interprofessional communication (among pharmacists, nurses, and providers) and limited organizational capacity. Guided by the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) taxonomy, the authors report the differing strategies hospital implementation teams used to implement an evidence-based MedRec Toolkit (the MARQUIS Toolkit).
AHRQ-funded; HS025486.
Citation: Stolldorf DP, Ridner SH, Vogus TJ .
Implementation strategies in the context of medication reconciliation: a qualitative study.
Implement Sci Commun 2021 Jun 10;2(1):63. doi: 10.1186/s43058-021-00162-5..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Medical Errors, Adverse Events, Patient Safety, Implementation, Communication
Tedesco D, Moghavem N, Weng Y
Improvement in patient safety may precede policy changes: trends in patient safety indicators in the United States, 2000-2013.
This study’s aim was to assess changes in national patient safety trends that corresponded to U.S. pay-for-performance reforms. The study analyzed 13 patient safety indicators (PSIs) that were developed by AHRQ. PSI trends, Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services payment policy changes, and Inpatient Prospective Payment System regulations and notices between 2000 and 2013 were analyzed. Twelve of the thirteen PSIs had decreasing or stable trends in the last 5 years of the study. Central-line bloodstream infections had the greatest annual decrease (-31.1 annual percent change between 2006 and 2013) whereas postoperative respiratory failure had the smallest annual percent change (-3.5 between 2005 and 2013). Significant decreases in trends preceded federal payment reform initiatives in all but postoperative hip fracture. These findings suggest that intense public discourses targeting patient safety may drive national policy reforms.
AHRQ-funded; HS018558.
Citation: Tedesco D, Moghavem N, Weng Y .
Improvement in patient safety may precede policy changes: trends in patient safety indicators in the United States, 2000-2013.
J Patient Saf 2021 Jun 1;17(4):e327-e34. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000615..
Keywords: Patient Safety, Quality Improvement, Quality Indicators (QIs), Quality Measures, Quality of Care, Policy
Enayati M, Sir M, Zhang X
Monitoring diagnostic safety risks in emergency departments: protocol for a machine learning study.
This study’s objective will be to identify variables associated with diagnostic errors in emergency departments using large-scale EHR data and machine learning techniques. It will use trigger algorithms with electronic health record (EHR) data repositories to generate a large data set of records that are labeled trigger-positive or trigger-negative, depending on if they meet certain criteria. This study will be conducted by 2 academic medical centers with affiliated community hospitals.
AHRQ-funded; HS027363; HS026622.
Citation: Enayati M, Sir M, Zhang X .
Monitoring diagnostic safety risks in emergency departments: protocol for a machine learning study.
JMIR Res Protoc 2021 Jun 14;10(6):e24642. doi: 10.2196/24642..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Patient Safety, Risk, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Masonbrink AR, Harris M, Hall M
Safety events in children's hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted hospitals, potentially affecting quality and safety. The objective of this study was to compare pediatric hospitalization safety events during the pandemic versus previous years. The investigators concluded that postoperative sepsis rates increased among children hospitalized during COVID-19. They suggest that efforts are needed to improve safety of postoperative care for hospitalized children.
AHRQ-funded; HS024554; HS024592.
Citation: Masonbrink AR, Harris M, Hall M .
Safety events in children's hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hosp Pediatr 2021 Jun;11(6):e95-e100. doi: 10.1542/hpeds.2020-004937..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, COVID-19, Patient Safety, Sepsis, Adverse Events, Hospitalization, Hospitals, Inpatient Care, Infectious Diseases, Public Health
Michelson KA, Williams DN, Dart AH
Development of a rubric for assessing delayed diagnosis of appendicitis, diabetic ketoacidosis and sepsis.
This study’s objective was to create a guide for objectively grading the likelihood of delayed diagnosis of appendicitis, new-onset diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), and sepsis. Case vignettes were constructed for each condition and then presented to expert Delphi panels for review. In each vignette, the patient had a previous emergency department visit within 7 days of the delayed diagnosis. The panels graded the likelihood of a delayed diagnosis on a five-point scale. Consensus was achieved within three Delphi rounds for all appendicitis and sepsis vignettes, and 77% of DKA vignettes. The authors created a case review guide from the consensus scores that will aid researchers and quality improvement specialists in objective case review to determine if delayed diagnosis had occurred for those three conditions.
AHRQ-funded; HS026503.
Citation: Michelson KA, Williams DN, Dart AH .
Development of a rubric for assessing delayed diagnosis of appendicitis, diabetic ketoacidosis and sepsis.
Diagnosis 2021;8(2):219-25. doi: 10.1515/dx-2020-0035..
Keywords: Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Sepsis, Medical Errors, Adverse Events, Patient Safety
Harben AL, Kashy DA, Esfahanian S
Using change detection to objectively evaluate whether novel over-the-counter drug labels can increase attention to critical health information among older adults.
Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs have many benefits but also carry risks, such as adverse drug reactions, which are more prevalent in older adults. Because these products do not require the oversight of a physician or pharmacist, labeling plays a key role in communicating information required for their safe and effective use. In two experiments, the investigators used a change detection task to objectively evaluate how novel label designs that employ highlighting and a warning label placed on the package's front impact attention to critical information among older participants (65 and older).
AHRQ-funded; HS025386.
Citation: Harben AL, Kashy DA, Esfahanian S .
Using change detection to objectively evaluate whether novel over-the-counter drug labels can increase attention to critical health information among older adults.
Cogn Res Princ Implic 2021 May 26;6(1):40. doi: 10.1186/s41235-021-00307-z..
Keywords: Elderly, Medication: Safety, Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Patient Safety