National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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Search All Research Studies
Topics
- Adverse Drug Events (ADE) (1)
- Adverse Events (7)
- Children/Adolescents (5)
- Chronic Conditions (2)
- Diagnostic Safety and Quality (3)
- Disparities (1)
- Evidence-Based Practice (1)
- Family Health and History (2)
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) (1)
- Healthcare Delivery (2)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (1)
- Hospitalization (1)
- Hospitals (4)
- (-) Inpatient Care (9)
- (-) Medical Errors (9)
- Medication (1)
- Patient Safety (8)
- Provider: Physician (1)
- Quality of Care (2)
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 DisplayedAuerbach AD, Lee TM, Hubbard CC
Diagnostic errors in hospitalized adults who died or were transferred to intensive care.
The objective of this retrospective cohort study was to determine the prevalence, underlying causes, and harms of diagnostic errors in hospitalized adults who were transferred to an intensive care unit or who died. Data was taken from 29 academic medical centers in the U.S. in a random sample of adults hospitalized with general medical conditions. Errors were found to have contributed to temporary harm, permanent harm, or death in nearly 18% of patients; among patients who died, diagnostic error was judged to have contributed to death in 6.6% of cases. The researchers noted that problems with choosing and interpreting tests and the processes involved with clinician assessment were a high priority for improvement efforts.
AHRQ-funded; HS027369.
Citation: Auerbach AD, Lee TM, Hubbard CC .
Diagnostic errors in hospitalized adults who died or were transferred to intensive care.
JAMA Intern Med 2024 Feb; 184(2):164-73. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2023.7347..
Keywords: Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Medical Errors, Hospitals, Inpatient Care, Quality of Care, Patient Safety, Adverse Events
Halvorson EE, Thurtle DP, Easter A
Disparities in adverse event reporting for hospitalized children.
The authors compared the adverse event (AE) rate identified by voluntary event reporting (VER) with that identified using the Global Assessment of Pediatric Patient Safety (GAPPS) between hospitalized children by weight category, race, and English proficiency. In the population studied, they identified 288 total AEs, 270 by the GAPPS and 18 by VER. They found a disparity in AE reporting for children with limited English proficiency, with fewer AEs by VER compared with no difference in AEs by GAPPS. They identified no disparities by weight category or race. They concluded that voluntary event reporting may systematically underreport AEs in hospitalized children with limited English proficiency.
AHRQ-funded; HS026038.
Citation: Halvorson EE, Thurtle DP, Easter A .
Disparities in adverse event reporting for hospitalized children.
J Patient Saf 2022 Sep 1;18(6):e928-e33. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000001049..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Disparities, Adverse Events, Medical Errors, Patient Safety, Hospitals, Hospitalization, Inpatient Care
Mercer AN, Mauskar S, Baird J
Family safety reporting in hospitalized children with medical complexity.
This prospective cohort study was conducted to evaluate safety concerns from families of hospitalized children with medical complexity (CMC) who are at high risk of medical errors. This survey was done predischarge with English- and Spanish-speaking parents/staff of hospitalized CMC on 5 units caring for complex care patients at a tertiary care children's hospital. A total of 155 parents and 214 staff completed surveys, with 43% (n = 66) having ≥1 hospital safety concerns, totaling 115 concerns (1-6 concerns each). A physician review found that 69% of concerns were medical errors, and 22% nonsafety-related quality issues. Most parents (68%) reported concerns to staff, particularly bedside nurses, but only 32% of parents recalled being told how to report safety concerns. Higher education and longer length of stay were associated with family safety concerns.
AHRQ-funded; HS025781.
Citation: Mercer AN, Mauskar S, Baird J .
Family safety reporting in hospitalized children with medical complexity.
Pediatrics 2022 Aug 1; 150(2):e2021055098. doi: 10.1542/peds.2021-055098..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Family Health and History, Chronic Conditions, Patient Safety, Medical Errors, Adverse Events, Inpatient Care
Khan A, Baird J, Kelly MM
Family safety reporting in medically complex children: parent, staff, and leader perspectives.
This qualitative study examined parent, staff, and hospital leader perspectives about family safety reporting in children with medical complexity (CMC) to inform future interventions. The study was conducted at 2 tertiary care children’s hospitals with dedicated inpatient complex care services. Hour-long semi-structured, individual interviews were conducted with English and Spanish-speaking parents of CMC, physicians, nurses, and hospital leaders. A total of 80 participants (34 parents, 19 nurses and allied health professionals, 11 physicians, and 16 hospital leaders) were interviewed. Four themes related to family safety reporting emerged: (1) unclear, nontransparent, and variable existing processes, (2) a continuum of staff and leadership buy-in, (3) a family decision-making calculus about whether to report, and (4) misaligned staff and parent priorities and expectations. The authors also identified potential strategies for engaging families and staff in family reporting.
AHRQ-funded; HS025781.
Citation: Khan A, Baird J, Kelly MM .
Family safety reporting in medically complex children: parent, staff, and leader perspectives.
Pediatrics 2022 Jun; 149(6). doi: 10.1542/peds.2021-053913..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Family Health and History, Chronic Conditions, Provider: Physician, Patient Safety, Medical Errors, Adverse Events, Inpatient Care
Mixon AS, Kripalani S, Stein J
An on-treatment analysis of the MARQUIS study: interventions to improve inpatient medication reconciliation.
This paper examined evidence-based interventions implemented in five US hospitals to improve inpatient medication reconciliation. The sites implemented one to seven interventions in 791 patients during a 25-month implementation period. Three interventions were associated with significant decreases in potentially harmful reconciliation rates while two interventions were associated with significant increases. The positive interventions included: defining clinical roles and responsibilities, training, and hiring staff to perform discharge medication reconciliation. The negative interventions were training staff to take medication histories and implementing a new electronic health record (EHR) system.
AHRQ-funded; HS019598.
Citation: Mixon AS, Kripalani S, Stein J .
An on-treatment analysis of the MARQUIS study: interventions to improve inpatient medication reconciliation.
J Hosp Med 2019 Oct;14(10):614-17. doi: 10.12788/jhm.3308..
Keywords: Medication, Evidence-Based Practice, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medical Errors, Patient Safety, Hospitals, Healthcare Delivery, Inpatient Care
Gupta A, Harrod M, Quinn M
Mind the overlap: how system problems contribute to cognitive failure and diagnostic errors.
This study focused on how system problems within two academic institutions contribute to cognitive and diagnostic errors of inpatient physicians. Observations were conducted by physicians, nurses, and non-clinicians (qualitative researchers, social scientists and health care engineers). Focus groups were also conducted. System-based problems included interruptions, time constraints and physical space.
AHRQ-funded; HS024385; HS022835; HS022087.
Citation: Gupta A, Harrod M, Quinn M .
Mind the overlap: how system problems contribute to cognitive failure and diagnostic errors.
Diagnosis 2018 Sep 25;5(3):151-56. doi: 10.1515/dx-2018-0014..
Keywords: Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Quality of Care, Healthcare Delivery, Inpatient Care, Medical Errors
Stockwell DC, Landrigan CP, Toomey SL
Adverse events in hospitalized pediatric patients.
Patient safety concerns over the past 2 decades have prompted widespread efforts to reduce adverse events (AEs). This study used a validated safety surveillance tool, the Global Assessment of Pediatric Patient Safety, to measure temporal trends (2007-2012) in AE rates among hospitalized children. The study concluded that AE rates in pediatric inpatients are high and did not improve from 2007 to 2012. Pediatric AE rates were substantially higher in teaching hospitals as well as in patients with more chronic conditions.
AHRQ-funded; HS020513
Citation: Stockwell DC, Landrigan CP, Toomey SL .
Adverse events in hospitalized pediatric patients.
Pediatrics 2018 Aug;142(2). doi: 10.1542/peds.2017-3360..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Adverse Events, Patient Safety, Inpatient Care, Medical Errors
Dynan L, Goudie A, Brady PW
Pediatric adverse event rates associated with inexperience in teaching hospitals: a multilevel analysis.
In this article, the investigators hypothesize that adverse event rates increase with the availability of more complex services and technologies (transplantation and pediatric open-heart surgery); increase as experience of providers decreases (July effect); and increase with residents per bed, a measure of both average provider inexperience and congestion. Using multilevel analysis, they found empirical evidence in support of their three hypotheses.
AHRQ-funded; HS023827.
Citation: Dynan L, Goudie A, Brady PW .
Pediatric adverse event rates associated with inexperience in teaching hospitals: a multilevel analysis.
J Healthc Qual 2018 Mar/Apr;40(2):69-78. doi: 10.1097/jhq.0000000000000121..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Adverse Events, Hospitals, Inpatient Care, Medical Errors, Patient Safety
Singh H, Zwaan L
Annals for hospitalists inpatient notes - Reducing diagnostic error-a new horizon of opportunities for hospital medicine.
The authors argue that given the importance of diagnoses in the hospital, hospitalists are well-positioned to lead efforts to promote correct and timely diagnosis. However, to reduce harms from diagnostic errors, hospitalists must first understand how these errors occur and then develop practical strategies to avoid them.
AHRQ-funded; HS022087; HS023602.
Citation: Singh H, Zwaan L .
Annals for hospitalists inpatient notes - Reducing diagnostic error-a new horizon of opportunities for hospital medicine.
Ann Intern Med 2016 Oct 18;165(8):HO2-HO4. doi: 10.7326/m16-2042.
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Keywords: Medical Errors, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Patient Safety, Health Information Technology (HIT), Inpatient Care