National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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AHRQ Research Studies Date
Topics
- Adverse Drug Events (ADE) (8)
- (-) Adverse Events (18)
- Ambulatory Care and Surgery (1)
- Children/Adolescents (2)
- Clinical Decision Support (CDS) (1)
- Communication (1)
- Critical Care (1)
- Dental and Oral Health (1)
- Diagnostic Safety and Quality (5)
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs) (2)
- Electronic Prescribing (E-Prescribing) (2)
- Emergency Department (1)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (7)
- Hospitals (2)
- Implementation (1)
- Intensive Care Unit (ICU) (1)
- Maternal Care (1)
- (-) Medical Errors (18)
- Medicare (1)
- Medication (8)
- Medication: Safety (7)
- (-) Patient Safety (18)
- Pregnancy (1)
- Prevention (1)
- Primary Care (1)
- Provider (2)
- Provider: Pharmacist (3)
- Quality Improvement (1)
- Quality of Care (1)
- Risk (1)
- Sepsis (1)
- Telehealth (2)
- Transitions of Care (1)
- Transplantation (1)
- Women (1)
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 18 of 18 Research Studies DisplayedAdams KT, Pruitt Z, Kazi S
Identifying health information technology usability issues contributing to medication errors across medication process stages.
Researchers sought to identify the types of medication errors associated with health IT use, whether they reached the patient, where in the medication process those errors occurred, and the specific usability issues contributing to those errors. They found that health IT usability issues were a prevalent contributing factor to medication errors, many of which reach the patient. They recommended that data entry, workflow support, and alerting be prioritized during usability and safety optimization efforts.
AHRQ-funded; HS025136.
Citation: Adams KT, Pruitt Z, Kazi S .
Identifying health information technology usability issues contributing to medication errors across medication process stages.
J Patient Saf 2021 Dec 1;17(8):e988-e94. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000868..
Keywords: Medication, Health Information Technology (HIT), Medical Errors, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Patient Safety
Ackerman SL, Gourley G, Le G
Improving patient safety in public hospitals: developing standard measures to track medical errors and process breakdowns
This study’s aim was to develop standards for tracking patient safety gaps in ambulatory care in safety net health systems. Participants were invited leaders from five California safety net health systems. They participated in a modified Delphi process sponsored by the Safety Promotion Action Research and Knowledge Network (SPARKNet) and the California Safety Net Institute. The feasibility and validity of 13 proposed patient safety measures were discussed by the eight panelists and prioritized in three Delphi rounds. Consensus was unanimously reached to adopt 9 of the 13 proposed measures. However, concern was expressed about the feasibility of implementing several of the measures.
AHRQ-funded; HS024426; HS022047.
Citation: Ackerman SL, Gourley G, Le G .
Improving patient safety in public hospitals: developing standard measures to track medical errors and process breakdowns
J Patient Saf 2021 Dec 1;17(8):e773-e90. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000480..
Keywords: Patient Safety, Medical Errors, Adverse Events, Hospitals
Tokede O, Walji M, Ramoni R
Quantifying dental office-originating adverse events: the dental practice study methods.
Investigators initiated the Dental Practice Study (DPS) with the goal of determining the frequency and types of adverse events (AEs) that occur in dentistry on the basis of retrospective chart audit. In this article, they discussed the 6-month pilot phase of the DPS during which they explored the feasibility and efficiency of their multi-staged review process to detect AEs.
Citation: Tokede O, Walji M, Ramoni R .
Quantifying dental office-originating adverse events: the dental practice study methods.
J Patient Saf 2021 Dec 1;17(8):e1080-e87. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000444..
Keywords: Dental and Oral Health, Adverse Events, Patient Safety, Medical Errors
Giardina TD, Korukonda S, Shahid U
Use of patient complaints to identify diagnosis-related safety concerns: a mixed-method evaluation.
This retrospective cohort study evaluated the use of patient complaint data to identify patient safety concerns related to diagnosis as an initial step to using this information to facilitate learning and improvement. Patient complaints submitted to the Geisinger healthcare system were reviewed with 2 cohorts from August to December 2017 (cohort 1) and January to June 2018 (cohort 2). The authors selected complaints more likely to be associated with diagnostic concerns in Geisinger’s existing complaint taxonomy. In cohort 1, 1865 complaint summaries were reviewed and 177 (9.5%) were identified as concerning. The review identified 39 diagnostic errors. In cohort 2, 2423 patient complaints were reviewed and 310 (12.8%) concerning reports were identified. A 10% sample contained give diagnostic errors. Most errors were categorized as “Clinical Care” issues.
AHRQ-funded; HS025474; HS027363.
Citation: Giardina TD, Korukonda S, Shahid U .
Use of patient complaints to identify diagnosis-related safety concerns: a mixed-method evaluation.
BMJ Qual Saf 2021 Dec;30(12):996-1001. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2020-011593..
Keywords: Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Patient Safety, Medical Errors, Adverse Events
Mahajan P, Pai CW, Cosby KS
Identifying trigger concepts to screen emergency department visits for diagnostic errors.
The diagnostic process is a vital component of safe and effective emergency department (ED) care. There are no standardized methods for identifying or reliably monitoring diagnostic errors in the ED, impeding efforts to enhance diagnostic safety. In this study, the investigators sought to identify trigger concepts to screen ED records for diagnostic errors and describe how they can be used as a measurement strategy to identify and reduce preventable diagnostic harm.
AHRQ-funded; HS024953; HS027363.
Citation: Mahajan P, Pai CW, Cosby KS .
Identifying trigger concepts to screen emergency department visits for diagnostic errors.
Diagnosis 2021 Aug 26;8(3):340-46. doi: 10.1515/dx-2020-0122..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Medical Errors, Adverse Events, Patient Safety
Cifra CL, Custer JW, Singh H
Diagnostic errors in pediatric critical care: a systematic review.
This study is a systematic review on the prevalence, impact, and contributing factors related to diagnostic errors in the PICU. A database search was done for literature up through December 2019. Using specific criteria, 396 abstracts were screened, and 17 studies were included. Fifteen of 17 studies had an observational research design. Autopsy studies showed a 10-23% rate of missed major diagnosis with 5-16% of the errors having a potential adverse impact on survival and would have changed care management. Retrospective record review studies reported varying rates of diagnostic error from 8% in a general PICU population to 12% among unexpected critical admissions. About a quarter of those patients were discussed at PICU morbidity and mortality conferences. Most misdiagnosed conditions were cardiovascular, infectious, congenital, or neurologic. System, cognitive, and both system and cognitive factors were associated with diagnostic error but there is limited information on the impact of misdiagnosis.
AHRQ-funded; HS026965.
Citation: Cifra CL, Custer JW, Singh H .
Diagnostic errors in pediatric critical care: a systematic review.
Pediatr Crit Care Med 2021 Aug;22(8):701-12. doi: 10.1097/pcc.0000000000002735..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Medical Errors, Adverse Events, Patient Safety, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Critical Care
De Oliveira GS, Castro-Alves LJ, Kendall MC
Effectiveness of pharmacist intervention to reduce medication errors and health-care resources utilization after transitions of care: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
The main objective of the current investigation was to examine the effectiveness of pharmacist-based transition-of-care interventions on the reduction of medication errors after hospital discharge. Findings showed that pharmacist transition-of-care intervention is an effective strategy to reduce medication errors after hospital discharge and also reduces subsequent emergency room visits.
AHRQ-funded; HS024158.
Citation: De Oliveira GS, Castro-Alves LJ, Kendall MC .
Effectiveness of pharmacist intervention to reduce medication errors and health-care resources utilization after transitions of care: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
J Patient Saf 2021 Aug 1;17(5):375-80. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000283..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medical Errors, Patient Safety, Provider: Pharmacist, Transitions of Care
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
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
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)
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
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
Gonzales HM, Fleming JN, Gebregziabher M
Pharmacist-led mobile health intervention and transplant medication safety: a randomized controlled clinical trial.
The goal of this study was to examine the efficacy of improving medication safety through a pharmacist-led, mobile health-based intervention. In this single-center study of adult kidney recipients 6-36 months post-transplant, findings showed that participants receiving the intervention experienced a significant reduction in medication errors and a significantly lower incidence risk of Grade 3 or higher adverse events. The intervention arm also demonstrated significantly lower rates of hospitalizations.
AHRQ-funded; HS023754.
Citation: Gonzales HM, Fleming JN, Gebregziabher M .
Pharmacist-led mobile health intervention and transplant medication safety: a randomized controlled clinical trial.
Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 2021 May 8;16(5):776-84. doi: 10.2215/cjn.15911020..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Safety, Transplantation, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Provider: Pharmacist, Provider, Medical Errors, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events
Classen DC, Munier W, Verzier N
AHRQ Author: Munier W, Eldridge N, Brady PJ, Helwig A, Battles J
Measuring patient safety: the Medicare Patient Safety Monitoring System (past, present, and future).
This review article discusses the development, strengths and limitations, and future of the Medicare Patient Safety Monitoring System (MPSMS), which was created more than 10 years ago. MPSMS is a chart review-based national patient safety surveillance system that provides rates of 21 specific hospital inpatient adverse event measures, which are divided into 4 clinical domains (general, hospital-acquired infections, post-procedure adverse events, and adverse drug events). The 2014 MPSMS national sample was drawn from 1109 hospitals and includes approximately 20,000 medical records of patients admitted to the hospital for at least 1 of 4 conditions: congestive heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, pneumonia, and major surgical procedures as defined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Surgical Care Improvement Project. The MSPMS is now undergoing a major transformation to capture additional types of adverse events, and is being renamed the Quality and Safety Review System (QSRS). Data will be electronically imported and will be updated and evolved over time to incorporate expanded standardized data available from electronic health records.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Classen DC, Munier W, Verzier N .
Measuring patient safety: the Medicare Patient Safety Monitoring System (past, present, and future).
J Patient Saf 2021 Apr 1;17(3):e234-3240. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000322..
Keywords: Patient Safety, Medicare, Medical Errors, Adverse Events, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Poghosyan L, Norful AA, Ghaffari A L, Norful AA, Ghaffari A
Psychometric testing of errors of care omission survey: a new tool on patient safety in primary care.
The goal of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of a newly developed survey tool, the Errors of Care Omission Survey (ECOS), measuring omissions in primary care. Four factors emerged representing domains of omissions in primary care. Findings showed that the ECOS can be used in primary care to identify critical omissions, so actions can be taken by clinicians and administrators to prevent them before they result in patient harm. Recommendations included further testing with diverse samples.
AHRQ-funded; HS024758.
Citation: Poghosyan L, Norful AA, Ghaffari A L, Norful AA, Ghaffari A .
Psychometric testing of errors of care omission survey: a new tool on patient safety in primary care.
J Patient Saf 2021 Mar 1;17(2):e107-e14. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000575..
Keywords: Primary Care, Medical Errors, Adverse Events, Patient Safety
Kane-Gill SL, Wong A, Culley CM
JA, et al. Transforming the medication regimen review process using telemedicine to prevent adverse events.
The objective of this study was to determine the impact of pharmacist-led telemedicine services on reducing high-risk medication adverse drug events (ADEs) for nursing home (NH) residents using medication reconciliation and prospective medication regimen reviews (MRRs) on admission plus ongoing clinical decision support alerts throughout the residents' stay. Studying residents in four NHs in Southwestern Pennsylvania, findings showed that the intervention group had a 92% lower incidence of alert-specific ADEs than usual care, and all-cause hospitalization was similar between groups, as were 30-day readmissions.
AHRQ-funded; HS02420.
Citation: Kane-Gill SL, Wong A, Culley CM .
JA, et al. Transforming the medication regimen review process using telemedicine to prevent adverse events.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2021 Feb;69(2):530-38. doi: 10.1111/jgs.16946..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medical Errors, Patient Safety, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Provider: Pharmacist, Provider, Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Prevention
Abraham J, Galanter WL, Touchette D
Risk factors associated with medication ordering errors.
This study’s goal was to collect data on “voided” orders in computerized order entry systems for medication to 1) identify the nature and characteristics of medication ordering errors; 2) investigate the risk factors associated with these errors and; 3) explore potential strategies to mitigate these risk factors. Data was collected using clinician interviews and surveys within 24 hours of the voided order and using chart reviews. During the 16-month study period 1074 medication orders were voided, with 842 being true medication errors. A total of 22% reached the patient, with at least a single administration, but without causing patient harm. Interviews were conducted on 355 voided orders (33%). Errors were associated with multiple factors not just a single risk factor. The causal contributors included a combination of technological-, cognitive-, environment-, social-, and organization-level factors.
AHRQ-funded; HS025443.
Citation: Abraham J, Galanter WL, Touchette D .
Risk factors associated with medication ordering errors.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2021 Jan 15;28(1):86-94. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocaa264..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Electronic Prescribing (E-Prescribing), Medication: Safety, Medication, Medical Errors, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Risk, Health Information Technology (HIT), Patient Safety
Marshall TL, Ipsaro AJ, Le M
Increasing physician reporting of diagnostic learning opportunities.
This study investigated methods to improve physician reporting of diagnostic errors at the pediatric division of a hospital. In that pediatric hospital medicine (PHM) division only 1 diagnostic-related safety event was reported in the preceding 4 years. The authors aimed to improve attending physician reporting of suspected diagnostic errors from 0 to 2 per 100 PHM patient admissions within 6 months. The improvement team used the Model for Improvement and used the term diagnostic learning opportunity (DLO) with clinicians as opposed to diagnostic error to lessen the stigma. They developed an electronic reporting form and encouraged its use through reminders, scheduled reflection time, and monthly progress reports. Over the course of 13 weeks, there was an increase from 0 to 1.6 per patient admission reports files. Most events (66%) were true diagnostic errors.
AHRQ-funded; HS023827.
Citation: Marshall TL, Ipsaro AJ, Le M .
Increasing physician reporting of diagnostic learning opportunities.
Pediatrics 2021 Jan;147(1). doi: 10.1542/peds.2019-2400..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Medical Errors, Adverse Events, Patient Safety, Hospitals, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care