National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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Search All Research Studies
Topics
- Adverse Drug Events (ADE) (2)
- (-) Adverse Events (15)
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- Patient Safety (10)
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- Quality of Care (1)
- Surgery (1)
- Tools & Toolkits (1)
- Transitions of Care (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 15 of 15 Research Studies DisplayedCarroll AR, Johnson JA, Stassun JC
Health literacy-informed communication to reduce discharge medication errors in hospitalized children: a randomized clinical trial.
This study’s objective was to test a health literacy-informed communication intervention to decrease liquid medication dosing errors compared with standard counseling in hospitalized children. This parallel, randomized clinical trial was conducted from June 22, 2021, to August 20, 2022, at a tertiary care, US children's hospital. English- and Spanish-speaking caregivers of hospitalized children 6 years or younger prescribed a new, scheduled liquid medication at discharge were included in the analysis. Observed dosing errors were the main outcome measured, and secondary outcomes included caregiver-reported medication knowledge. Among 198 randomized caregivers (mean age 31.4 years; 186 women [93.9%]; 36 [18.2%] Hispanic or Latino and 158 [79.8%] White), the primary outcome was available for 151 (76.3%). The observed mean (SD) percentage dosing error was 1.0% (2.2 percentage points) among the intervention group and 3.3% (5.1 percentage points) among the standard counseling group (absolute difference, 2.3 percentage points). Twenty-four of 79 caregivers in the intervention group (30.4%) measured an incorrect dose compared with 39 of 72 (54.2%) in the standard counseling group. The intervention enhanced caregiver-reported medication knowledge compared with the standard counseling group for medication dose (71 of 76 [93.4%] vs 55 of 69 [79.7%]), duration of administration (65 of 76 [85.5%] vs 49 of 69 [71.0%], and correct reporting of 2 or more medication adverse effects (60 of 76 [78.9%] vs 13 of 69 [18.8%]).
AHRQ-funded; HS026122.
Citation: Carroll AR, Johnson JA, Stassun JC .
Health literacy-informed communication to reduce discharge medication errors in hospitalized children: a randomized clinical trial.
JAMA Netw Open 2024 Jan 2; 7(1):e2350969. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.50969..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Health Literacy, Communication, Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medical Errors, Clinician-Patient Communication, Hospital Discharge, Medication: Safety
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
Antunez AG, Saari A, Miller J
Patient preferences in cases of inter-system medical error discovery (IMED).
This study looked at patients’ preferences in reporting by physicians when there are medical errors, both self-discovered by the physician, and for inter-system medical error discoveries (IMEDs). Telephone interviews were conducted with 30 patient volunteers from Michigan from January to March 2018. Two medical vignettes were presented, one involving a single physician discovering their own error and the other involving an IMED scenario. Analysis showed that patients considered IMED essentially equivalent to self-discovered errors, and strongly preferred disclosure for both scenarios. Patients said they would likely take certain actions following disclosure of another physician’s error, ranging from confronting the physician to changing providers to taking legal action.
AHRQ-funded; HS026030.
Citation: Antunez AG, Saari A, Miller J .
Patient preferences in cases of inter-system medical error discovery (IMED).
Ann Surg 2021 Mar;273(3):516-22. doi: 10.1097/sla.0000000000003507..
Keywords: Medical Errors, Adverse Events, Medical Liability, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication
Gaufberg E, Olmsted MW, Bell SK
Third things as inspiration and artifact: a multi-stakeholder qualitative approach to understand patient and family emotions after harmful events.
The authors discuss an AHRQ conference held to establish a research agenda on patient and family emotional harm after medical errors. Topics include implications for quality and safety, educational innovation, and qualitative research.
AHRQ-funded; HS024463.
Citation: Gaufberg E, Olmsted MW, Bell SK .
Third things as inspiration and artifact: a multi-stakeholder qualitative approach to understand patient and family emotions after harmful events.
J Med Humanit 2019 Dec;40(4):489-504. doi: 10.1007/s10912-019-09563-z..
Keywords: Medical Errors, Adverse Events, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication, Patient and Family Engagement, Patient Safety
Dossett L, Miller J, Jagsi R
A modified communication and optimal resolution program for intersystem medical error discovery: protocol for an implementation study.
AHRQ’s Communication and Optimal Resolution (CANDOR) Toolkit facilitates transparent communication, error prevention, and achieving optimal resolution with patients and families; how medical errors should be addressed when they are discovered between systems-intersystem medical error discovery (IMED)-remains unclear. This study aims to develop and test implementation of a modified CANDOR process for application to IMED scenarios. Step 1 of aim 1 is currently underway. This work is expected to provide important insights into the potential utility of an implementation toolkit to improve transparent communication and optimal resolution of IMED scenarios.
AHRQ-funded; HS026030.
Citation: Dossett L, Miller J, Jagsi R .
A modified communication and optimal resolution program for intersystem medical error discovery: protocol for an implementation study.
JMIR Res Protoc 2019 Jul 2;8(7):e13396. doi: 10.2196/13396..
Keywords: Adverse Events, Communication, Clinician-Patient Communication, Medical Errors, Patient Safety, Tools & Toolkits
Wyatt DL
AHRQ Author: Wyatt DL
Employing technology to make care transitions safer.
This commentary discusses the potential for errors in patient handoffs; important information about medications and instructions regarding patient care may be overlooked when the patient is referred to special care, moved to a new hospital setting, or discharged. The problem is especially acute for patients with multiple chronic conditions who often undergo frequent transitions to new care settings and healthcare providers. The author describes AHRQ’s funding opportunities for health information technology interventions that aim to improve communication and coordination during care transitions, such as location-based smartphone alerts, a patient-centered discharge toolkit, and a ‘smart pillbox’ electronic medication adherence reporting project.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Wyatt DL .
Employing technology to make care transitions safer.
J Nurs Care Qual 2019 Jul/Sep;34(3):185-88. doi: 10.1097/ncq.0000000000000417..
Keywords: Adverse Events, Care Coordination, Chronic Conditions, Communication, Health Information Technology (HIT), Healthcare Delivery, Hospital Discharge, Medical Errors, Medication, Patient Safety, Transitions of Care
Umberfield E, Ghaferi AA, Krein SL
Using incident reports to assess communication failures and patient outcomes.
Communication failures pose a significant threat to the quality of care and safety of hospitalized patients. Yet little is known about the nature of communication failures. The aims of this study were to identify and describe types of communication failures in which nurses and physicians were involved and determine how different types of communication failures might affect patient outcomes. The investigators found that incident reports could identify specific types of communication failures and patient outcomes.
AHRQ-funded; HS023621; HS024403; HS022305; HS024760.
Citation: Umberfield E, Ghaferi AA, Krein SL .
Using incident reports to assess communication failures and patient outcomes.
Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2019 Jun;45(6):406-13. doi: 10.1016/j.jcjq.2019.02.006..
Keywords: Communication, Medical Errors, Adverse Events, Patient Safety
Khan A, Spector ND, Baird JD
Patient safety after implementation of a coproduced family centered communication programme: multicenter before and after intervention study.
The objective of this prospective, multicenter before and after intervention was to determine whether medical errors, family experience, and communication processes improved after implementation of the intervention to standardize the structure of healthcare provider-family communication on family centered rounds. The investigators concluded that although overall errors were unchanged, harmful medical errors decreased and family experience and communication processes improved.
AHRQ-funded; HS00063.
Citation: Khan A, Spector ND, Baird JD .
Patient safety after implementation of a coproduced family centered communication programme: multicenter before and after intervention study.
BMJ 2018 Dec 5;363:k4764. doi: 10.1136/bmj.k4764..
Keywords: Adverse Events, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication, Medical Errors, Patient and Family Engagement, Patient Safety
Khan A, Furtak SL, Melvin P
Parent-provider miscommunications in hospitalized children.
The objectives of this study were to: (1) examine characteristics of parent-provider miscommunications about hospitalized children; (2) describe associations among parent-provider miscommunications, parent-reported errors, and hospital experience; and (3) compare parent and attending physician reports of parent-provider miscommunications. The investigators found that parent-provider miscommunications were associated with parent-reported errors and suboptimal hospital experience. Parents reported parent-provider miscommunications more often than attending physicians did.
AHRQ-funded; HS022986; HS000063.
Citation: Khan A, Furtak SL, Melvin P .
Parent-provider miscommunications in hospitalized children.
Hosp Pediatr 2017 Sep;7(9):505-15. doi: 10.1542/hpeds.2016-0190..
Keywords: Adverse Events, Caregiving, Children/Adolescents, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication, Hospitalization, Hospitals, Medical Errors, Patient Safety
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
Helmchen LA, Lambert BL, McDonald TB
Changes in physician practice patterns after implementation of a communication-and-resolution program.
The researchers tested if a 2006 communication-and-resolution program to address unexpected adverse outcomes was associated with changes in cost and use trajectories. They found that the intervention hospital recorded an increase in the number of patients with a principal diagnosis of chest pain. Among admitted patients, quarterly growth rates of clinical laboratory and radiology charges at the intervention hospital declined by 3.8 and 6.9 percentage points.
AHRQ-funded; HS019565.
Citation: Helmchen LA, Lambert BL, McDonald TB .
Changes in physician practice patterns after implementation of a communication-and-resolution program.
Health Serv Res 2016 Dec;51 Suppl 3:2516-36. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.12610.
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Keywords: Adverse Events, Communication, Medical Errors, Medical Liability, Practice Patterns
Gallagher TH, Farrell ML, Karson H
Collaboration with regulators to support quality and accountability following medical errors: The Communication and Resolution Program Certification Pilot.
The Medical Quality Assurance Commission (MQAC, board of medicine) in Washington State has collaborated with the Foundation for Health Care Quality (FHCQ) on the CRP Certification pilot. A panel of physicians, risk managers, and patient advocates at FHCQ will review cases for use of the CRP key elements. After describing the process, the authors concluded that the CRP Certification program is a promising example of collaboration among institutions, insurers, and regulators to promote patient-centered accountability and learning following adverse events.
AHRQ-funded; HS019531.
Citation: Gallagher TH, Farrell ML, Karson H .
Collaboration with regulators to support quality and accountability following medical errors: The Communication and Resolution Program Certification Pilot.
Health Serv Res 2016 Dec;51 Suppl 3:2569-82. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.12557.
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Keywords: Adverse Events, Communication, Medical Errors, Medical Liability, Patient Safety, Quality of Care
Lambert BL, Centomani NM, Smith KM
The "Seven Pillars" response to patient safety incidents: effects on medical liability processes and outcomes.
This study's objective was to determine whether a communication and resolution approach to patient harm is associated with changes in medical liability processes and outcomes. It found that the intervention nearly doubled the number of incident reports, halved the number of claims, and reduced legal fees and costs as well as total costs per claim, settlement amounts, and self-insurance costs. The study found that a communication and optimal resolution (CANDOR) approach to adverse events was associated with long-lasting, clinically and financially significant changes in a large set of core medical liability process and outcome measures.
AHRQ-funded; HS019565.
Citation: Lambert BL, Centomani NM, Smith KM .
The "Seven Pillars" response to patient safety incidents: effects on medical liability processes and outcomes.
Health Serv Res 2016 Dec;51 Suppl 3:2491-515. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.12548.
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Keywords: Adverse Events, Medical Liability, Medical Errors, Communication, Patient Safety
Manojlovich M, Adler-Milstein J, Harrod M
The effect of health information technology on health care provider communication: a mixed-method protocol.
The purpose of this study is to describe, in detail, how health information and communication technologies facilitate or hinder communication between nurses and physicians. It seeks to (1) identify the range of health information and communication technologies used in a national sample of medical-surgical acute care units, and (2) describe communication practices and work relationships that may be influenced by health information and communication technologies in these same settings.
AHRQ-funded; HS022305.
Citation: Manojlovich M, Adler-Milstein J, Harrod M .
The effect of health information technology on health care provider communication: a mixed-method protocol.
JMIR Res Protoc 2015 Jun 11;4(2):e72. doi: 10.2196/resprot.4463..
Keywords: Adverse Events, Communication, Health Information Technology (HIT), Patient Safety, Medical Errors
Hendrich A, McCoy CK, Gale J
Ascension health's demonstration of full disclosure protocol for unexpected events during labor and delivery shows promise.
This article presents a case study concerning challenges, including physician resistance, to the establishment of a common full disclosure protocol at five labor and delivery demonstration sites. Twenty-seven months after implementation, the rate of full disclosure had increased by 221 percent. Practitioners saw a number of factors as key catalysts for change including consistent and ongoing leadership by local practitioners and hospitals.
AHRQ-funded; HS019608.
Citation: Hendrich A, McCoy CK, Gale J .
Ascension health's demonstration of full disclosure protocol for unexpected events during labor and delivery shows promise.
Health Aff 2014 Jan;33(1):39-45. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2013.1009..
Keywords: Adverse Events, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication, Labor and Delivery, Medical Errors, Medical Liability, Policy, Pregnancy, Women