BMJ quality & safety
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BMJ quality & safety · Aug 2013
25-Year summary of US malpractice claims for diagnostic errors 1986-2010: an analysis from the National Practitioner Data Bank.
We sought to characterise the frequency, health outcomes and economic consequences of diagnostic errors in the USA through analysis of closed, paid malpractice claims. ⋯ Among malpractice claims, diagnostic errors appear to be the most common, most costly and most dangerous of medical mistakes. We found roughly equal numbers of lethal and non-lethal errors in our analysis, suggesting that the public health burden of diagnostic errors could be twice that previously estimated. Healthcare stakeholders should consider diagnostic safety a critical health policy issue.
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BMJ quality & safety · Aug 2013
Restructuring of the Diabetes Day Centre: a pilot lean project in a tertiary referral centre in the West of Ireland.
Diabetes is a chronic disease amenable to management in the community and outpatient setting. The increasing incidence of diabetes places outpatient endocrinology services under pressure to provide a quality service in a timely manner. Our aim was to apply lean thinking to the diabetes clinic in a tertiary referral centre in the West of Ireland to improve flow, as reflected in reduced patient journey times. ⋯ This project reflects the successful application of VSM as a lean tool in a pilot study at our institution as evidenced by improved patient flow and a significant reduction in patient journey time through the clinic. Through the incorporation of Lean into the ethos of the hospital, we have the potential to deliver excellent care in a safe environment and in an efficient manner, while benefiting the patient, employees and tax-payer.
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BMJ quality & safety · Jul 2013
Comparative StudyOn higher ground: ethical reasoning and its relationship with error disclosure.
There is broad consensus that disclosure of harmful medical errors is vital to improve safety and is ethically required. Although most physicians-in-training are taught ethics, there have been no empirical studies on whether ethical reasoning is related to disclosure. We examined whether scores on a test of ethical reasoning were associated with greater willingness to disclose errors. ⋯ Ethical reasoning scores were associated with acknowledging an error, providing more detailed explanations and taking personal responsibility. The low response rate may limit generalisability. Nevertheless, taken together with prior studies showing that ethical reasoning can be taught and measured, our findings suggest that ethical training may help to improve disclosure of medical errors.
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Tools that proactively identify factors that contribute to accidents have been developed within high-risk industries. Although patients provide feedback on their experience of care in hospitals, there is no existing measure which asks patients to comment on the factors that contribute to patient safety incidents. The aim of the current study was to determine those contributory factors from the Yorkshire Contributory Factors Framework (YCFF) that patients are able to identify in a hospital setting and to use this information to develop a patient measure of safety (PMOS). ⋯ Patients are able to identify factors which contribute to the safety of their care. The PMOS provides a way of systematically assessing these and has the potential to help health professionals and healthcare organisations understand and identify, safety concerns from the patients' perspective, and, in doing so, make appropriate service improvements.
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BMJ quality & safety · Jul 2013
TeamGAINS: a tool for structured debriefings for simulation-based team trainings.
Improving patient safety by training teams to successfully manage emergencies is a major concern in healthcare. Most current trainings use simulation of emergency situations to practice and reflect on relevant clinical and behavioural skills. We developed TeamGAINS, a hybrid, structured debriefing tool for simulation-based team trainings in healthcare that integrates three different debriefing approaches: guided team self-correction, advocacy-inquiry and systemic-constructivist techniques. ⋯ The results indicate that TeamGAINS could provide a useful debriefing tool for training anaesthesia staff on all levels of work experience. By combining state-of-the-art debriefing methods and integrating systemic-constructivist techniques, TeamGAINS has the potential to allow for a surfacing, reflecting on and changing of the dynamics of team interactions. Further research is necessary to systematically compare the effects of TeamGAINS' components on the debriefing itself and on trainees' changes in attitudes and behaviours.