Healthcare safety leading

The random variability in adverse event frequency means that, to lead effectively, a leader requires leading indicators. Leading indicators are measures of variables that can be shown to have a statistically valid, predictive relationship to adverse event frequency. When viewed in relation to lagging indicators (for example, the number of adverse events in a period of time), leading indicators allow organizations to take proactive steps to prevent patient injuries. Table 2-3 shows some healthcare safety leading indicators. 

The patient safety program should include an annual survey of patients, their families, and staff about their perceptions of risks to patients. The survey should solicit opinions and suggestions for improvement. It is important to make sure that patients and, when appropriate, their families are informed about the outcomes of care brief patients about unanticipated outcomes or when the outcomes differ significantly from the anticipated outcomes. When a healthcare error leads to injury, the patient and family should receive a truthful and compassionate explanation about the error, including remedies available to the patient. They should be informed that the factors involved in the injury are being investigated so steps can be taken to reduce the likelihood of similar injury to other patients. Staff should educate patients and their families about their role in helping to facilitate the safe delivery of care. 

In the next chapter we present a model for understanding healthcare safety that untangles the complexity and arms you with a useful way to think about the issues. It lays the groundwork for understanding exactly what you need to do to lead healthcare safety improvement and build a strong safety climate in your organization. 

How effectively a person fulfills the safety leader s role—leading the effort to improve his or her organization in all aspects of the Blueprint for Healthcare Safety Excellence—is a function of the leader s skills, knowledge, and abilities, but also, and especially, of the value the leader places on patient safety. And of course, people vary. This is as true for the CEO as for the nurse at the... 

In addition, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other federal agencies formed the Quality Interagency Coordination Task Force in 2000 and issued an action plan for reducing medical errors. In 2001, former HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced a Patient Safety Task Force to coordinate a joint effort to improve data collection on patient safety. The lead agencies are the FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. 

First DataBank is not only meeting healthcare challenges but is also leading the industry into an era of greater patient safety and knowledge. 

Improvement of the safety and efficacy of existing medications is a common objective for all those involved in healthcare. There is no doubt that improved delivery of medications with longer duration of action leads to increased efficacy. Lesser... 

One of the challenges of understanding and improving safety and quality is to capture the full range of events that occurs during a patient s journey through healthcare. Clearly a complete description is not feasible, but we would at least like to capture the most important experiences and incidents. Medical records contain some of this information bnt are only a summary of key events and decisions. Interviews with staff can prodnce more detail but, as they have lives to lead and need to sleep periodically, they too have only a partial picture. The hospitalized patient on the other hand is there all the time, with little to do except watch and wait. Potentially therefore, they are an ideal observer. 

European Society for Quality in Healthcare, Office for Quality Indicators. Grabowski, M., Ayyalasomayajula, R, Merrick, J., Harrald, J.R. and Roberts, K. 2007. Leading indicators of safety in virtual organizations. Safety Science, 45, 1013 3. 

The medical errors work group of the QuIC, with AHRQ s lead, issued a contract to develop and deploy a valid and reliable instrument that would be available in the public domain and could be used by all components of the federal government, as well as by healthcare institutions and researchers. In order to carry out the necessary development, a contract was awarded to Westat, a private research organisation. A definition of safety culture was adopted for instrument development ... 

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