RESUMEN
METHODS: A retrospective descriptive analysis of patient safety events related to COVID-19 was performed on data that were submitted in the Joint Patient Safety Event Reporting System and Root Cause Analysis databases to the VHA National Center for Patient Safety from March 2020 to February 2021. Events were coded for type of event, location, and cause of event. RESULTS: Delays in care and staff/patients exposed to COVID-19 were the most common types of patient safety events, followed by COVID-19-positive patients eloping, laboratory processing errors, and one wrong procedure. The most frequently cited locations where events took place were emergency departments, medical units, community living centers, and intensive care units. Confusion over procedures, care not provided because of COVID-19, and failure to identify COVID-positive patient before they exposed others to COVID were the most common causes for patient safety events. DISCUSSION: Our results are similar to other studies of patient safety during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on these results, we recommend the following: (1) focus on patient safety culture, leadership, and governance; (2) proactively develop competency checklists, cognitive aids, and other tools for healthcare staff who are working in new or unfamiliar clinical settings; (3) augment or enhance communication efforts with patient safety huddles or briefings at all levels within a healthcare organization to proactively uncover risk and mitigate fear by explaining changes in policies and procedures; and (4) maximize the use of quality and patient safety experts who are knowledgeable in system and human factor theories as well as change management to assist in redesigning clinical workflows and processes.
Asunto(s)
COVID-19 , Humanos , COVID-19/epidemiología , Seguridad del Paciente , Pandemias , Estudios Retrospectivos , Administración de la SeguridadRESUMEN
Accurate body core temperature measurement is essential in perioperative areas to quickly recognize and address abnormal temperatures. The purposes of this prospective, descriptive study were to accurately identify unplanned perioperative hypothermia (UPH) in 64 elective major surgery patients; to describe factors that increased the risk of UPH; to describe active/passive warming measures; to describe thermal comfort in patients with and without UPH; and to compare oral, temporal artery, and bladder temperatures. Based on bladder temperatures, 52% of the patients had UPH in the operating room (OR) and 42% on postanesthesia care unit (PACU) admission. The temporal artery thermometer did not detect any hypothermia. Descriptive data and Bland-Altman plots showed lack of agreement between the temporal artery thermometer readings and those of the oral and bladder thermometers. The patient's thermal comfort report did not accurately reflect hypothermia. Factors found to increase the risk of UPH included older age, BMI lower than 30, and OR ambient temperature lower than 68°F. All but one patient had active warming in the OR; active warming was infrequently used in the PACU. Based on our findings and findings in previous studies, we do not recommend using the temporal artery thermometer in perioperative areas. To prevent UPH, we recommend aggressive use of convective and conductive warming measures in perioperative areas and increasing OR ambient temperatures.