Since the Institute of Medicine released its landmark report in 19991 highlighting serious concerns about patient safety (PS) and the quality of healthcare in the USA, training programmes around the world have made quality improvement (QI) and PS key components of resident education and experience. In recognising that physicians must learn to interact with and adapt to a constantly changing healthcare environment, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and ACGME International (ACGME-I) identified QI and PS as two of the six ‘Pathways of Excellence’ expected in an optimal clinical learning environment.2 In this journal, Molina et al present an exemplary effort to train the next generation of healthcare professionals in improvement science.3 This 13-year QI initiative in a large paediatric residency programme demonstrated how applying QI methodology to the educational programme itself can strengthen resident training. Through phased interventions—including structured didactics,...

Medication-related problems remain one of the leading causes of patient harm.1 Studies show that advances in electronic health records (EHR) and computerised prescribing systems with clinical decision support (CDS) have reduced prescription errors, improved physician performance and patient outcomes. However, these effects are not universally experienced and are influenced by usability, perceived usefulness, relevance and efficiency.2 3

Medication-related CDS can be classified as basic (eg, drug-drug interaction (DDI) or drug-allergy checks) or advanced, whereby patient-specific information in the EHR is used (eg, drug-disease contraindication or drug-laboratory test checks).4 However, a key persistent issue with CDS is alert fatigue, where clinically important alerts are ignored alongside alerts that are not clinically important or relevant. This is exacerbated when healthcare providers are presented with excessive and unimportant alerts, resulting in high alert override rates.5 Indeed, DDI software is often associated with...

Background

Drug–drug interaction (DDI) alerts target the co-prescription of two potentially interacting medications and are a frequent feature of electronic medical records (EMRs). There have been few controlled studies evaluating the effectiveness of DDI alerts. This study aimed to determine the impact of DDI alerts on rates of DDIs and on associated patient harms.

Methods

Quasi-experimental controlled pre–post study in five Australian hospitals. Three hospitals acted as control hospitals (EMR with no DDI alerts) and two as intervention (EMR with DDI alerts). Only DDI alerts at the highest severity level (defined as ‘major contraindicated’) were switched on at intervention hospitals. These alerts were not tailored to clinical context (ie, patient, drug). A total of 2078 patients were randomly selected from all patients (adult and paediatric) admitted to hospitals 6 months before and 6 months after EMR implementation. A retrospective chart review was performed by study pharmacists. The primary outcome was the proportion of admissions with a clinically relevant DDI. Secondary outcomes included the proportions of admissions with a potential DDI and with DDI-related harm.

Results

Potential DDIs were identified in the majority of admissions (n=1574, 74.7%) and clinically relevant DDIs identified in half (n=1026, 48.7%). DDI alerts were associated with a reduction in the proportion of admissions with potential DDIs (adjusted OR (AOR)=0.38 (0.19, 0.78)) but no change in clinically relevant DDIs (AOR=1.12 (0.68, 1.84)) or in DDI-related harm (AOR=2.42 (0.47,12.31)). 199 DDIs (76 at control and 123 at intervention hospitals) for 35 patient admissions were associated with patient harm, and 2 patients experienced severe DDI-related harm pre-EMR implementation.

Discussion

Implementation of DDI alerts, without tailoring alerts to clinical context, is unlikely to reduce patient harms from DDIs. Organisations should reconsider implementation of DDI alerts in EMRs where significant tailoring of alerts is not possible. Future research should focus on identifying safe, efficient and cost-effective ways of refining DDI alerts, so expected clinical benefits are achieved, and negative consequences of excessive alerting are minimised.

Background

Self-management support (SMS) is a recommended component of cancer survivorship care that improves health-related quality of life and reduces healthcare utilisation. However, widespread implementation has been difficult to achieve, with a gap in the literature on system-wide implementation efforts. This study examines contextual factors perceived to influence SMS adoption and sustainment in cancer centres in the Republic of Ireland.

Method

Semistructured interviews were conducted with 47 key informants from 20 cancer organisations across community and hospital settings. Participants were asked to report the level of adoption and sustainment of SMS at their organisation. This information was used to categorise organisations as low, medium or high implementers. We conducted cross-case analysis following the principles of Framework Analysis. Using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research as a menu of constructs, we examined factors influencing adoption and sustainment and variation in levels of implementation.

Results

National policy, external accreditation, external financing opportunities and the presence of champions in organisations are influential early in the implementation process driving adoption. Healthcare provider-led programmes and evidence of SMS improving patient outcomes and aligning with an organisation’s priorities are necessary to secure buy-in, particularly among senior leadership. An organisational culture of entrepreneurship enables adoption and sustainment, with resources and a culture supporting staff well-being enabling sustainment.

Conclusion

While national policy is a driver, additional factors related to programme attributes and local contextual features such as the presence of champions, organisational readiness and culture influence implementation. The results may be used for future evaluations of SMS implementation in cancer survivorship care and to inform the development of tailored implementation strategies.

Introduction and aims

Women residing in lower socioeconomic status (SES) areas have lower breast cancer survival but it is not clear how differences in the quality of care received contribute to these disparities. We compared adherence to clinical practice guidelines (CPG) for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer and subsequent breast cancer survival between women residing in lower versus higher SES areas.

Methods

We conducted a multicentre population-based study of all new cases of invasive breast cancer in women diagnosed 2010–2014 in six Spanish provinces with population-based cancer registries (n=3206). Clinical data were extracted in the framework of the European Cancer High Resolution studies and vital status follow-up covered a minimum of 5 years. SES of the patient’s residence was measured with the 2011 Spanish Deprivation Index. Adherence to CPG was measured with 16 indicators based on European and Spanish guidelines. Relative survival was modelled using flexible parametric models.

Results

There were no differences in the type of treatment received but women living in the lowest SES areas were less likely to undergo a sentinel lymph node biopsy, reconstruction after mastectomy, surgery within 30 days after pathological diagnosis and adjuvant treatment within 6 weeks after surgery. After accounting for demographic and clinical factors, women residing in lower SES areas had higher risk of death, HR=1.57 (95% CI 1.04, 2.36). Further accounting for adherence to CPG in the model, in particular having undergone a sentinel lymph node biopsy, eliminated the significant effect of SES.

Conclusions

Despite the overall coverage of the Spanish health system, women living in more deprived areas were less likely to receive care in line with CPG and had shorter survival.

Introduction

QI education is essential for resident physicians with established requirements from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education outlining the necessary components. Literature supports the inclusion of both didactic and experiential learning, however, most studies review knowledge and attitude based assessments of residency QI programs. In 2012, our pediatric residency program identified a gap in resident engagement in QI, which led to the formalization of a QI education program grounded in the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Model for improvement with objective measures of QI projects.

Methods

Over 13 years, our program implemented interative interventions across three phases to enchance QI training. Initial core interventions involved the structure of didactics to teach core principles of QI and with time focusing on more individualized mentorship. Our efforts were guided through a residency QI committee. Our aim was to (1) increase the percentage of resident QI projects with SMART aims, and (2) increase the use of QI graphs (run charts and SPC charts) of resident QI projects. We tracked graduating resident exit survey satisfaction with the QI program as a balancing measure.

Results

From 2012 through 2025, over 300 resident completed 390 QI projects that were reviewed. The percentage of of projects with SMART aims and QI graphs increased over time. The percentage of projects applying for American Board of Pediatrics Part IV applications and presenting at conferences also increased. Resident satisfaction remained with with an average "Poor" rating of only 2.6%.

Conclusions

Using the model for improvement to assess objective measures in a residency QI program is both feasible and effective. This 13-year intiative demonstrates how systematic, iterative improvement can improve the rigor of resident QI projects. Future goals including leveraging informatics to further support residents with their projects and track downstream patient outcomes.

The quality of care anyone receives in the USA is highly dependent on where they receive care. Prior research has found that on average, risk-adjusted mortality differences between top-decile and bottom-decile hospitals can be over twofold. When looking specifically at patient safety, the difference is over 10-fold between top-decile and bottom-decile hospitals. Even after adjusting for population factors (eg, demographics, lifestyle and socioeconomics), co-morbidities and health system factors, these geographic differences in outcomes persist.1 Anyone entering a hospital should be alarmed by the high variability in the quality and outcome of the care they receive simply based on location.

The variability in care and outcomes is even more concerning for people who have faced,2 and continue to face,3 stigma and discrimination in seeking health care. For sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people, entering a...

What should we do in order to improve quality and safety in medicines management? How beneficial is it to design the medicines management system—for example, the tasks, tools and physical environment—to support effective working versus making people adapt to the systems in which they find themselves? As Sanders and McCormick1 put the question: is it better (more convenient, more cost-effective, more appealing) to bend metal or to twist arms?

This question arises when considering, among other problems in healthcare delivery, that of confusing look-alike, sound-alike (LASA) medicine names, which persists as a threat to medication safety despite much discussion and examination.2 Various measures have been suggested to minimise the risk of LASA medication errors in the pharmacy setting, including education of pharmacy staff, procedural controls and medicines labelling,3 4 although with no silver bullet identified so far.5 6

Background

Given the emphasis on promoting inclusive policies, we investigated the relationship between US hospitals’ inclusion efforts for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, and other sexual and gender-diverse (LGBTQ+) populations and patient satisfaction from 2016 to 2023.

Methods

This retrospective longitudinal observational study analysed 6 years of data between 2016 and 2023 from the Healthcare Equality Index (HEI), which measures hospitals’ LGBTQ+ inclusion efforts, and the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, which measures patient satisfaction. Generalised estimating equations (GEE) were used to obtain population-averaged estimates of the association between hospitals’ LGBTQ+ inclusion efforts—assessed by (1) their participation and (2) performance in the HEI (range: 0–100)—and patient satisfaction—measured by (1) patients’ hospital rating (range: 0–100) and (2) willingness to recommend the hospital (range: 0–100). We accounted for hospital characteristics, including medical teaching status, specialised service capability, hospital size, ownership, system membership, region and metropolitan location.

Results

Compared with hospitals that never participated in the HEI, those that occasionally participated reported a 0.33-point higher patient rating (p=0.019, 95% CI 0.05, 0.60) and a 0.49-point higher patient recommendation score (p=0.011, 95% CI 0.11, 0.87). Those who always participated reported a 1.30-point higher rating (p<0.001, 95% CI 0.89, 1.70) and a 1.90-point higher recommendation score (p<0.001, 95% CI 1.36, 2.44). Among hospitals that participated in the HEI, a 10-point increase in the total HEI score was associated with a 0.10-point increase in patient ratings (p=0.031, 95% CI 0.01, 0.20) and a 0.15-point increase in patient recommendations (p=0.023, 95% CI 0.02, 0.28).

Conclusion

Hospitals engaging in LGBTQ+ inclusion efforts are associated with higher patient satisfaction.

Background

Wrong-drug medication errors are common. Regulators screen drug names for confusability, but screening methods lack empirical validation. Previous work showed that psycholinguistic tests on pairs of drug names are associated with real-world error rates in chain pharmacies. However, regulators evaluate individual names not pairs, and individual names can be confused with multiple drugs (eg, hydroxyzine with hydralazine but also hydrocet, thorazine, hydrochlorothiazide). This study examines whether an individual drug name’s performance on psycholinguistic tests correlates with that name’s sum total error rate in the real world.

Methods

Nineteen pharmacists and 18 pharmacy technicians completed memory and perception tests assessing confusability of 77 drug names. Tests involved presenting a drug name to participants in conditions that hindered their ability to see, hear or remember the name. Participants typed the name they perceived and selected that name from a menu of alternatives. Error rates on the tests were assessed in relation to real-world rates, as reported by the patient safety organisation associated with a national pharmacy chain in the USA.

Results

Mean error rate on the psycholinguistic tests was positively correlated with the log-adjusted real-world error rate (r=0.50, p<0.0001). Linear and mixed effects logistic regression analyses indicated that the lab-measured error rates significantly predicted the real-world error rates and vice versa.

Conclusions

Lab-based psycholinguistic tests are associated with real-world drug name confusion error rates. Previous work showed that such tests were associated with error rates of specific look-alike sound-alike pairs, and the current work showed that lab-based error rates are also associated with an individual drug’s overall error rate. Taken together, these studies validate the use of psycholinguistic tests in assessing the confusability of proposed drug names.

Background

Medication errors are the leading cause of preventable harm in healthcare. Despite proliferation of medication-related clinical decision support systems (CDSS), current systems have limitations. We therefore developed an indication-based prescribing tool. This performs dose calculations using an underlying formulary and provides patient-specific dosing recommendations. Objectives were to compare the incidence and types of erroneous medication orders, time to prescribe (TTP) and perceived workload using the NASA Task Load Index (TLX), in simulated prescribing tasks with and without this intervention. We also sought to identify the workflow steps most vulnerable to error and to gain participant feedback.

Methods

A simulated, randomised, cross-over exploratory study was conducted at a London NHS Trust. Participants completed five simulated prescribing tasks with, and five without, the intervention. Data collection methods comprised direct observation of prescribing tasks, self-reported task load and semistructured interviews. A concurrent triangulation design combined quantitative and qualitative data.

Results

24 participants completed a total of 240 medication orders. The intervention was associated with fewer prescribing errors (6.6% of 120 orders) compared with standard practice (28.3% of 120 orders; odds ratio 0.18, p<0.01), a shorter TTP and lower overall NASA-TLX scores (p<0.01). Control arm workflow vulnerabilities included failures in identifying correct doses, applying maximum dose limits and calculating patient-specific dosages. Intervention arm errors primarily stemmed from misidentifying patient-specific information from the medication scenario. Thematic analysis of participant interviews identified six themes: navigating trust and familiarity, addressing challenges and suggestions for improvement, integration of local guidelines and existing CDSS, intervention endorsement, ‘search by indication’ and targeting specific patient and staff groups.

Conclusion

The intervention represents a promising advancement in medication safety, with implications for enhancing patient safety and efficiency. Further real-world evaluation and development of the system to meet the needs of more diverse patient groups, users and healthcare settings is now required.

Trial registration number

NCT05493072.

Background

Individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD) experience poor clinical outcomes while transitioning from paediatric to adult care. Standards for SCD transition are needed. We established a Quality Improvement (QI) Collaborative that aimed to improve the quality of care for all young adults with SCD by establishing a standardised SCD transition process. This study evaluates the implementation of the Six Core Elements (6CE) of Health Care Transition, which was a fundamental component of the cluster-randomised Sickle Cell Trevor Thompson Transition Project (ST3P-UP) study.

Methods

A central QI team trained 14 ST3P-UP study sites on QI methodologies, 6CE and Got Transition’s process measurement tool (PMT). Site-level QI teams included a transition coordinator, clinic physicians/staff, patients/parents with SCD and community representatives. Sites completed the PMT every 6 months for 54 months and monthly audits of 10 randomly-selected charts to verify readiness/self-care assessments and emergency care plans.

Results

Of a possible 100, the aggregate mean (±SD) PMT score for paediatric clinics was 23.9 (±13.8) at baseline, 95.9 (±6.0) at 24 months and 98.9 (±2.1) at 54 months. The aggregate mean PMT score for adult clinics was 15.0 (±13.5) at baseline, 88.4 (±11.8) at 24 months and 95.8 (±6.8) at 54 months. The overall QI Collaborative PMT score improved by 402%. At baseline, readiness/self-care assessments were current for 38% of paediatric and 20% of adult patients; emergency care plans were current for 20% of paediatric and 3% of adult patients. Paediatric clinics had one median readiness assessment shift (76%) and four median emergency care plan shifts (65%, 77%, 79%, 84%). Adult clinics experienced three median self-care assessment shifts (58%, 63%, 70%) and two median emergency care plan shifts (57%, 70%).

Conclusions

The ST3P-UP QI Collaborative successfully embedded the 6CE of Health Care Transition into routine care and increased administration of assessments and emergency care plans for transition-aged patients with SCD.

Background

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a potentially deadly disease and a diagnostic challenge in emergency departments (EDs). Established strategies exist for risk stratification and test stewardship for CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA). However, implementation of best practices has proven challenging, and rising CTPA utilisation increases costs, radiation exposure and ED crowding. We created a multimodal quality intervention to reduce excess CTPA studies and increase the use of d-dimer assays prior to CTPA. Balance measures included the rate of positive CTPA studies and ED returns within 72 hours of discharge.

Methods

This was an observational, pre–post interventional design at three EDs. The intervention included an institutional PE diagnostic guideline, educational sessions, an electronic clinical decision support tool and monthly feedback to individual providers. Consecutive patient data were analysed 1 year pre and 1 year post an intervention on 21 November 2021. Analyses used Pearson 2, logistic regression generalised linear models and XmR statistical process control (SPC).

Results

The study included 307 441 patient encounters, with 35 066 PE evaluations. CTPA utilisation decreased from 6.0% to 5.1% (p<0.01) of all patient encounters, and d-dimer use preceding CTPA increased from 36.6% to 56.3% (p<0.01). For both primary measures, SPC charts showed statistically significant special cause variation compared with the pre-intervention data. There was no significant change in the rate of positive CTPA studies (9.3% vs 10.4%, p=0.14) or 72-hour ED returns (3.0 vs 3.1%, p=0.6).

Conclusions

A multimodal intervention was associated with reduced CTPA utilisation and increased use of d-dimer as the initial test in PE diagnosis, without any negative associated impact on balance measures. This strategy could be reproduced and implemented at other institutions looking to change practice.

Background

Disparities have been identified in many aspects of the cancer care pathway for people from minority ethnic groups (MEGs). Adherence to systemic anticancer therapies (SACTs) has been shown to impact morbidity and mortality, and therefore, inequitable experiences can have a detrimental effect on outcomes.

Objectives

To identify interventions that focused on improving the experiences and clinical outcomes in people from MEG receiving SACT treatments.

Methods

A scoping review was conducted according to Arksey and O’Malley’s methodological framework to map the available literature. A comprehensive search was performed using three electronic databases (Medline, Embase and CINAHL). Standard scoping review methodology following PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines was used. Studies were included that assessed interventions to improve MEG patients’ experience with SACT. Study types included in the review were evaluation studies, randomised/non-randomised controlled trials and all observational studies. Exclusion criteria were applied to studies including opinion pieces, literature and systematic reviews, non-English studies, conference abstracts and studies that were not describing an intervention. Independent duplicate screening, study selection, data extraction and quality assessment were undertaken. Results of the studies were synthesised using a published equity framework.

Results

Searches yielded 1356 articles. Nine studies were included after exclusion criteria were applied. Studies described six digital, two in-person and one hybrid intervention employing different research methodologies, ranging from randomised controlled trials (RCTs), feasibility studies and mixed methods studies. The majority of interventions in this study were delivered remotely, using digital platforms such as websites, recorded educational training materials as well as social media. These interventions were conducted in the USA and primarily targeted patients with early breast cancer from African American backgrounds.

Conclusions

This scoping review showed that there has been a very small number of studies investigating interventions to optimise SACT treatment experiences in people from MEG. We found evidence of interventions incorporating the equity domains that reported improved patient engagement and experience. This new knowledge will help to implement future SACT interventions, addressing health inequities across the cancer continuum.

Handoffs have become integral to almost all aspects of hospital-based care. Realities such as duty hour limitations and shift work mean that patients are cared for by numerous individuals each day in an inpatient unit. Furthermore, the specialisation of modern medicine now means that patients transfer between units and care teams as their healthcare needs evolve. This changing of personnel and patient location necessitates handoffs, where clinicians communicate information about the patient, transferring responsibility for care from one person to another. For example, a patient in the hospital might receive care from two separate physician teams (night and day coverage) and three nursing teams (each working an 8-hour shift). This means their care is passed through at least five handoffs in a 24-hour period, not counting potential handoffs to procedural teams, escalations of care or handoffs for break coverage. The number of handoffs in a day for each patient...

Overuse of medical devices such as urinary and vascular catheters remains a pervasive problem contributing to preventable hospital-associated infections and other complications. There is not much mystery remaining about why this happens and how to address it. Nearly two decades of quality improvement studies show us that standardising the indications for catheter insertion, integrating their reassessment into clinical workflow and empowering nurses all lead to more judicious catheter use.1–3

 Despite this evidence, replicating these interventions across institutions, commonly known as spread, is extremely hard. In some countries, national implementation toolkits were created to support hospitals interested in adopting these strategies, like the Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Programme (CUSP) of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) or Choosing Wisely Canada’s ‘Lose the Tube’.4 5 In the USA, CUSP resulted in reduced urinary catheter use in over 10% of hospitals.

Background

Patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) are valuable tools to evaluate patient-centredness (PC) from the patients’ perspective. Despite their utility, a comprehensive PREM addressing PC has been lacking. To bridge this gap, we developed the preliminary version of the Experienced Patient-Centeredness Questionnaire (EPAT), a disease-generic tool based on the integrative model of PC comprising 16 dimensions. It demonstrated content validity. This study aimed to test its psychometric properties and to develop a final 64-item version (EPAT-64).

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, we included adult patients treated for cardiovascular diseases, cancer, musculoskeletal diseases and mental disorders in inpatient or outpatient settings in Germany. For each dimension of PC, we selected four items based on item characteristics such as item difficulty and corrected item–total correlation. We tested structural validity using confirmatory factor analysis, examined reliability by McDonald’s Omega and tested construct validity by examining correlations with general health status and satisfaction with care.

Results

Analysis of data from 2.024 patients showed excellent acceptance and acceptable item–total correlations for all EPAT-64 items, with few items demonstrating ceiling effects. The confirmatory factor analysis indicated the best fit for a bifactor model, where each item loaded on both a general factor and a dimension-specific factor. Omega showed high reliability for the general factor, while varying for specific dimensions. Construct validity was confirmed by absence of strong correlations with general health status and a strong correlation of the general factor with satisfaction with care.

Conclusions

EPAT-64 demonstrated commendable psychometric properties. This tool allows comprehensive assessment of PC, offering flexibility to users who can measure each dimension with a four-item module or choose modules based on their needs. EPAT-64 serves multiple purposes, including quality improvement and evaluation of interventions aiming to enhance PC. Its versatility empowers users in diverse healthcare settings.

Background

A substantial number of people experiencing self-harm or suicidal ideation present to hospital emergency departments (EDs). In 2014, a National Clinical Programme was introduced in EDs in Ireland to standardise care provision. Internationally, there has been limited research on the factors affecting the implementation of care for people who present with mental health crises in EDs.

Methods

This qualitative study examined factors influencing the implementation of the National Clinical Programme for Self-harm and Suicide-related Ideation in 15 hospitals in Ireland from early (2015–2017) through to later implementation (2019–2022). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with staff involved in programme delivery, with the topic guide and thematic analysis informed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.

Results

A total of 30 participants completed interviews: nurse specialists (n=16), consultant psychiatrists (n=6), nursing managers (n=2), emergency medicine staff (n=2) and members of the national programme team (n=4). Enablers of implementation included the introduction of national, standardised guidance for EDs; implementation strategies led by the national programme team; and training and support for nurse specialists. The following inner-setting factors were perceived as barriers to implementation in some hospitals: limited access to a designated assessment room, delayed access to clinical input and poor collaboration with ED staff. Overall, these barriers dissipated over time, owing to implementation strategies at national and local levels. The varied availability of aftercare impacted providers’ ability to deliver the programme and the adaptability of programme delivery had a mixed impact across hospitals.

Conclusions

The perceived value of the programme and national leadership helped to advance implementation. Strategies related to ongoing training and education, developing stakeholder interrelationships and evaluation and monitoring have helped address implementation barriers and promote continued sustainment of the programme. Continued efforts are needed to support nurse specialists delivering the programme and foster partnerships with community providers to improve the transition to aftercare.

Objective

To assess the association of county-level bias about black and white people with patient experience, influenza immunisation, and quality of clinical care for black and white older US adults (age 65+ years).

Design

Linear multivariable regression measured the cross-sectional association of county-level estimates of implicit and explicit bias about black and white people with patient experiences, influenza immunisation, and clinical quality-of-care for black and white older US adults.

Participants

We used data from 1.9 million white adults who completed implicit and explicit bias measures during 2003–2018, patient experience and influenza immunisation data from respondents to the 2009–2017 Medicare Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (MCAHPS) Surveys, and clinical quality-of-care data from patients whose records were included in 2009–2017 Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) submissions (n=0.8–2.9 million per measure).

Main outcome measures

Three patient experience measures and patient-reported influenza immunisation from the MCAHPS Survey; five HEDIS measures.

Results

In county-level models, higher pro-white implicit bias was associated with lower immunisation rates and worse scores for some patient experience measures for black and white adults as well as larger-magnitude black-white disparities. Higher pro-white implicit bias was associated with worse scores for some HEDIS measures for black and white adults but not with black-white disparities in clinical quality of care. Most significant associations were small in magnitude (effect sizes of 0.2–0.3 or less).

Conclusions

To the extent that county-level pro-white implicit bias is indicative of bias among healthcare providers, there may be a need for interventions designed to prevent such bias from adversely affecting the experiences and preventive care of black patients and the clinical quality of care for all patients.

Background

Handoffs are a weak link in the chain of clinical care of inpatients. Within-unit handoffs are increasing in frequency due to changes in duty hours. There are strong rationales for standardising the reporting of critical information between providers, and such practices have been adopted by other industries.

Objectives

As part of Making Healthcare Safer IV we reviewed the evidence from the last 10 years that the use of structured handoff protocols influences patient safety outcomes within acute care hospital units.

Methods

We searched four databases for systematic reviews and original research studies of any design that assessed structured handoff protocols and reported patient safety outcomes. Screening and eligibility were done in duplicate, while data extraction was done by one reviewer and checked by a second reviewer. The synthesis of results is narrative. Certainty of evidence was based on the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation framework as modified for Making Healthcare Safer IV.

Results

We searched for evidence on 12 handoff tools. Two systematic reviews of Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation (SBAR) (including 11 and 28 original research studies; 5 and 15 were about the use in handoffs) and two newer original research studies provided low certainty evidence that the SBAR tool improves patient safety outcomes. Ten original research studies (about nine implementations) provided moderate certainty evidence that the I-PASS tool (Illness severity, Patient summary, Action list, Situation awareness, Synthesis to receiver) reduces medical errors and adverse events. No other structured handoff tool was assessed in more than one study or one setting.

Conclusion

The SBAR and I-PASS structured tools for within-unit handoffs probably improve patient safety, with I-PASS having a stronger certainty of evidence. Other published tools lack sufficient evidence to draw conclusions.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42024576324.