[Why is it increasingly difficult to "do the right thing" and to "stop doing the wrong thing"? Strategies for reversing low-value practices]

This manuscript describes the factors that have led to the spread of low-value practices (LVP) and the main initiatives to reverse them. The paper highlights the strategies that have proven to be most useful over the years, from the alignment of clinical practice with "do not do" recommendations, to quaternary prevention and the risks associated with interventionism. Reversing LVP requires a planned process with a multifactorial approach engaging the different actors involved. It considers the barriers to de-implementation of low-value interventions and incorporates tools that facilitate adherence to "do not do" recommendations. Family doctor has an especially relevant role in LVP prevention, detection and de-implementation, due to their coordinating and integrating nature in the patients' healthcare, and because most of the citizens' healthcare demands are managed and resolved at the first level of care.

[Translated article] Usefulness of ICD-10 diagnostic triggers to identify adverse drug events in emergency care

OBJECTIVES

To assess the usefulness of a tool based on ICD-10 diagnostic codes to identify patients who consult an emergency department for adverse drug events (ADE).

METHODS

Prospective observational study, in which patients discharged from an emergency department during May to August 2022 with a diagnosis coded with one of the 27 ICD-10 diagnoses considered as triggers were included. ADE confirmation was carried out by analyzing drugs prescribed prior to admission, and through a discussion among experts and a phone interview with patients after hospital discharge.

RESULTS

1143 patients with trigger diagnoses were evaluated, of which 310 (27.1%) corresponded to patients whose emergency visit was attributed to an ADE. A 58.4% of ADE consultations were found with three diagnostic codes: K59.0-Constipation (n = 87; 28.1%), I16.9-Hypertensive Crisis (n = 72; 23.2%) and I95.1-Orthostatic hypotension (n = 22; 7.1%). The diagnoses with the highest degree of association with consultations attributed to ADE were E16.2-Hypoglycemia, unspecified (73.7%) and E11.65-Type 2 diabetes mellitus with hyperglycemia (71.4%), while diagnoses D62-Acute posthemorrhagic anemia and I74.3-Embolism and thrombosis of arteries of the lower limbs were not attributed to any case of ADE.

CONCLUSIONS

The ICD-10 codes associated with trigger diagnoses are a useful tool to identify patients who consult the emergency services with ADE and could be used to apply secondary prevention programs to avoid new consultations to the health care system.

Shift change handovers between nurses in Critical Care Units

AIM

To know the characteristics of the handover performed by nurses working in Critical Care Units in Spain.

METHODS

Descriptive and cross-sectional study, whose population was nurses working in Critical Care Units in Spain. An ad hoc questionnaire was used to explore the characteristics of the process, the training received, the information forgotten and the influence of this activity on patient care. The questionnaire was online and dissemination was done through social networks. The sample was selected by convenience. A descriptive analysis was performed according to the nature of the variables and comparison of groups through ANOVA with R software version 4.0.3 (R Project for Statistical Computing).

RESULTS

The sample was 420 nurses. Most of them answered that (79,5%) perform this activity in an individual way, from outgoing nurse to incoming nurse. Location varied according to the size of the unit (p<0,05). Interdisciplinary handover was rare (p<0.05). In the last month, with regard to the time of data collection, 29,5% had to contact the unit due to forgetting relevant information, using WhatsApp as the first channel to transmit this information.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a lack of standardization in the handoff between shifts, in terms of the physical space where it is done, tools to structure the information, participation of other professionals and the use of unofficial communication channels to contact for omitted information during the handover. Shift change was identified as a vital process to ensure continuity of care and patient safety, so further researchs are important for patients handoffs.

A hospital incident reporting system (2016-2019): Learning from notifier's perception on incidents' risk, severity and frequency of adverse events

Incident reporting systems (IRSs) are considered safety culture promoters. Nevertheless, they have not been contemplated to monitor professionals' perception about patient safety related risks. This study aims to describe the characteristics and evolution of incident notifications reported between 2016 and 2019 in a high complexity reference hospital in Barcelona and explores the association between notifications' characteristics and notifier's perception about incidents severity, probability of occurrence and risk. The main analysis unit was notifications reported. A descriptive analysis was performed and taxes by hospital activity were calculated. Odds ratios were obtained to study the association between the type of incident, the moment of incident, notifiers' professional category, reported incident's severity, probability and incidents' calculated risk. Through the study period, a total of 6379 notifications were reported, observing an annual increase of notifications until 2018. Falls (21.22%), Medical and procedures management (18.91%) and Medication incidents (15.49%) were the most frequently notified. Departments reporting the highest number of notifications were Emergency room and Obstetrics & Gynaecology. Incident type and notifiers' characteristics were consistently included in the models constructed to assess risk perception. Pharmaceutics were the most frequent notifiers when considering the proportion of staff members. Notification patterns can inform professionals' patient risk perception and increase awareness of professionals' misconceptions regarding patient safety.

A multidisciplinary consensus statement on the optimal pharmacological treatment for metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is the mainstay treatment for metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC). The addition of docetaxel or new hormone therapies (abiraterone, apalutamide, or enzalutamide) improves overall survival and is currently the standard of care. However, the decision on the specific regimen to accompany ADT should be discussed with the patient, considering factors such as possible associated toxicities, duration of treatment, comorbidities, patient preferences, as there is no sufficient evidence to recommend one regimen over the other in most cases. This paper summarizes the evidence on the management of mHSPC and provides consensus recommendations on the optimal treatment in combination with ADT in mHSPC patients, with special attention to the patient's clinical profile.

Usefulness of ICD-10 diagnosis triggers to identify adverse drug events in emergency care

OBJECTIVES

To assess the usefulness of a tool based on ICD-10 diagnostic codes to identify patients who consult an emergency department for adverse drug events (ADE).

METHODS

Prospective observational study, in which patients discharged from an emergency department during May to August 2022 with a diagnosis coded with one of the 27 ICD-10 diagnoses considered as triggers were included. ADE confirmation was carried out by analyzing drugs prescribed prior to admission, and through a discussion among experts and a phone interview with patients after hospital discharge.

RESULTS

1,143 patients with trigger diagnoses were evaluated, of which 310 (27.1%) corresponded to patients whose emergency visit was attributed to an ADE. A 58.4% of ADE consultations were found with three diagnostic codes: K59.0-Constipation (n = 87; 28.1%), I16.9-Hypertensive Crisis (n = 72; 23.2%) and I95.1-Orthostatic hypotension (n = 22; 7.1%). The diagnoses with the highest degree of association with consultations attributed to ADE were E16.2-Hypoglycemia, unspecified (73.7%) and E11.65-Type 2 diabetes mellitus with hyperglycemia (71.4%), while diagnoses D62-Acute posthemorrhagic anemia and I74.3-Embolism and thrombosis of arteries of the lower limbs were not attributed to any case of ADE.

CONCLUSIONS

The ICD-10 codes associated with trigger diagnoses are a useful tool to identify patients who consult the emergency services with ADE and could be used to apply secondary prevention programs to avoid new consultations to the health care system.

Paediatric intensive care 'do not do' recommendations in Spain: Selection by Delphi method

INTRODUCTION

Health care is not free of ineffective, unsafe or inefficient diagnostic and therapeutic practices. To address this, different scientific societies and health authorities have proposed 'do not do' recommendations (DNDRs). Our goal was the selection by consensus of a set of DNDRs for paediatric intensive care in Spain.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

The research was carried out in 2 phases: first, gathering potential DNDRs; second, selecting the most important ones, using the Delphi method, based on the prevalence of the practice to be modified, the severity of its potential risks and the ease with which it could be modified. Proposals and evaluations were both made by members of working groups of the Sociedad Española de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos (SECIP, Spanish Society of Paediatric Intensive Care), coordinated by email. The initial set of DNDRs was reduced based on the coefficient of variation (<80%) of the corresponding evaluations.

RESULTS

A total of 182 DNDRs were proposed by 30 intensivists. The 14 Delphi evaluators managed to pare down the initial set to 85 DNDRs and, after a second round, to the final set of 26 DNDRs. The care quality dimensions most represented in the final set are clinical effectiveness and patient safety.

CONCLUSIONS

This study allowed the selection by consensus of a series of recommendations to avoid unsafe, inefficient or ineffective practices in paediatric intensive care in Spain, which could be useful for improving the quality of clinical care in our field.

Pitfalls of cubital electrical nerve stimulation for neuromuscular transmission monitoring: A case report of familial amyloid polyneuropathy

Transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) is a rare autosomal dominant disease that provokes systemic deposition of amyloid. It affects the nervous system and it is characterized by progressive sensory, motor, and autonomic neuropathy. Patients with FAP often require surgery and anesthetic care for hepatic transplantation and cardioverter-defibrillator/pacemaker implantation. Peripheric neuropathy is a common finding, but there are no reported cases of its interference with anesthetic neuromuscular transmission monitoring. We report a case of a FAP patient where lack of awareness and distracting factors led to misinterpretation of neuromuscular monitoring and unnecessary sedation and ventilation in the post anesthetic care unit. FAP may interfere with the usual cubital nerve neuromuscular monitoring. Anesthesiologists should be aware of potential neuromuscular compromise to find the best monitoring location for each patient. Sugammadex was safe and reliable in the antagonism of rocuronium neuromuscular blockade in this case, despite the lack of adequate quantitative monitoring.

[Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patient safety incident and medication error reporting systems]

BACKGROUND AND AIM

To determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the epidemiology of safety incidents (SI) and medication errors (ME) reported to the CISEMadrid notification system in the hospital and primary care settings of the Madrid Health Service (SERMAS).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Observational and descriptive study with a retrospective analysis of data including all CISEMadrid notifications from 01-Jan-2018 to 31-Dec-2020, from 33 hospitals and 262 health care centres of the SERMAS. The two periods in 2020 with the greatest increase in COVID-19 cases were identified to compare incidents reported in the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods.

RESULTS

36,494 incidents were reported. Comparing both periods, an overall decrease in pandemic notifications of 60.7% was observed, being higher in primary care, falling to 33% of previous levels. The reduction in notifications was similar in the peaks and valleys of the waves. The three most frequent SIs in both periods and care settings were: diagnostic tests, medical devices/equipment/clinical furniture and organisational management/citations. In ME, dose failure and inappropriate selection were the most frequent in both settings and periods. There were no relevant differences in patient consequences in both periods.

CONCLUSIONS

During the pandemic, patient safety notifications decreased although the most frequent types remained the same, as did their impact on the patient, both in hospitals and in primary care. The safety culture of organisations is a critical aspect for the maintenance of reporting systems.

Impact of risk mapping as a strategy for monitoring and improving patient safety in paediatric emergency care

OBJECTIVE

To design a risk map (RM) as a tool for identifying and managing risks in the paediatric emergency department and to assess the impact of the improvement actions developed based on the identified risks in terms of the level of risk to patient safety.

METHODOLOGY

A multidisciplinary working group reviewed the entire care process by applying the Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) tool. Project phases: (1) RM 2017 and planning of improvement actions; (2) Development and implementation of improvement actions; (3) RM 2019; (4) Analysis: evolution of the RM and impact of improvement actions.

RESULTS

A total of 106 failure modes (FMs) were identified in the 2017 RM (54.7% high- or very high risk). We applied prioritization criteria to select the improvement actions to plan. Nineteen improvement actions were planned, with assigned responsible parties and deadlines, to address 46 priority FMs. One hundred percent were implemented. In the 2019 RM, we identified 110 FMs (48.2% high risk) and found an overall reduction of the risk level of 20%. Analysing the 46 priority FMs that had been addressed by the 19 planned improvement actions, we found that 60% had changed from high to medium risk level and that the risk level had decreased, both overall (-27.8%) and by process.

CONCLUSION

The FMEA is a useful tool to identify risks, analyse the impact of improvement strategies and monitor the risk level of a complex clinical care department. The improvement actions developed succeeded in reducing the level of risk in the processes in our unit, improving patient safety.

[Second victims: Perceived support quality and its relationship with the consequences of the adverse event]

INTRODUCTION

Second victims are health workers who have been involved in an adverse event (AE), or have been injured by physical, emotional, psychological and/or work conditions. To avoid these conditions, it is important to receive supportive measures.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the relationship between the consequences of an AE on the second victims and quality support measures perceived from public and private health institutions of the Metropolitan Region of Chile during the second semester of 2018.

MATERIALS AND METHOD

Quantitative, exploratory, descriptive, correlational and cross-sectional study, convenience sample type. Through an online platform, a questionnaire with sociodemographic variables and the Second Victim Experience and Support Tool (SVEST) instrument were applied, which consists of 9dimensions related to consequences of AE and quality of perceived support.

RESULTS

There were 301 health workers from public and private institutions, 39.2% were involved in an AE and of these, 73.0% manifested themselves in second victim; 69.1% was female sex and 45.7% work as a nursing professional. There is a negative relationship between the quality of perceived support and the psychological and occupational consequence of AE (public and private; p<0.05) and an increased risk of having serious consequences when receiving low quality of support (OR=3.8, 95% CI: 1.32-11.47).

CONCLUSIONS

It is very important to know this phenomenon and deliver adequate support measures to the second victim, in order to reduce the physical, psychological, emotional and/or work impact involved in being involved in an AE.

Incidence and risk factors of adverse events in pediatric hemato-oncological patients: A cohort study

BACKGROUND

Pediatric hemato-oncological (HO) patients are highly susceptible to the occurrence of adverse events (AE), nevertheless few research has been done in this field. Our aim was to describe the incidence, type, severity and preventability of AE in these patients, including bone marrow transplant (BMT) patients, and to identify patient's risk factors for having an AE.

METHODS

Retrospective cohort study. Children under 18yo hospitalized at the HO or BMT ward in 2016 were eligible for the study. Type of AE, severity and preventability were described as absolute and relative frequencies. Cumulative incidence of patients with at least one AE (CI_AE) and the rate of occurrence of all AE were calculated. Risk factors (sex, recovery probability, comorbidities and being a BMT patient) were analyzed using logistic regression.

RESULTS

114 patients were included, 58% were male, average age was 8.7yo and 25 were BMT patients. 44 had at least one AE, with CI_AE of 38.6% (95%CI 29.7-47.5). Overall rate of occurrence of AE was 2.5 cases per 100 patients-day (95%CI 2.15-2.98). For BMT and non-BMT patients they were 2.8 (95%CI 2.2-3.6) and 2.5 (95%CI 1.98-3.1) respectively. Healthcare related infection was the most frequent AE. Most AE were moderate and with high preventability. Being a BMT patient was the only independent factor associated with the occurrence of at least one AE (OR=11.5, p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that AE tend to be moderate and preventable in HO pediatric patients. BMT patients seem to be at greater risk of having an AE. Strategies focused on patient safety need to account for their specific characteristics.

[Adverse events and essential actions for patient safety]

INTRODUCTION

The adverse events (AE) in hospitalized patients occur with increasing frequency due to the increase in complexity of medical care, which implies a greater risk of committing a human error inherent to the care, constituting a serious threat to the safety of the patient.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Cross-sectional study, including patients older than 16years, with hospital stay longer than 24h and discharge from the general surgery service, patients treated in emergency observation units or other hospital services were not considered. AE were identified, classified by cause according to the essential actions for patient safety (EAPS), and compliance with the EAPS was verified.

RESULTS

352 clinical records were reviewed, 61 (17%) were positive on screening. Of the positives, 66% resulted in AE (47 cases). The prevalence of AE was 13%. The AE were: 40% related to procedures; 39% with infections; 17% with medication; 4% with patient identification. The EAPS with the best rating was EAPS5 and the lowest rating was EAPS4. The night shifts with the greatest opportunity area, only with 40% and 44% correct procedures.

CONCLUSIONS

The study shows that the two methodologies used, one to identify AE and the other to establish its causes and classification according to the EAPS, demonstrated usefulness and synergy for patient safety, when detecting AE, as well as determining their causes and evaluate compliance with the EAPS.

Perceptions from nurses, surgeons, and anesthetists about the use and benefits of the surgical checklist in a teaching hospital

OBJECTIVE

To assess attitudes and perceptions from nursing staff, surgeons and anesthetists about compliance, utility, and impact on patient's safety of the surgical checklist in a teaching hospital. We also aimed to identify improvement opportunities for strengthening the usefulness of the checklist in the operating theater.

METHODS

We carried out a questionnaire-based an observational cross-sectional study. A questionnaire was distributed to operating room staff, including nursing staff, surgeons, and anesthetists. In addition to the information about surgical checklist, We also collected information regarding years of experience in the operating theater. Fisher's exact was used to compare proportions in each statement. Group discussion meetings with key professionals were held to jointly assess the results, propose improvement actions, and evaluate their feasibility.

RESULTS

The overall response rate was 36.2% (131/362). Nursing staff was perceived as the most supportive group in the use of surgical checklist. A 64.3% of surgeons considered that using the checklist prevented adverse events vs 84.2% and 85.7% among anesthetists and nurses, respectively; p=0.028. Junior staff showed a supportive attitude toward the use of surgical checklist, considering it as a tool that gives them confidence. We ended up with a list of improvement actions aiming at strengthening the surgical checklist reliability and compliance.

CONCLUSIONS

The perception of the surgical checklist usefulness as a tool to prevent adverse events was moderate among surgeons, but well appreciated by junior staff. Nursing staff were especially critical regarding compliance and support by other professionals. To reinforce the usefulness perception of the surgical checklist it is needed to increase the involvement of all professionals, especially senior staff and surgical leaders.

Safety culture in a nephrology service at a university hospital: A mixed method study

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the safety culture from the perception of the multidisciplinary team of the nephrology service of a university hospital.

METHOD

Mixed methods study with concomitant triangulation of data, with 56 participants. In the adopted approach, data are weighted with QUAN+qual notation. Quantitative data were collected using the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture instrument and analyzed using simple descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were obtained from recorded interviews and analyzed using the content analysis technique proposed by Bardin.

RESULTS

The answers obtained in the quantitative instrument pointed out that of the twelve dimensions of the service, three were neutral, nine were fragile, and none was strong. From the qualitative analysis, similarities and divergences were identified in the statements about the quantitative data. The intersection of the data resulted in the category "Safety culture in the work environment of Nephrology".

CONCLUSION

Knowing the level of safety culture through the perception of nephrology health professionals allowed the identification of a critical and problematic scenario that needs improvements in the dimensions classified as fragile in order to advance in the perspectives of safety and in the polishing of actions aimed at safer care.

[A safe use of medications in Primary Care, in COVID-19 pandemic as well]

The third Global Patient Safety Challenge, Medication Without Harm, was launched in 2017 by the World Health Organization with the goal of reducing the already well-known severe preventable medication-related harm by 50% over the next 5 years. Nothing suggested that, two years later, the world would suffer a terrible pandemic, which has been a much greater challenge than the aforementioned one and that would put it to test from the first stages of the medication use process. The rapid pace imposed by the pandemic has created new risks in the use of medication in those affected by COVID-19 and in the population due to organizational changes in the provision of health care in health services. Therefore, prudent prescribing is becoming more important than ever in health systems. This article aims to analyze the main risks produced during the pandemic period and offer Primary Care professionals an update and a reminder of the main aspects related to the safety use of medications.

[Patient safety incidents reported before and after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Primary Care in Tarragona]

Objetivo

Analizar y comparar la epidemiologia de los incidentes de seguridad del paciente notificados en centros de atención primaria, antes y después del inicio de la pandemia COVID-19.

Diseño y emplazamiento

Estudio descriptivo analítico comparando los incidentes notificados del 01-marzo-2019 al 28-febrero-2020, y del 01-marzo-2020 al 28-febrero-2021, realizados a través de la plataforma TPSC Cloud™ accesible desde la Intranet corporativa en 25 centros de atención primaria del distrito de Tarragona, Cataluña, España.

Mediciones

Registros obtenidos a partir de notificaciones voluntarias mediante formulario electrónico, estandarizado y anonimizado. Variables: centro sanitario, profesional, tipo de incidente, matriz de riesgo, factores causales, contribuyentes y evitabilidad. Análisis estadístico: Se realizó análisis descriptivo del total de notificaciones y otro específico de los eventos adversos, comparando ambos períodos.

Resultados

Se notificaron un total de 2.231 incidentes. Comparando ambos períodos, en el de pandemia se observó una reducción del número de incidentes notificados (solo representaron un 20% del total), pero en proporción se incrementó el porcentaje de notificaciones por parte de profesionales sanitarios y el de eventos adversos que requirieron observación. También aumentaron los factores causales relacionados con los cuidados y el diagnóstico, y disminuyeron los de medicación. Además, se observó un incremento de los factores contribuyentes relacionados con el profesional. La evitabilidad fue elevada (>95%) en ambos períodos.

Conclusiones

Durante la pandemia, se han notificado un menor número de incidentes de seguridad del paciente, pero en proporción, más eventos adversos, siendo en su mayoría evitables. El propio profesional se convierte en el principal factor contribuyente.

[Patient safety training and a safe teaching in primary care]

Este artículo de revisión y actualización tiene como objetivo plantear las dificultades y oportunidades para la formación en seguridad del paciente del personal de ciencias de la salud (grado, posgrado, formación especializada y continua), y algunas propuestas para llevarla a cabo. Muy brevemente trata esta formación específica y la situación actual en atención primaria, destacando que la seguridad del paciente es una necesidad, un área competencial y una oportunidad formativa para los residentes. Establece el marco general de la seguridad del paciente en atención primaria, teniendo como referencia el documento «Siete Pasos para la Seguridad del Paciente en Atención Primaria», planteando la necesidad de un abordaje sistémico. Destaca la elaboración y presentación de casos sobre errores clínicos como la estrategia formativa más frecuente. Los escenarios clínicos reales se relacionan con los pacientes de trato difícil, los incidentes críticos y la bioética en el ejercicio profesional. Estos escenarios presentan como característica común el hecho de producir dificultades y sufrimiento a todos los actores participantes. Se incluyen varios instrumentos para la formación en seguridad del paciente (SP). La meta, a medio plazo, es la consolidación de la seguridad clínica en la formación sanitaria especializada. Finalmente, se analiza la repercusión de la pandemia en la formación en seguridad del paciente, especialmente sobre la formación sanitaria especializada, haciendo propuestas de cómo llevar a cabo una docencia segura en tiempos de pandemia de COVID-19.

[The Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021-2030: Identifying actions for safer primary health care]

The 74th World Health Assembly adopted in May 2021 the "Global Patient Safety Action Plan: 2021-2030" to enhance patient safety as an essential component in the design, procedures and performance evaluation of health systems worldwide. It is a strategic plan that guides country governments, health sector entities, health organisations and the World Health Organisation secretariat on how to implement the assembly's patient safety resolution. Deployment of the plan will strengthen the quality and safety of health systems worldwide by spanning the entire continuum of people's health care from diagnosis to treatment and care, reducing the likelihood of harm in the course of care. The Declaration on Primary Health Care during the Global Conference on Primary Health Care in Astana, 2018, urged countries to strengthen their primary health care systems as an essential step towards achieving universal health coverage and providing access to safe, quality care without financial loss. The deployment of the Global Patient Safety Action Plan in primary care is therefore a high-priority health policy action. The Action Plan is structured into 6 strategic objectives with 35 strategic actions. We present an analysis of the strategic actions regarding healthcare organizations and the challenges ahead for their particular deployment in primary health care settings.

[Patient participation in its own safety]

El enfoque de atención centrada en el paciente y los avances normativos desarrollados en los últimos años han promovido la implicación del paciente en la toma de decisiones sobre pruebas diagnósticas y tratamientos. En otros aspectos, como la participación en su seguridad, aún queda mucho por hacer.

Hasta hace poco tiempo se ha considerado al paciente como mero receptor de los servicios sanitarios, no como parte activa del sistema, ni mucho menos como barrera de seguridad frente a los fallos y errores que acontecen durante la asistencia.

Algunos pacientes se han activado con base en sus experiencias. Pero muchos otros no. Por eso es necesario sensibilizar, informar y formar al paciente de forma proactiva para que participe en su seguridad.

No se trata de traspasarle la responsabilidad, sino de facilitar y promover su participación reforzando su seguridad durante el proceso asistencial. El sistema sanitario debe estar comprometido, y el paciente informado y formado.

Aportamos herramientas y recursos online para su aplicación en atención primaria.

[Electronic medical record and prescription: risks and benefits detected since its implementation. Safe designing, rollout and use]

Las nuevas tecnologías de la información han transformado la manera de prestar la asistencia en los servicios de salud, impregnando casi todos los aspectos de la atención sanitaria. A medida que la complejidad del sistema aumenta, es más difícil trabajar de manera óptima sin la asistencia de las nuevas tecnologías. Su implantación supone un avance, bien por el adelanto que entraña el uso adecuado de cualquier nueva tecnología en el cuidado de la salud, bien por el desarrollo de aplicaciones específicas que mejoran la seguridad de la asistencia. Sin embargo, factores como un diseño incorrecto, implementación y mantenimiento deficientes, capacitación inadecuada, junto al exceso de confianza y dependencia, pueden hacer que las tecnologías comprometan, más que favorecer, la seguridad del paciente.

Este artículo describe los efectos beneficiosos, y los que no lo son tanto, de la introducción en nuestro país de la historia clínica y la receta electrónicas en la calidad y la seguridad de la asistencia sanitaria.

[Health worker safety as an essential condition for patient safety]

El mayor activo de cualquier sistema sanitario son sus profesionales, y estos deben ser cuidados para poder cuidar. Es necesario resaltar que son clave para la resiliencia de nuestros sistemas de salud. Esto es particularmente importante en momentos de crisis, y especialmente trascendente para la atención primaria de salud.

Durante la pandemia de la COVID-19, las condiciones de trabajo han sido el principal factor latente común para los incidentes de seguridad del paciente. Los profesionales de atención primaria han trabajado en condiciones laborales inseguras, con escasez de medios de protección, gran incertidumbre, falta de conocimiento científico y protocolos de trabajo rápidamente cambiantes para el abordaje de los casos y contactos de infección por la COVID-19, con una alta presión asistencial, largas jornadas de trabajo, suspensión de permisos y vacaciones, e incluso cambios de sus puestos de trabajo. Todo ello ha contribuido a que se conviertan, no solo en primeras víctimas de la pandemia, sino también en segundas víctimas de los eventos adversos sucedidos durante la misma.

Por ello, en este artículo analizamos los principales riesgos y daños sufridos por los profesionales en atención primaria y aportamos claves para contribuir a su protección en futuras situaciones parecidas.

[Diagnostic error and overdiagnosis in Primary Care. Proposals for the improvement of clinical practice family medicine]

Family doctors see a wide range of patients, with a wide range of complexity, in a short time and with few diagnostic resources. This situation makes primary care professionals more vulnerable to diagnostic errors. For this reason, an adequate clinical reasoning process is the most powerful tool family doctors have to safely guide the patient care process. Considering these errors as missed opportunities for a correct diagnosis, which may cause harm to the patient, leads us as professionals to review how to improve this process. The review includes, among other aspects, identifying cognitive biases, analysing the ways in which work is organised in primary care teams, and situations in the care context that may contribute to such errors. In this article we describe the most frequent diagnostic errors and their causal factors in primary care, the impact of cognitive process failures, situations of overdiagnosis and the diagnostic and therapeutic cascades associated with them. Finally, we propose a set of tools to improve decision-making in the diagnostic process in primary care.

[Patient safety in nursing homes. The experience of the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia]

La pandemia ha expuesto la vulnerabilidad de los centros residenciales y la fragilidad de la población que en ellos viven. En la Región de Murcia la atención a este grupo poblacional se convirtió en una prioridad y se elaboró un plan regional para atender las necesidades de los residentes desde el marco ético de la justicia procedimental. La inmediatez impuesta por la crisis sanitaria ha hecho que toda esta intervención no esté exenta de riesgos. A partir del modelo de Reason hemos realizado un análisis causal de los factores que llevaron a las residencias a sufrir un impacto devastador. La pandemia ha evidenciado la urgencia de fortalecer el modelo de cuidados que ofrecemos a nuestros mayores. Un modelo que garantice la cobertura de unas necesidades a unos pacientes extremadamente frágiles que van más allá de una atención sanitaria y biomédica y que tenga en cuenta sus preferencias y sus valores.



[Prevention of infections related to health care in primary care. Lessons from the pandemic]

The health system failed to guarantee the safety of both professionals and citizens who came to the centers at the beginning of the pandemic. The lack of materials and guidelines for the prevention of infections caused in Spain the worst catastrophe in the history of patient safety and occupational health in healthcare. It also happened in other countries but Spain had the highest rates of infected health workers in the world. It was a largely avoidable event. We review what measures have been taken to prevent infections in primary care centers, such as hand hygiene, masks and personal protection material or the maintenance of social distance, among others. We update the recommendations and raise the perspectives in a situation that requires flexibility and adaptability to maintain quality and safe care.