[Analysis of an incident notification system and register in a critical care unit]

OBJECTIVE

To analyse the incident communicated through a notification system and register in a critical care unit.

METHODOLOGY

A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted by performing an analysis of the records of incidents communicated anonymously and voluntarily from January 2007 to December 2013 in a critical care unit of adult patients with severe trauma.

STUDY VARIABLES

incident type and class, professional reports, and suggestions for improvement measures. A descriptive analysis was performed on the variables.

RESULTS

Out of a total of 275 incidents reported, 58.5% of them were adverse events. Incident distributed by classes: medication, 33.7%; vascular access-drainage-catheter-sensor, 19.6%; devices-equipment, 13.3%, procedures, 11.5%; airway tract and mechanical ventilation, 10%; nursing care, 4.1%; inter-professional communication, 3%; diagnostic test, 3%; patient identification, 1.1%, and transfusion 0.7%. In the medication group, administrative errors accounted for a total of 62%; in vascular access-drainage-catheter-sensor group, central venous lines, a total of 27%; in devices and equipment group, respirators, a total of 46.9%; in airway self-extubations, a total of 32.1%. As regards to medication errors, 62% were incidents without damage. Incident notification by profession: doctors, 43%, residents, 5.6%, nurses, 51%, and technical assistants, 0.4%.

CONCLUSIONS

Adverse events are the most communicated incidents. The events related to medication administration are the most frequent, although most of them were without damage. Nurses and doctors communicate the incidents with the same frequency. In order to highlight the low incident notification despite it being an anonymous and volunteer system, therefore, it is suggested to study measurements to increase the level of communication.

[Effectiveness of an intervention to improve the implementation of a surgical safety check-list in a tertiary hospital]

OBJECTIVE

To determine the percentage of verification of a Surgical Safety Checklist and improvements made.

DESIGN

Quasi-experimental study in 28 Clinical Management Units with surgical activity in the University Hospital Virgen del Rocio (HUVR) and University Hospital Virgen Macarena (HUVM). A situation analysis was made to estimate the completing of a Surgical Safety Checklist (SSC), after which a new system of completing the SSC was introduced as an element of improvement, which included a reusable vinyl board. Subsequently, the prevalence over two periods was calculated, to assess the effectiveness of the intervention.

RESULTS

A total 1,964 SSC were reviewed in the HUVR-HUVM in June (baseline), and in December 2013 and June 2014. A percentage completion of 65.8%, 86.2%, and 88% was obtained in the HUVR, and 70.9%, 77.2%, and 75% in the HUVM, respectively. Of these SSC, 15.1% (baseline) were completed entirely in the HUVR, increasing to 36.6% (P<.001), and 89.8% (P<.001) in the last measurement. In the HUVM, 15.6% (baseline) were fully completed, increasing to 18.3% (P=.323), and 29.4% (P=.001) in the last measurement.

CONCLUSION

The percentage of completion of SSC obtained is around 80%, and is similar to that reported in the literature. The re-design of the SSC procedure, including the use of a vinyl board, the designation of SSC coordinator role, and professional staff training, is effective for improve outcomes in terms of completing the SSC, and quality of the completion.

[Results of provisional use of a system for voluntary anonymous reporting of incidents that threaten patient safety in the emergency medical services of Asturias]

OBJECTIVES

To describe the reported incidents and adverse events in the emergency medical services of Asturias, Spain, and assess their consequences, delays caused, and preventability.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Prospective, observational study of incidents reported by the staff of the emergency medical services of Asturias after implementation of a system devised by the researchers.

RESULTS

Incident reports were received for 0.48% (95% CI, 0.41%-0.54%) of the emergencies attended. Patient safety was compromised in 74.7% of the reported incidents. Problems arising in the emergency response coordination center (ERCC) accounted for 37.6% of the incidents, transport problems for 13.4%, vehicular problems for 10.8%, and communication problems for 8.8%. Seventy percent of the reported incidents caused delays in care; 55% of the reported incidents that put patients at risk (according to severity assessment code ratings) corresponded to problems related to human or material resources. A total of 88.1% of the incidents reported were considered avoidable. Some type of intervention was required to attenuate the effects of 46.2% of the adverse events reported. The measures that staff members most often proposed to prevent adverse events were to increase human and material resources (28.3%), establish protocols (14.5%), and comply with quality of care recommendations (9.7%).

CONCLUSION

It is important to promote a culture of safety and incident reporting among health care staff in Asturias given the number of serious adverse events. Reporting is necessary for understanding the errors made and taking steps to prevent them. The ERCC is the point in the system where incidents are particularly likely to appear and be noticed and reported.

[Prospective study in 2 hospitals]

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study is to know the incidence rate of medication reconciliation at admission and discharge in patients of La Rioja and to improve the patient safety on medication reconciliation.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

An observational prospective study, part of the Joint Action PaSQ, Work Package 5, European Union Network for Patient Safety and Quality of Care. The study has taken into account the definitions of the Institute for Safe Medication Practices. Any unintended discrepancy in medication between chronic treatment and the treatment prescribed in the hospital was considered as a reconciliation error.

RESULTS

A total of 750 patients were included, 9 (1.2%) of whom showed at least one discrepancy. The patients had a total of 3,156 mediations registered: 2,313 prescriptions (73.4%) showed no differences, while 821 prescriptions (26%) were intended discrepancies and 21 prescriptions (0.6%) unintended discrepancies were considered by the physician as reconciliation errors. A percentage of 1.2 of the patients, which represents 0.6% of the medicines (one in 166 medications registered) had reconciliation errors during their hospital stay.

CONCLUSIONS

A proceeding has been implemented by means of the physician doing the medication reconciliation and reviewing it with the help of a medication reconciliation form. The medication reconciliation is a priority strategic objective to improve the safety of patients.

What, who, when, where and how to inform patients after an adverse event: a qualitative study

OBJECTIVE

To explore suggestions and recommendations for conducting open disclosure with a patient after an adverse event in a setting without professionals' legal privileges.

METHOD

Qualitative study conducting focus groups/Metaplan. This study was conducted with physicians and nurses from Primary Care and Hospitals working in the public health system in Spain.

RESULTS

Twenty-seven professionals were involved 8-30 years of experience, 15 (56%) medical and 12 (44%) nurses, 13 (48%) worked in hospitals. Consensus was obtained on: how (honesty and open and direct language), where (avoid corridors, with privacy), and when to disclose (with agility but without precipitation, once information is obtained, and after reflecting on the most suitable according to the nature of the AE). There was controversy as to what to say to the patient when the AE had serious consequences and doubts about what type of incidents must be reported; who should be required to disclose (the professional involved in the AE or other professional related to the patient, the role of the staff and the management team); and in which cases an apology can be a problem.

CONCLUSIONS

The severity of the AE determines who should talk with the patient in both hospital and primary care. The most appropriate way to convey an apology to the patient depends of the AE. An early, direct, empathetic and proactive action accompanied by information about compensation for the harm suffered could reduce the litigation intention.

Patient safety and nursing implication: Survey in Catalan hospitals

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to describe the implementation of the patient safety (PS) programs in catalan hospitals and to analyze the level of nursing involvement.

METHOD

Multicenter cross-sectional study. To obtain the data two questionnaires were developed; one addressed to the hospital direction and another to the nurse executive in PS. The survey was distributed during 2013 to the 65 acute care hospitals in Catalonia.

RESULTS

The questionnaire was answered by 43 nursing directors and 40 nurse executive in PS. 93% of the hospitals responded that they had a PS Program and 81.4% used a specific scoreboard with PS indicators. The referent of the hospital in PS was a nurse in 55.8% of the centres. 92.5% had a system of notification of adverse effects with an annual average of 190.3 notifications. In 86% of the centres had a nurse involved in the PS program but only in the 16% of the centres the nurse dedication was at full-time. The nurse respondents evaluate the degree of implementation of the PBS program with a note of approved and they propound as improvement increase the staff dedicated to the PS and specific academic training in PS.

CONCLUSIONS

The degree of implementation of programs for patient safety is high in Catalan acute hospitals, while the organizational structure is highly diverse. In more than half of the hospitals the PS referent was a nurse, confirming the nurse involvement in the PS programs.

[Is an effort needed in order to replace the punitive culture for the sake of patient safety?]

Efforts to introduce a safety culture have flourished in a growing number of health care organisations. However, many of these organisational efforts have been incomplete with respect to the manner on how to address the resistance to change offered by the prevailing punitive culture of healthcare organisations. The present article is intended to increase the awareness on three reasons of why an effort is needed to change the punitive culture before introducing the patient safety culture. The first reason is that the culture needs to be investigated and understood. The second reason is that culture is a complex construct, deeply embedded in organisations and their contexts, and thus difficult to change. The third reason is that punitive culture is not compatible with some components of safety culture, thus without removing it there are great possibilities that it would continue to be active and dominant over safety culture. These reasons suggest that, unless planning and executing effective interventions towards replacing punitive culture with safety culture, there is the risk that punitive culture would still prevail.

Personal, situational and organizational aspects that influence the impact of patient safety incidents: A qualitative study

OBJECTIVES

When a patient safety incident (PSI) occurs, not only the patient, but also the involved health professional can suffer. This study focused on this so-called "second victim" of a patient safety incident and aimed to examine: (1) experienced symptoms in the aftermath of a patient safety incident; (2) applied coping strategies; (3) the received versus needed support and (4) the aspects that influenced whether one becomes a second victim.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Thirty-one in-depth interviews were performed with physicians, nurses and midwives who have been involved in a patient safety incident.

RESULTS

The symptoms were categorized under personal and professional impact. Both problem focused and emotion focused coping strategies were used in the aftermath of a PSI. Problem focused strategies such as performing a root cause analysis and the opportunity to learn from what happened were the most appreciated, but negative emotional responses such as repression and flight were common. Support from colleagues and supervisors who were involved in the same event, peer supporters or professional experts were the most needed. A few individuals described emotional support from the healthcare institution as unwanted. Rendered support was largely dependent on the organizational culture, a stigma remained among healthcare professionals to openly discuss patient safety incidents. Three aspects influenced the extent to which a healthcare professional became a second victim: personal, situational and organizational aspects.

CONCLUSION

These findings indicated that a multifactorial approach including individual and emotional support to second victims is crucial.

[Regional Study of Patient Safety Incidents (ERIDA) in the Emergency Services]

OBJECTIVE

Evaluate the patient safety incidents that occur in the emergency departments of our region.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

Observational study conducted in all the hospital emergency departments in the Regional Health Service of Murcia. After systematic random sampling, data were collected during care and a week later by telephone survey. Health professionals of each service were trained and collected the information, following the methodology of the National Study of Adverse Events Related to Hospitalization -ENEAS- and the Adverse Events Related to Spanish Hospital Emergency Department Care -EVADUR-.

RESULTS

A total of 393 samples were collected, proportional to the cases treated in each hospital. In 10 cases (3.1%) the complaint was a previous safety incident. At least one incident was detected in 47 patients (11.95%; 8.7 to 15.1%). In 3 cases there were 2 incidents, bringing the number of incidents to 50. Regarding the impact, the 51% of incidents caused harm to the patients. The effects more frequent in patients were the need for repeat visits (9 cases), and mismanagement of pain (8 cases). In 24 cases (51.1%) health care was not affected, although 3 cases required an additional test, 11 cases required further consultation, and led to hospitalisation in 2 cases. The most frequent causal factors of these incidents were medication (14) and care (12). The incidents were considered preventable in 60% of cases.

CONCLUSIONS

A rate of incidents in the emergency departments, representative of the region, has been obtained. The implications of the results for the population means that 12 out of every 100 patients treated in emergency departments have an adverse event, and 7 of these are avoidable.

Improvement of the safety of a clinical process using failure mode and effects analysis: Prevention of venous thromboembolic disease in critical patients

OBJECTIVE

To improve critical patient safety in the prevention of venous thromboembolic disease, using failure mode and effects analysis as safety tool.

DESIGN

A contemporaneous cohort study covering the period January 2014-March 2015 was made in 4 phases: phase 1) prior to failure mode and effects analysis; phase 2) conduction of mode analysis and implementation of the detected improvements; phase 3) evaluation of outcomes, and phase 4) (post-checklist introduction impact.

SETTING

Patients admitted to the adult polyvalent ICU of a third-level hospital center.

PATIENTS

A total of 196 patients, older than 18 years, without thromboembolic disease upon admission to the ICU and with no prior anticoagulant treatment.

INTERVENTIONS

A series of interventions were implemented following mode analysis: training, and introduction of a protocol and checklist to increase preventive measures in relation to thromboembolic disease.

VARIABLES OF INTEREST

Indication and prescription of venous thrombosis prevention measures before and after introduction of the measures derived from the failure mode and effects analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 59, 97 and 40 patients were included in phase 1, 3 and 4, respectively, with an analysis of the percentage of subjects who received thromboprophylaxis. The failure mode and effects analysis was used to detect potential errors associated to a lack of training and protocols referred to thromboembolic disease. An awareness-enhancing campaign was developed, with staff training and the adoption of a protocol for the prevention of venous thromboembolic disease. The prescription of preventive measures increased in the phase 3 group (91.7 vs. 71.2%, P=.001). In the post-checklist group, prophylaxis was prescribed in 97.5% of the patients, with an increase in the indication of dual prophylactic measures (4.7, 6.7 and 41%; P<.05). There were no differences in complications rate associated to the increase in prophylactic measures.

CONCLUSIONS

The failure mode and effects analysis allowed us to identify improvements in the prevention of thromboembolic disease in critical patients. We therefore consider that it may be a useful tool for improving patient safety in different processes.

[Prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia: a comparison of level of knowledge in three critical care units]

OBJECTIVE

To determine the level of knowledge of the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia guidelines of nurses working in three intensive care units (ICU) in 3 university hospitals in a Spanish region, and evaluate the relationship between this level of knowledge and years worked in the ICU.

METHOD

A descriptive, prospective, cross-sectional, multicentre study was conducted using a validated and reliable questionnaire, made up by 9 questions with closed answers drawn from the EVIDENCE study. A total of 98 questionnaires were collected from ICU nurses of the three university hospitals (A, B, and C) from January to April 2014. The sample from hospital A responded the most, in contrast with the sample from hospital B, which was the one with the less participation. The Pearson correlation was calculated in order to determine the relationship between nurse years worked in ICU and level of knowledge.

RESULTS

Hospital A obtained in the best mean score in the questionnaire, 6.33 (SD 1.4) points, followed by hospital C with 6.21 (SD 1.4), and finally, the hospital B with 6.06 (SD 1.5) points. A p=.08 was obtained on relating years worked with the level of knowledge.

CONCLUSION

The results showed a high level of knowledge compared other studies. There was a tendency between the years worked in the unit and the level of knowledge in ventilator-associated pneumonia prevention.

[Clinical safety and professional liability claims in Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology]

The specialist in orthopaedic and traumatological surgery, like any other doctor, is subject to the current legal provisions while exercising their profession. Mandatory training in the medical-legal aspects of health care is essential. Claims against doctors are a reality, and orthopaedic and traumatological surgery holds first place in terms of frequency of claims according to the data from the General Council of Official Colleges of Doctors of Catalonia. Professionals must be aware of the fundamental aspects of medical professional liability, as well as specific aspects, such as defensive medicine and clinical safety. The understanding of these medical-legal aspects in the routine clinical practice can help to pave the way towards a satisfactory and safe professional career. The aim of this review is to contribute to this training, for the benefit of professionals and patients.

[Management of severe sepsis and septic shock in a tertiary care urban hospital emergency department: opportunities for improvement]

OBJECTIVES

To describe the characteristics of early management of severe sepsis and septic shock in a hospital emergency department that does not have a specific triage category to identify patients in these states. To determine opportunities for improvement.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Prospective cohort study from March 2014 to March 2015. On each day during the study period, we included the first patient with signs compatible with septic shock. We recorded the severity level assigned according to the Andorran Triage Model and the main clinical and epidemiological variables. Patients were followed until hospital discharge.

RESULTS

Fifty patients (35 men) with septic shock (mean age 65 years) were included. Thirty-five were at triage level 1 or 2 and 15 were at level 3. Patients initially classified as level 1-2 had significantly higher heart rates than level 3 patients (mean 110 vs 90 bpm, respectively; P=.003) and respiratory rates (mean 27 vs 18 breaths per minute; P=.001). Patients classified as level 1-2 also had significantly shorter care times than level 3 patients: time from arrival to examination room entry, 18 vs 117 minutes, respectively (P=.002); time from arrival to the first antibiotic dose (85 vs 231 minutes (P=.001).

CONCLUSION

Medical care for patients with septic shock in this emergency department needs to improve in terms of earlier diagnosis and better compliance with guidelines for initial therapeutic management.

Design and application of model for training ultrasound-guided vascular cannulation in pediatric patients

Central vascular cannulation is not a risk-free procedure, especially in pediatric patients. Newborn and infants are small and low-weighted, their vascular structures have high mobility because of tissue laxity and their vessels are superficial and with small diameter. These characteristics, together with the natural anatomical variability and poor collaboration of small children, make this technique more difficult to apply. Therefore, ultrasound imaging is increasingly being used to locate vessels and guide vascular access in this population.

OBJECTIVE

(a) To present a model that simulates the vascular system for training ultrasound-guided vascular access in pediatrics patients; (b) to ultrasound-guided vascular cannulation in the model.

RESULTS

The model consisted of two components: (a) muscular component: avian muscle, (b) vascular component: elastic tube-like structure filled with fluid. 864 ecoguided punctures was realized in the model at different vessel depth and gauge measures were simulated, for two medical operators with different degree of experience. The average depth and diameter of vessel cannulated were 1.16 (0.42)cm and 0.43 (0.1)cm, respectively. The average number of attempts was of 1.22 (0.62). The percentage of visualization of the needle was 74%. The most frequent maneuver used for the correct location, was the modification of the angle of the needle and the relocation of the guidewire in 24% of the cases. The average time for the correct cannulations was 41 (35.8)s. The more frequent complications were the vascular perforation (11.9%) and the correct vascular puncture without possibility of introducing the guidewire (1.2%). The rate of success was 96%.

CONCLUSIONS

The model simulates the anatomy (vascular and muscular structures) of a pediatric patient. It is cheap models, easily reproducible and a useful tool for training in ultrasound-guided puncture and cannulation.

[Impact of the implementation of a protocol for the adequate and safe use of tumor markers]

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Improper clinical use of tumor markers (TM) may cause unnecessary additional studies to confirm or refute a positive result. After observing 2 adverse events due to a wrong use of TM, a protocol for improving their use was implemented. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of the implementation of the protocol.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

This was a pre-postintervention study, where analytical requests of carcinoembryonic antigen, CA15.3, CA19.9 and CA125 were analyzed during one year in patients not undergoing checking of neoplasia. A protocol was implemented and physicians were trained as recommended by the European Group on Tumor Markers, limiting its use to monitor the disease and its treatment. The study period was 2010-2014.

RESULTS

The total number of requests dropped 50.81% and the percentage of adequacy of TM increased, each year, from 31.03 to 77.91%.

CONCLUSIONS

The implementation of a protocol for the proper use of TM contributes to a safer use, avoiding incorrect studies and unnecessary and harmful tests for the patient.

[Patient identification errors and biological samples in the analytical process: Is it possible to improve patient safety?]

BACKGROUND

Patient identification errors and biological samples are one of the problems with the highest risk factor in causing an adverse event in the patient.

OBJECTIVE

To detect and analyse the causes of patient identification errors in analytical requests (PIEAR) from emergency departments, and to develop improvement strategies.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A process and protocol was designed, to be followed by all professionals involved in the requesting and performing of laboratory tests. Evaluation and monitoring indicators of PIEAR were determined, before and after the implementation of these improvement measures (years 2010-2014).

RESULTS

A total of 316 PIEAR were detected in a total of 483,254 emergency service requests during the study period, representing a mean of 6.80/10,000 requests. Patient identification failure was the most frequent in all the 6-monthly periods assessed, with a significant difference (P<.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

The improvement strategies applied showed to be effective in detecting PIEAR, as well as the prevention of such errors. However, we must continue working with this strategy, promoting a culture of safety for all the professionals involved, and trying to achieve the goal that 100% of the analytical and samples are properly identified.

[Recommendations for institutional response to an adverse event]

INTRODUCTION

The organizational response after an Adverse Event (AE) is critical for the patient recovery and trust restoration in the health system. It is also crucial for the involved caregiver psychological recovery.

OBJECTIVE

To design a frame of recommendations to help the healthcare services, institutions and organizations to provide a systematic approach to an AE.

METHODS

A reduced group of authors performed a non-systematic review of the literature and developed an initial draft. The draft was sent to the rest of authors, who suggested modifications in structure, content, references and style throughout successive manuscript versions until a final one was accepted.

RESULTS

AE response includes the patient's clinical stabilization and a therapeutic plan to mitigate harm, the safeguard of used materials or health products involved, the appropriate disclosure to patient and family, the support of affected staff and their replacement if needed, the report to appropriate clinical and management heads, the event circumstances documentation and the starting of the AE investigation and analysis. Besides the professional, family and patient's trust and health recovery, the ultimate target of a correct AE response is the improvement of healthcare processes to prevent its repetition considering the AE as a system failure and learning and improving through its analysis.

[Analysis of patient complaints in Primary Care: An opportunity to improve clinical safety]

OBJECTIVE

To determine the prevalence and type of the clinical safety problems contained in the complaints made by patients and users in Primary Care.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted by analysing both the complaint forms and the responses given to them in the period of one year.

RESULTS

At least 4.6% of all claims analysed in this study contained clinical safety problems. The family physician is the professional who received the majority of the complaints (53.6%), and the main reason was the problems related to diagnosis (43%), mainly the delay in diagnosis. Other variables analysed were the severity of adverse events experienced by patients (in 68% of cases the patient suffered some harm), the subsequent impact on patient care, which was affected in 39% of cases (7% of cases even requiring hospital admission), and the level of preventability of adverse events (96% avoidable) described in the claims. Finally the type of response issued to each complaint was analysed, being purely bureaucratic in 64% of all cases.

CONCLUSIONS

Complaints are a valuable source of information about the deficiencies identified by patients and healthcare users. There is considerable scope for improvement in the analysis and management of claims in general, and those containing clinical safety issues in particular. To date, in our area, there is a lack of appropriate procedures for processing these claims. Likewise, we believe that other pathways or channels should be opened to enable communication by patients and healthcare users.

[Detection of adverse events in hospitalized adult patients by using the Global Trigger Tool method]

OBJECTIVES

To identify and characterize adverse events (AE) in an Internal Medicine Department of a district hospital using an extension of the Global Trigger Tool (GTT), analyzing the diagnostic validity of the tool.

METHODS

An observational, analytical, descriptive and retrospective study was conducted on 2013 clinical charts from an Internal Medicine Department in order to detect EA through the identification of 'triggers' (an event often related to an AE). The 'triggers' and AE were located by systematic review of clinical documentation. The AE were characterized after they were identified.

RESULTS

A total of 149 AE were detected in 291 clinical charts during 2013, of which 75.3% were detected directly by the tool, while the rest were not associated with a trigger. The percentage of charts that had at least one AE was 35.4%. The most frequent AE found was pressure ulcer (12%), followed by delirium, constipation, nosocomial respiratory infection and altered level of consciousness by drugs. Almost half (47.6%) of the AE were related to drug use, and 32.2% of all AE were considered preventable. The tool demonstrated a sensitivity of 91.3% (95%CI: 88.9-93.2) and a specificity of 32.5% (95%CI: 29.9-35.1). It had a positive predictive value of 42.5% (95%CI: 40.1-45.1) and a negative predictive value of 87.1% (95%CI: 83.8-89.9).

CONCLUSIONS

The tool used in this study is valid, useful and reproducible for the detection of AE. It also serves to determine rates of injury and to observe their progression over time. A high frequency of both AE and preventable events were observed in this study.

[Results of the implementation of the Bacteremia Zero project in Catalonia, Spain]

The nationwide Bacteremia Zero (BZ) Project consists in the simultaneous implementation of measures to prevent central venous catheter-related bacteremia (CVC-B) in critically ill patients and in the development of an integral safety plan. The objective is to present the results obtained after the implementation of the BZ project in the ICUs of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia, Spain. All patients admitted to ICUs in Catalonia participating in the ENVIN-HELICS registry between January 2009 and June 2010 were included. Information was provided by 36 (92.3%) of the total possible 39 ICUs. A total of 281 episodes of CVC-B were diagnosed (overall rate of 2.53 episodes per 1000 days of CVC). The rates have varied significantly between ICUs that participated in the project for more or less than 12 months (2.17 vs. 4.27 episodes per 1000 days of CVC, respectively; p<.0001). The implementation of the BZ Project in Catalonia has been associated with a decrease greater than 40% in the CVC-B rates in the ICUs of this community, which is much higher than the initial objective of 4 episodes per 1000 days of CVC).

[Epidemiology of the hospital adverse events in Catalonia, Spain: a first step for the patient safety improvement]

It has been published that hospital adverse events are an important source of morbidity and mortality in different countries and settings. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency, magnitude, distribution and degree of preventability of adverse events in the Autonomous Community of Catalonia (Spain). We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 4,790 hospital discharges that were selected by simple random sampling after stratified multistage sampling in 15 hospitals in Catalonia. 38.25% of patients had positive risk criteria (screening phase). We identified 356 cases of adverse events, which represent a 7.4% (95%CI: 6.7% to 8.1%). Of these, 43.5% (155 cases) were considered preventable. This study confirms that adverse events in hospitals in Catalonia are frequent, and generate a significant impact on morbidity and mortality. As in other studies, corroborated that a high proportion of these adverse events are considered preventable. It was possible to identify priority areas to focus improvement efforts.

[Assessment of two applications of medication self-management in older patients. Qualitative study]

INTRODUCTION

The aging population and the growing use of technology are two realities of modern society. Developing tools to support medication self-management to polymedicated elderly may contribute to increase their safety.

OBJECTIVE

To know how patients polymedicated and older than 64 years manage dose their medication and assessment the utility of two medication self-management applications, specifically analyzing management systems, medication errors and positive and improvable aspects of each of the tools presented.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Seven focal groups with 59 patients from associations and health departments were conducted. In such meetings, they received the applications and they were encouraged to use it. Then, a several group questions were asked them about their health status, how they managed their medication and their assessment about the applications.

RESULTS

Most participants reported to use memory strategies to take correctly their medication. They assessed positively the applications although some of them showed resistance to incorporate it in their daily routine. The simple interface and ease of use were the characteristics of the applications most appreciated by patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Is possible to foster among elderly patients the use of technological tools to support the proper administration of medications with purpose is to decrease errors and increase safety. When designing health applications is necessary to take into account the preferences of those who are targeted.

[Inadequate management of a difficult airway. Case SENSAR of the trimester]

A clinical case reported to SENSAR is presented (www.sensar.org). A patient came to the operating room for surgery for parathyroidectomy. She had several predictors of difficult airway management, including a story of difficulties in previous intubations in other hospitals, as the patient reported. Therefore, after evaluation in preoperative consultation, fibreoptic bronchoscopy intubation was recommended. The day of surgery after induction of general anesthesia direct laryngoscopy was performed, without recognizing any glottic structure (Cormack-Lehane grade iv). Conventional laryngoscope was changed to a videolaryngoscope (Airtraq(®)) to try to improve the laryngoscopic view, but there were difficulties with handling and insertion of it, causing minor injuries to the lingual mucosa. Finally, tracheal intubation was achieved after several attempts. Analysis of the incident revealed the active error due to lack of experience of the professional who performed intubation maneuvers, favored by latent factors or contributors as were the complex pathology of the patient and the absence of protocols to difficult airway management in the hospital. Communication and analysis of this incident served to highlight the importance of the security protocols in Anesthesia, and as a result a working group that conducted the current algorithm approach to a difficult airway management was formed, established guidelines for further information patient and deals since clinical training and professional practice for the management of airway devices availables in the hospital.

[Difficulties with the prescription and administration of antibiotics in routine hospital emergency department care: a survey study]

OBJECTIVES

To detect the problems hospital emergency room staff have when prescribing and administering antibiotics.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A 14-item questionnaire was designed to assess staff members' knowledge of the importance of starting antibiotic treatment promptly, assigning appropriate dosing intervals, adjusting for renal function, and switching to oral therapy. Agreement with each item was expressed on a 5-point Likert scale. Items with a rate of appropriate response of less than 75% were targeted for specific attention.

RESULTS

Two hundred questionnaires were distributed to the staff and 150 were returned completed (response rate, 75%). The following items were targeted for attention based on rates of appropriate response of less than 75%: clear medical orders (65%), understanding the implication of early empirical antibiotic therapy on prognosis in serious infections (67%), estimation of the prevalence of renal insufficiency (42%), assumption that a creatinine serum level under < 1.6 mg/dL is safe (33%), use of glomerular filtration rate to adjust dose according to renal function (47%), and an understanding of switching from intravenous to oral treatment (60%).

CONCLUSION

This study revealed the difficulties medical and nursing staff have in prescribing and administering antibiotics in a hospital emergency department. The results can facilitate improvements in antibiotic therapy by pinpointing areas to target for specific training interventions or the design of electronic prescribing aids.

[Impact on the improvement of paediatric emergency services using a standardised model for the declaration and analysis of incidents]

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study is to analyse changes in the incidents reported after the implementation of a new model, and study its results on patient safety.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In 2012 an observational study with prospective collection of incidents reported between 2007 and 2011 was conducted. In May 2012 a model change was made in order to increase the number of reports, analyse their causes, and improve the feedback to the service. Professional safety representatives were assigned to every department, information and diffusion sessions were held, and a new incident reporting system was implemented. With the new model, a new observational study with prospective collection of the reports during one year was initiated, and the results compared between models.

RESULTS

In 2011, only 19 incidents were reported in the Emergency Department, and between June 1, 2012 to June 1, 2013, 106 incidents (5.6 times more). The incidents reported were medication incidents (57%), identification (26%), and procedures (7%). The most frequent causes were human (70.7%), lack of training (22.6%), and working conditions (15.1%). Some measures were implemented as a result of these incidents: a surgical checklist, unit doses of salbutamol, tables of weight-standardised doses of drugs for cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

CONCLUSIONS

The new model of reporting incidents has enhanced the reports and has allowed improvements and the implementation of preventive measures, increasing the patient safety in the Emergency Department.

[Implementation of a patient safety strategy in primary care of the Community of Madrid]

This paper describes the implementation of a patient safety strategy in primary care within the new organizational and functional structure that was created in October 2010 to cover the single primary health care area of the Community of Madrid. The results obtained in Patient Safety after the implementation of this new model over the first two years of its development are also presented.

Sistema Español de Notificación en Seguridad en Anestesia y Reanimación. [Incorrect programming of a target controlled infusion pump. Case SENSAR of the trimester]

We report the case of a patient who underwent surgical aortic valve replacement. During general anaesthesia maintenance, the patient received a remifentanyl infusion via a target controlled infusion (TCI) system. The infusion pump that was prepared to deliver the infusion showed malfunction at the beginning of the surgery, so it was quickly replaced with a second pump. After a few minutes into the surgery, the patient presented with hypotension refractory to treatment. The remifentanyl syringe also emptied faster than expected. On reviewing the TCI pump, it was found that it was erroneously programmed for propofol instead of remifentanyl, thus the patient had received a very high dose of remifentanyl that was probably the cause of the haemodynamic disturbances. The incident was an error in equipment use, facilitated by hurry, lack of checking of the equipment prior to its use, and the complex and unclear design of the devices' screens. After analysis of this incident, all TCI pumps were reviewed, and all the programs for infrequently used drugs were deleted. Furthermore, 2 pumps were selected for exclusive use in the cardiac surgery theatre, one with propofol-only programming, and the other with remifentanyl-only programming, both clearly marked and situated in fixed places in that theatre.

[Out of hospital emergencies towards a safety culture]

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study is to measure the degree of safety culture (CS) among healthcare professional workers of an out-of-hospital Emergency Medical Service. Most patient safety studies have been conducted in relation to the hospital rather than pre-hospital Emergency Medical Services. The objective is to analyze the dimensions with lower scores in order to plan futures strategies.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A descriptive study using the AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) questionnaire. The questionnaire was delivered to all healthcare professionals workers of 061 Advanced Life Support Units of Aragón, during the month of August 2013.

RESULTS

The response rate was 55%. Main strengths detected: an adequate number of staff (96%), good working conditions (89%), tasks supported from immediate superior (77%), teamwork climate (74%), and non-punitive environment to report adverse events (68%). Areas for improvement: insufficient training in patient safety (53%) and lack of feedback of incidents reported (50%).

CONCLUSIONS

The opportunities for improvement identified focus on the training of professionals in order to ensure safer care, while extending the safety culture. Also, the implementation of a system of notification and registration of adverse events in the service is deemed necessary.

[Notification of incidents related to patient safety in hospitals in Catalonia, Spain during the period 2010-2013]

The aim of this paper is to discover the aggregated results of a general notification system for incidents related to patient safety implemented in Catalan hospitals from 2010 to 2013. Observational study describing the incidents notified from January 2010 to December 2013 from all hospitals in Catalonia forming part of the project to create operational patient safety management units. The Patient Safety Notification and Learning System (SiNASP) was used. This makes it possible to classify incidents depending on the area where they occur, the type of incident notified, the consequences, the seriousness according to the Severity Assessment Code (SAC) and the profession of the notifying party, as the principal variables. The system was accessed via the Internet (SiNASP portal). Access was voluntary and anonymous or with a name given and later removed. During the study period, notification of a total of 5,948 incidents came from 22-29 hospitals. 5,244 of the incidents were handled by the centres and these are the ones analysed in the study. 64% (3,380) affected patients, 18% (950) created a situation capable of causing an incident and 18% (914) did not affect patients. 26% of incidents that affected patients (864) caused some kind of harm. Most incidents occurred during hospitalisation (54%) and in casualty (15%), followed by the ICU (9%) and the surgical block (8%). The most frequent notifying parties were nurses (71%) followed by doctors (15%) and pharmacists (9%). In terms of severity, most incidents were classified as low-risk (37%) or incidents that did not affect the patient (36%). However, 40 cases (0.76%) of extreme risk should be highlighted. In terms of the types of incident notified, most were due to a medication error (26.8%), followed by falls (16.3%) and patient identification (10.6%). The majority of notifications were incidents that affected patients and, of these, 26% caused harm. In general, they occurred in hospitalisation units and notification was mostly given by nurses. The incident notification system is a tool that complements others for promoting a patient safety culture and defining the risk profile of a health organisation. The opportunity for learning from experience is the reason for the existence of the notification system.

[Design, implementation and evaluation of a management model of patient safety in hospitals in Catalonia, Spain]

Since its inception in 2006, the Alliance for Patient Safety in Catalonia has played a major role in promoting and shaping a series of projects related to the strategy of the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality, for improving patient safety. One such project was the creation of functional units or committees of safety in hospitals in order to facilitate the management of patient safety. The strategy has been implemented in hospitals in Catalonia which were selected based on criteria of representativeness. The intervention was based on two lines of action, one to develop the model framework and the other for its development. Firstly the strategy for safety management based on EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management) was defined with the development of standards, targets and indicators to implement security while the second part involved the introduction of tools, methodologies and knowledge to the management support of patient safety and risk prevention. The project was developed in four hospital areas considered higher risk, each assuming six goals for safety management. Some of these targets such as the security control panel or system of adverse event reporting were shared. 23 hospitals joined the project in Catalonia. Despite the different situations in each centre, high compliance was achieved in the development of the objectives. In each of the participating areas the security control panel was developed. Stable structures for safety management were established or strengthened. Training in patient safety played and important role, 1415 professionals participated. Through these kind of projects not only have been introduced programs of proven effectiveness in reducing risks, but they also provide to the facilities a work system that allows autonomy in diagnosis and analysis of the different risk situations or centre specific safety issues.

Analysis of contributing factors associated to related patients safety incidents in Intensive Care Medicine

OBJECTIVE

To explore contributing factors (CF) associated to related critical patients safety incidents.

DESIGN

SYREC study pos hoc analysis.

SETTING

A total of 79 Intensive Care Departments were involved.

PATIENTS

The study sample consisted of 1.017 patients; 591 were affected by one or more incidents.

MAIN VARIABLES

The CF were categorized according to a proposed model by the National Patient Safety Agency from United Kingdom that was modified. Type, class and severity of the incidents was analyzed.

RESULTS

A total 2,965 CF were reported (1,729 were associated to near miss and 1,236 to adverse events). The CF group more frequently reported were related patients factors. Individual factors were reported more frequently in near miss and task related CF in adverse events. CF were reported in all classes of incidents. The majority of CF were reported in the incidents classified such as less serious, even thought CF patients factors were associated to serious incidents. Individual factors were considered like avoidable and patients factors as unavoidable.

CONCLUSIONS

The CF group more frequently reported were patient factors and was associated to more severe and unavoidable incidents. By contrast, individual factors were associated to less severe and avoidable incidents. In general, CF most frequently reported were associated to near miss.

[An approach to care indicators benchmarking. Learning to improve patient safety]

Improvements in clinical safety can be achieved by promoting a safety culture, professional training, and learning through benchmarking. The aim of this study was to identify areas for improvement after analysing the safety indicators in two public Hospitals in North-West Madrid Region.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Descriptive study performed during 2011 in Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro Majadahonda (HUPHM) and Hospital de Guadarrama (HG). The variables under study were 40 indicators on nursing care related to patient safety. Nineteen of them were defined in the SENECA project as care quality standards in order to improve patient safety in the hospitals. The data collected were clinical history, Madrid Health Service assessment reports, care procedures, and direct observation

RESULTS

Within the 40 indicators: 22 of them were structured (procedures), HUPHM had 86%, and HG 95% 14 process indicators (training and protocols compliance) with similar results in both hospitals, apart from the care continuity reports and training in hand hygiene. The 4 results indicators (pressure ulcer, falls and pain) showed different results.

CONCLUSIONS

The analysis of the indicators allowed the following actions to be taken: to identify improvements to be made in each hospital, to develop joint safety recommendations in nursing care protocols in prevention and treatment of chronic wound, to establish systematic pain assessments, and to prepare continuity care reports on all patients transferred from HUPHM to HG.

[Modal failure analysis and effects in the detection of errors in the transport of samples to the clinical laboratory]

OBJECTIVE

Owing to the decrease in values of biochemical glucose parameter in some samples from external extraction centres, and the risk this implies to patient safety; it was decided to apply an adaptation of the «Health Services Failure Mode and Effects Analysis» (HFMEA) to manage risk during the pre-analytical phase of sample transportation from external centres to clinical laboratories.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective study of glucose parameter was conducted during two consecutive months. The analysis was performed in its different phases: to define the HFMEA topic, assemble the team, graphically describe the process, conduct a hazard analysis, design the intervention and indicators, and identify a person to be responsible for ensuring completion of each action.

RESULTS

The results of glucose parameter in one of the transport routes, were significantly lower (P=.006). The errors and potential causes of this problem were analysed, and criteria of criticality and detectability were applied (score≥8) in the decision tree. It was decided to: develop a document management system; reorganise extractions and transport routes in some centres; quality control of the sample container ice-packs, and the time and temperature during transportation.

CONCLUSIONS

This work proposes quality indicators for controlling time and temperature of transported samples in the pre-analytical phase. Periodic review of certain laboratory parameters can help to detect problems in transporting samples. The HFMEA technique is useful for the clinical laboratory.

[Medication reconciliation in primary care after hospital discharge]

OBJECTIVES

The primary objective of this study was to determine if changes prescribed in the usual treatment of patients at discharge from the hospital were updated in their active treatment sheet when they came to the Primary Care clinic. The secondary objectives included, determining whether the drug average varies between the admission and discharge, as well as, identifying other factors related to the modification of treatment during hospital admission including, among others, patient age or the number of drugs previously indicated. Finally, the relationship between the Primary Care Unit to which the patient belonged and the probability that the medication was reconciled was also examined.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This is an observational cross-sectional study conducted in the Bidasoa Integrated Healthcare Organization. The study included every patient over 65 years old with multiple medication (taking 5 or more drugs) belonging to this organization, and discharged from Bidasoa Hospital between 15th October and 11th November 2012. The information on hospital discharges during this period was sent from the hospital to those responsible for patient safety in the Primary Health Care Centers. Each patient clinical history was reviewed in order to confirm if a visit (at least once in the first two weeks after discharge) had been made to their Primary Care Unit, and whether there had been a change in their active treatment sheet.

RESULTS

Two hundred sixty-one patients (n=261) were discharged from Bidasoa Hospital in the study period, and 80 met the inclusion criteria. The discharge report proposed a change in the active treatment in 39 of them (49%). Of these, 35 (90%) attended a Primary Care clinic, and the changes were included in their active treatment sheet in 24 patients, representing 68% of those who contacted Primary Care, and 61% of those who would have required changes.

CONCLUSIONS

The results demonstrate the need to establish a reconciliation medication program for patients on multiple medications after hospital discharge. Moreover, further studies are needed to investigate what may be the reasons why the changes to active treatment sheets are not taking place for some patients, despite these having visited Primary Care after having been discharged from hospital.

[Written information for patients: From papers to documents]

INTRODUCTION

There is a high variability in the level of information intended for patients, with different content, format and presentation.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the perceived safety of the patients treated at the Country Hospital of Melilla (HCML) and to assess the quality of the documents using criteria adapted to the «International Patient Decision Aid Standards» (IPDAS).

METHOD

Descriptive study of the documents given to patients by the HCML. They included questionnaires on perceived safety, classification of the documents, and the level of adherence to the IPDAS criteria.

RESULTS

The Information given to patients during their stay in the HCML, their participation in decision-making, and the information about medication, did not exceed the average on the acceptance scale. Only 40 documents were studied (of the 131 collected), on being published in-house, and were classified, following the definitions of the RAE, into instructions (20), recommendations (14) and guidelines (6). Of these, only the 27.5% showed hospital logo. In the content analysis according to the IPDAS criteria, there was an overall adherence rate of 24.1% in instructions, 24.8% in recommendations, and 61.5% in guidelines.

CONCLUSIONS

The perception of patient safety expressed in the questionnaire, and its assessment according IPDAS criteria, shows there may be a significant improvement within the organization. Furthermore, the quality of patient documentation provided can help decision making.

[Medicines reconciliation in critically ill patients]

OBJECTIVE

Medicines reconciliation plays a key role in patient safety. However, there is limited data available on how this process affects critically ill patients. In this study, we evaluate a program of reconciliation in critically ill patients conducted by the Intensive Care Unit's (ICU) pharmacist.

DESIGN

Prospective study about reconciliation medication errors observed in 50 patients.

SCOPE ICU PATIENTS

All ICU patients, excluding patients without regular treatment.

INTERVENTIONS

Reconciliation process was carried out in the first 24h after ICU admission. Discrepancies were clarified with the doctor in charge of the patient.

MAIN VARIABLE

We analyzed the incidence of reconciliation errors, their characteristics and gravity, the interventions made by the pharmacist and their acceptance by physicians.

RESULTS

A total of 48% of patients showed at least one reconciliation error. Omission of drugs accounted for 74% of the reconciliation errors, mainly involving antihypertensive drugs (33%). An amount of 58% of reconciliation errors detected corresponded to severity category D. Pharmacist made interventions in the 98% of patients with discrepancies. A total of 81% of interventions were accepted.

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence and characteristics of reconciliation errors in ICU are similar to those published in non-critically ill patients, and they affect drugs with high clinical significance. Our data support the importance of the stablishment of medication reconciliation proceedings in critically ill patients. The ICU's pharmacist could carry out this procedure adequately.

[Diagnosis. Radiological study. Ultrasound, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging]

La radiología simple, por su bajo coste, alta disponibilidad en atención primaria y fácil interpretación, debe ser la primera técnica de imagen que el médico de familia se plantee para el diagnóstico y/o seguimiento del paciente artrósico. No obstante, la indicación de esta prueba siempre debe estar fundamentada y si se solicita es porque puede influir en la toma de decisiones con el paciente.

Pese al aumento de indicaciones en el paciente reumatológico, el papel de la ecografía en el paciente artrósico sigue siendo limitado.

La tomografía computarizada (TC) tiene su utilidad, aunque limitada, en la artrosis, especialmente para el estudio de articulaciones complejas (como las sacroilíacas y las vertebrales interapofisarias).

La resonancia magnética (RM) ha supuesto un avance importante a la hora de valorar el estado del cartílago articular y del hueso subcondral en el paciente con artrosis, pero el coste elevado y la rentabilidad diagnóstica-pronóstica de esta técnica obliga a indicarla en casos muy seleccionados.

Las indicaciones de la ecografía, la TC y la RM en el paciente artrósico siguen siendo limitadas en atención primaria y, probablemente, coinciden a menudo con situaciones en las que puede ser necesario derivar al paciente al nivel hospitalario.

El aspecto de la seguridad del paciente debe ser tenido en cuenta, intentando proteger al paciente de excesivas radiaciones ionizantes, mediante repeticiones innecesarias de radiografías o proyecciones inadecuadas, o por solicitud de pruebas como TC, cuando no están indicadas.

[Procedure adverse events: nursing care in central venous catheter fracture]

In a intensive care unit (ICU) there are many factors that can lead to the occurrence of adverse events. A high percentage of these events are associated with the administration of drugs. Diagnostic tests, such as computed tomography, is common in critically ill patients and technique can be performed with injection of contrast agent to enhance the visualization of soft tissue. The contrast is a medication and the nurse is responsible for its proper administration. The management of the critically ill patient is complex. ICU team and radiology shares responsibility for the care and safety of the patient safety during the transfer and performing tests with contrast. The World Health Organisation patient safety strategies, recommends analysing errors and learning from them. Therefore, it was decided to investigate the causes of the category E severity adverse events that occurred in a patient who was admitted to the ICU for septic shock of abdominal origin. An abdominal computed tomography was performed with contrast which was injected through a central venous catheter. The contrast did not appear in the image. What happened? Causal analysis helped to understand what triggered the event. A care plan and an algorithm were drafted to prevent it from happening again, with the following objectives: improving knowledge, skills and promoting positive attitudes towards patient safety, working at primary, secondary and tertiary care levels.

[Efficacy of motivational interviewing for reducing medication errors in chronic patients over 65 years with polypharmacy: Results of a cluster randomized trial]

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention based on motivational interviewing to reduce medication errors in chronic patients over 65 with polypharmacy.

PATIENTS AND METHOD

Cluster randomized trial that included doctors and nurses of 16 Primary Care centers and chronic patients with polypharmacy over 65 years. The professionals were assigned to the experimental or the control group using stratified randomization. Interventions consisted of training of professionals and revision of patient treatments, application of motivational interviewing in the experimental group and also the usual approach in the control group. The primary endpoint (medication error) was analyzed at individual level, and was estimated with the absolute risk reduction (ARR), relative risk reduction (RRR), number of subjects to treat (NNT) and by multiple logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Thirty-two professionals were randomized (19 doctors and 13 nurses), 27 of them recruited 154 patients consecutively (13 professionals in the experimental group recruited 70 patients and 14 professionals recruited 84 patients in the control group) and completed 6 months of follow-up. The mean age of patients was 76 years (68.8% women). A decrease in the average of medication errors was observed along the period. The reduction was greater in the experimental than in the control group (F=5.109, P=.035). RRA 29% (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 15.0-43.0%), RRR 0.59 (95% CI:0.31-0.76), and NNT 3.5 (95% CI 2.3-6.8).

CONCLUSION

Motivational interviewing is more efficient than the usual approach to reduce medication errors in patients over 65 with polypharmacy.

[Adherence to treatment, by active ingredient, in patients over 65 years on multiple medication]

AIM

To assess the level of adherence, by active ingredient, to treatment and associated factors in polymedicated patients over 65 years-old.

DESIGN

Observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study over polymedicated patients over 65 years of the Costa del Sol Health District and the North Malaga Health Area. The study was performed between January 2011 and September 2012 on 375 subjects obtained by simple random sampling from lists provided by each health centre. Data was collected by means of an interview with structured questions. Informed consent was given and signed by all patients before interview.

STUDY VARIABLES

Main results variable adherence to treatment (Morisky-Green's test).

PREDICTABLE VARIABLES

Prescription by active ingredient, socio-demographic variables, health care centre variables, and treatment associated variables. A descriptive analysis of variables was performed. Statistical inference was determined using univariate analysis (t test of Student or Mann-Whitney U, and Chi-squared), and controlling for confounding factors by multivariate analysis (linear and logistic regression).

RESULTS

The result for therapeutic compliance was 51.7%. No statistically significant differences were observed as regards sex and age. A relationship was found in those who resided in rural areas (P=.001), lived with family (P<.05), and were not at risk of suffering from anxiety (P=.046).

CONCLUSIONS

We found similar patient adherence to treatment despite the prescribing generic drugs. Failure to therapeutic compliance was greater in those patients who lived by themselves, in a city close to the coast, or in those patients who were at risk of suffering from anxiety.

[Cross-cultural adaptation into Spanish of the Nursing Home Survey on Patient Safety Culture questionnaire]

OBJECTIVE

This article presents the first phase of a research project aimed at adapting a tool for assessing safety culture in nursing homes into Spanish.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The Nursing Home on Patient Safety Culture of the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality was translated and culturally adapted. The International Quality of Life Assessment protocol was followed, which included, translation, conceptual equivalence evaluation, back-translation, content validity and a pilot study.

RESULTS

Three of the 42 items were modified with respect to the original version. The remaining modifications were introduced in the F Section, containing sociodemographic information and job related questions.

CONCLUSIONS

The adapted questionnaire will help to assess the level of safety of the resident culture among healthcare professionals in these centres, to identity areas for improvement, and to analyze how to evolve when organizational changes are introduced.

Patient safety certification in a Department of Intensive Care Medicine: our experience with standard UNE 179003:2013

Systematic and structured methods must be used to ensure that healthcare risks are effectively managed. Spanish standard UNE 179003:2013 provides healthcare organizations with a framework and a systematic protocol for managing patient safety from a clinical and organizational perspective. Furthermore, it is useful in securing an efficient balance among health risk, health outcomes and costs. The UNE 179003:2013 certifies that a clinical service complies with rules and operating procedures aimed at reducing the incidence of adverse events. It also requires mandatory continuous improvement, given that the standard entails frequent monitoring of the risk management system through periodic audits. The aims of this paper are to describe the UNE 179003:2013 certification process in an Intensive Care Unit, propose a risk management program for critical patients, and offer some recommendations regarding its implementation.

[Contribution of neuromonitoring to the safety of tracheal extubation after total thyroidectomy. Prospective study with needle electrodes]

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

Bilateral laryngeal paralysis cause serious respiratory complications. In thyroid surgery, neuromonitoring helps in identifying the recurrent laryngeal nerve, reports on its functioning at the end of surgery, supports decision making, and may reduce the risk of bilateral paralysis. Our objective was to estimate the influence of neuromonitoring in operative strategy and extubation safety in total thyroidectomy.

METHODS

A non-randomized prospective study was conducted on 210 patients undergoing total thyroidectomy (420 laryngeal nerves stimulated included). We collected qualitative neuromonitoring variables (presence or absence of final signal after stimulation of the vagus nerve), and postoperative indirect laryngoscopy (normal motility or paralysis), performed until 3rd day after the surgery.

RESULTS

The accuracy of the test was 99.5% (95% CI 98.3 to 99.9). The positive predictive value was 100% (95% CI 99.1 to 100), which showed the high ability of neuromonitoring to predict paralysis in case of loss of signal, and the negative predictive value was 99.5% (95% CI 98.3 to 99.9), which indicated its predictive capacity for normal motility when there is a normal signal.

CONCLUSIONS

In our group of patients, recurrent laryngeal nerve monitoring was useful in total thyroidectomy as it provided information on the prognosis of laryngeal motility, and helped in making decisions during surgery when there was signal loss. Due to the risk of serious respiratory complications due to bilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis, we opted for the performing of the 2-stage total thyroidectomy in case of signal loss in the first lobectomy. Thereby, neuromonitoring contributed to the safety of the airway in tracheal extubation, aiding in the prevention of a possible bilateral laryngeal paralysis.

Sistema Español de Notificación en Seguridad en Anestesia y Reanimación (SENSAR). [Unexpected atrial fibrillation when monitoring in operating room. Case of the trimester]

A real case reported to the SENSAR database of incidents is presented. In a patient scheduled for nose fracture repair surgery an unexpected atrial fibrillation was found when monitored in the operating room. The operation was not delayed. After induction of general anaesthesia heart rate suddenly increased and hemodinamic situation was impaired. Cardioversion was required. Two electric countershocks were given but sinus rhythm was not restored. Heart rate was controlled with amiodarone infusion. Optimal defibrillation characteristics are described in these cases. Increased risk of thromboembolism (1-2%) following cardioversion is present even if atrial thrombi are ruled out. The mainstay therapies of are rhythm and rate control and prevention of thromboembolic complications. We describe recommendations on the management of these critical situations with emphasis in learning through the creation of protocols and training practice in simulation.

Lessons learnt from the development of the Patient Safety Incidents Reporting an Learning System for the Spanish National Health System: SiNASP

OBJECTIVE

To describe the development process and characteristics of a patient safety incidents reporting system to be implemented in the Spanish National Health System, based on the context and the needs of the different stakeholders.

DESIGN

Literature review and analysis of most relevant reporting systems, identification of more than 100 stakeholder's (patients, professionals, regional governments representatives) expectations and requirements, analysis of the legal context, consensus of taxonomy, development of the software and pilot test.

RESULTS

Patient Safety Events Reporting and Learning system (Sistema de Notificación y Aprendizajepara la Seguridad del Paciente, SiNASP) is a generic reporting system for all types of incidents related to patient safety, voluntary, confidential, non punitive, anonymous or nominative with anonimization, system oriented, with local analysis of cases and based on the WHO International Classification for Patient Safety. The electronic program has an on-line form for reporting, a software to manage the incidents and improvement plans, and a scoreboard with process indicators to monitor the system.

CONCLUSIONS

The reporting system has been designed to respond to the needs and expectations identified by the stakeholders, taking into account the lessons learned from the previous notification systems, the characteristics of the National Health System and the existing legal context. The development process presented and the characteristics of the system provide a comprehensive framework that can be used for future deployments of similar patient safety systems.

[Recommendations on the safety of patients for socio-health centers: systematic review]

We did a systematic review to find recommendations on patient safety oriented toward improving the quality of care in nursing homes, residential facilities, housing for the elderly and long-term care facilities, among others. One hundred and thirty-four articles were selected in MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL up to October 2012. Of these, 17 met inclusion criteria and 5 studies were added in the secondary search for further detailed analysis. Few studies with high or very high level of scientific evidence on the scale SIGN were identified. Analyzed studies focused primarily on nursing staff. Most of the recommendations are oriented toward medication-related issues, staff training, pressure ulcers or falls, adherence to guidelines and protocols and topics referred to organizational culture.

[Rare problem with the insertion of a Supreme™ laryngeal mask airway device. Case of the trimester]

A breast tumor was resected under general anesthesia. After induction, the airway was managed with a Supreme™ laryngeal mask airway device. The insertion of the laryngeal mask airway device, the insertion of the orogastric tube through the drain tube, as well as the mechanical ventilation, were very difficult from the beginning. On removing the laryngeal mask airway device to solve the problem, it was observed that the drain tube was broken, and the orogastric tube had passed into the anterior, laryngeal part of the device through the split. It was later found out that the laryngeal mask airway device, as well as the whole manufacturing batch, had suffered a design modification: the cuff was constructed with a softer material without reinforcement in the tip, and the drain tube had a heat-sealing defect that facilitated the break. The incident was reported to the local supplier and the manufacturer, and the defective batch of laryngeal mask airway devices was recalled. The incident was also reported to other hospitals via SENSAR, to warn other users of the potential dangers of the design modification in the Supreme™ laryngeal mask airway.

[Validity and reliability of the Culture of Quality Health Services questionnaire in Mexico]

INTRODUCTION

Patient Safety is a major public health problem worldwide and is responsibility of all those involved in health care. Establishing a Safety Culture has proved to be a factor that favors the integration of work teams, communication and construction of clear procedures in various organizations. Promote a culture of safety depends on several factors, such as organization, work unit and staff. Objective assessment of these factors will help to identify areas for improvement and establish strategic lines of action.

OBJECTIVE

[corrected] To adapt, validate and calibrate the questionnaire Culture of Quality in Health Services (CQHS) in Mexican population.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A cross with a stratified representative sample of 522 health workers. The questionnaire was translated and adapted from Singer's. Content was validated by experts, internal consistency, confirmatory factorial validity and item calibration with Samejima's Graded Response Model.

RESULTS

Convergent and divergent construct validity was confirmed from the CQHS, item calibration showed that the questionnaire is able to discriminate between patients and represent different levels of the hypothesized dimensions with greater accuracy and lower standard error.

CONCLUSIONS

The CQHS is a valid and reliable instrument to assess patient safety culture in hospitals in Mexico.

[Clinical safety audits for primary care centers. A pilot study]

OBJECTIVE

To identify organizational processes, violations of rules, or professional performances that pose clinical levels of insecurity.

DESIGN

Descriptive cross-sectional survey with customized externally-behavioral verification and comparison of sources, conducted from June 2008 to February 2010.

SETTING

Thirteen of the 53 primary care teams (PCT) of the Catalonian Health Institute (ICS Costa de Ponent, Barcelona).

PARTICIPANTS

Employees of 13 PCT classified into: director, nurse director, customer care administrators, and general practitioners.

METHODS

Non-random selection, teaching (TC)/non-teaching, urban (UC)/rural and small/large (LC) health care centers (HCC). A total of 33 indicators were evaluated; 15 of procedures, 9 of attitude, 3 of training, and 6 of communication. Level of uncertainty: <50% positive answers for each indicator.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA

no collaboration.

RESULTS

A total of 55 professionals participated (84.6% UC, 46.2% LC and 76.9% TC). Rank distribution: 13 customer care administrators, 13 nurse directors, 13 HCC directors, and 16 general practitioners. Levels of insecurity emerged from the following areas: reception of new medical professionals, injections administration, nursing weekend home calls, urgent consultations to specialists, aggressive patients, critical incidents over the agenda of the doctors, communication barriers with patients about treatment plans, and with immigrants.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Clinical safety is on the agenda of the health centers. Identified areas of uncertainty are easily approachable, and are considered in the future system of accreditation of the Catalonian Government. General practitioners are more critical than directors, and teaching health care centers, rural and small HCC had a better sense of security.

[Phenylephrine dosing error in Intensive Care Unit. Case of the trimester]

A real clinical case reported to SENSAR is presented. A patient admitted to the surgical intensive care unit following a lung resection, suffered arterial hypotension. The nurse was asked to give the patient 1 mL of phenylephrine. A few seconds afterwards, the patient experienced a hypertensive crisis, which resolved spontaneously without damage. Thereafter, the nurse was interviewed and a dosing error was identified: she had mistakenly given the patient 1 mg of phenylephrine (1 mL) instead of 100 mcg (1 mL of the standard dilution, 1mg in 10 mL). The incident analysis revealed latent factors (event triggers) due to the lack of protocols and standard operating procedures, communication errors among team members (physician-nurse), suboptimal training, and underdeveloped safety culture. In order to preempt similar incidents in the future, the following actions were implemented in the surgical intensive care unit: a protocol for bolus and short lived infusions (<30 min) was developed and to close the communication gap through the adoption of communication techniques. The protocol was designed by physicians and nurses to standardize the administration of drugs with high potential for errors. To close the communication gap, repeated checks about saying and understanding was proposed ("closed loop"). Labeling syringes with the drug dilution was also recommended.