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Recsky C, Rush KL, MacPhee M, Stowe M, Blackburn L, Muniak A, Currie LM. Clinical Informatics Team Members' Perspectives on Health Information Technology Safety After Experiential Learning and Safety Process Development: Qualitative Descriptive Study. JMIR Form Res 2024; 8:e53302. [PMID: 38315544 PMCID: PMC10877498 DOI: 10.2196/53302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although intended to support improvement, the rapid adoption and evolution of technologies in health care can also bring about unintended consequences related to safety. In this project, an embedded researcher with expertise in patient safety and clinical education worked with a clinical informatics team to examine safety and harm related to health information technologies (HITs) in primary and community care settings. The clinical informatics team participated in learning activities around relevant topics (eg, human factors, high reliability organizations, and sociotechnical systems) and cocreated a process to address safety events related to technology (ie, safety huddles and sociotechnical analysis of safety events). OBJECTIVE This study aimed to explore clinical informaticians' experiences of incorporating safety practices into their work. METHODS We used a qualitative descriptive design and conducted web-based focus groups with clinical informaticians. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. RESULTS A total of 10 informants participated. Barriers to addressing safety and harm in their context included limited prior knowledge of HIT safety, previous assumptions and perspectives, competing priorities and organizational barriers, difficulty with the reporting system and processes, and a limited number of reports for learning. Enablers to promoting safety and mitigating harm included participating in learning sessions, gaining experience analyzing reported events, participating in safety huddles, and role modeling and leadership from the embedded researcher. Individual outcomes included increased ownership and interest in HIT safety, the development of a sociotechnical systems perspective, thinking differently about safety, and increased consideration for user perspectives. Team outcomes included enhanced communication within the team, using safety events to inform future work and strategic planning, and an overall promotion of a culture of safety. CONCLUSIONS As HITs are integrated into care delivery, it is important for clinical informaticians to recognize the risks related to safety. Experiential learning activities, including reviewing safety event reports and participating in safety huddles, were identified as particularly impactful. An HIT safety learning initiative is a feasible approach for clinical informaticians to become more knowledgeable and engaged in HIT safety issues in their work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chantelle Recsky
- School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Kathy L Rush
- School of Nursing, University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, BC, Canada
| | - Maura MacPhee
- School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Megan Stowe
- Digital Health, Provincial Health Services Authority, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | | | | | - Leanne M Currie
- School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Huddles and their effectiveness at the frontlines of clinical care: a scoping review. J Gen Intern Med 2021; 36:2772-2783. [PMID: 33559062 PMCID: PMC8390736 DOI: 10.1007/s11606-021-06632-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Brief, stand-up meetings known as huddles may improve clinical care, but knowledge about huddle implementation and effectiveness at the frontlines is fragmented and setting specific. This work provides a comprehensive overview of huddles used in diverse health care settings, examines the empirical support for huddle effectiveness, and identifies knowledge gaps and opportunities for future research. METHODS A scoping review was completed by searching the databases PubMed, EBSCOhost, ProQuest, and OvidSP for studies published in English from inception to May 31, 2019. Eligible studies described huddles that (1) took place in a clinical or medical setting providing health care patient services, (2) included frontline staff members, (3) were used to improve care quality, and (4) were studied empirically. Two reviewers independently screened abstracts and full texts; seven reviewers independently abstracted data from full texts. RESULTS Of 2,185 identified studies, 158 met inclusion criteria. The majority (67.7%) of studies described huddles used to improve team communication, collaboration, and/or coordination. Huddles positively impacted team process outcomes in 67.7% of studies, including improvements in efficiency, process-based functioning, and communication across clinical roles (64.4%); situational awareness and staff perceptions of safety and safety climate (44.6%); and staff satisfaction and engagement (29.7%). Almost half of studies (44.3%) reported huddles positively impacting clinical care outcomes such as patients receiving timely and/or evidence-based assessments and care (31.4%); decreased medical errors and adverse drug events (24.3%); and decreased rates of other negative outcomes (20.0%). DISCUSSION Huddles involving frontline staff are an increasingly prevalent practice across diverse health care settings. Huddles are generally interdisciplinary and aimed at improving team communication, collaboration, and/or coordination. Data from the scoping review point to the effectiveness of huddles at improving work and team process outcomes and indicate the positive impact of huddles can extend beyond processes to include improvements in clinical outcomes. STUDY REGISTRATION This scoping review was registered with the Open Science Framework on 18 January 2019 ( https://osf.io/bdj2x/ ).
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Snow AL, Loup J, Morgan RO, Richards K, Parmelee PA, Baier RR, McCreedy E, Frank B, Brady C, Fry L, McCullough M, Hartmann CW. Enhancing sleep quality for nursing home residents with dementia: a pragmatic randomized controlled trial of an evidence-based frontline huddling program. BMC Geriatr 2021; 21:281. [PMID: 33906631 PMCID: PMC8076882 DOI: 10.1186/s12877-021-02189-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 04/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Disturbed sleep places older adults at higher risk for frailty, morbidity, and even mortality. Yet, nursing home routines frequently disturb residents’ sleep through use of noise, light, or efforts to reduce incontinence. Nursing home residents with Alzheimer’s disease and or related dementias—almost two-thirds of long-stay nursing home residents—are likely to be particularly affected by sleep disturbance. Addressing these issues, this study protocol implements an evidence-based intervention to improve sleep: a nursing home frontline staff huddling program known as LOCK. The LOCK program is derived from evidence supporting strengths-based learning, systematic observation, relationship-based teamwork, and efficiency. Methods This study protocol outlines a NIH Stage III, real-world hybrid efficacy-effectiveness pragmatic trial of the LOCK sleep intervention. Over two phases, in a total of 27 non-VA nursing homes from 3 corporations, the study will (1) refine the LOCK program to focus on sleep for residents with dementia, (2) test the impact of the LOCK sleep intervention for nursing home residents with dementia, and (3) evaluate the intervention’s sustainability. Phase 1 (1 year; n = 3 nursing homes; 1 per corporation) will refine the intervention and train-the-trainer protocol and pilot-tests all study methods. Phase 2 (4 years; n = 24 nursing homes; 8 per corporation) will use the refined intervention to conduct a wedge-design randomized, controlled, clinical trial. Phase 2 results will measure the LOCK sleep intervention’s impact on sleep (primary outcome) and on psychotropic medication use, pain and analgesic medication use, and activities of daily living decline (secondary outcomes). Findings will point to inter-facility variation in the program’s implementation and sustainability. Discussion This is the first study to our knowledge that applies a dementia sleep intervention to systematically address known barriers to nursing home quality improvement efforts. This innovative study has future potential to address clinical issues beyond sleep (safety, infection control) and expand to other settings (assisted living, inpatient mental health). The study’s strong team, careful consideration of design challenges, and resulting rigorous, pragmatic approach will ensure success of this promising intervention for nursing home residents with dementia. Trial registration NCT04533815, ClinicalTrials.gov, August 20, 2020. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12877-021-02189-8.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Lynn Snow
- Alabama Research Institute on Aging and the Department of Psychology, The University of Alabama, Gordon Palmer Hall, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA. .,Tuscaloosa Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35404, USA.
| | - Julia Loup
- Alabama Research Institute on Aging and the Department of Psychology, The University of Alabama, Gordon Palmer Hall, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA.,Tuscaloosa Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35404, USA
| | - Robert O Morgan
- Department of Management, Policy and Community Health, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, USA
| | - Kathy Richards
- School of Nursing, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78701-1412, USA
| | - Patricia A Parmelee
- Alabama Research Institute on Aging and the Department of Psychology, The University of Alabama, Gordon Palmer Hall, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA
| | - Rosa R Baier
- Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, 02912, USA
| | - Ellen McCreedy
- Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, 02912, USA
| | | | | | - Liam Fry
- Department of Internal Medicine, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Megan McCullough
- Department of Public Health, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA.,Center for Healthcare Organization and Implementation Research, VA Bedford Healthcare System, Bedford, MA, 01730, USA
| | - Christine W Hartmann
- Department of Public Health, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA.,Center for Healthcare Organization and Implementation Research, VA Bedford Healthcare System, Bedford, MA, 01730, USA
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Stucky MG, Jolles D, Stucky CH. Right care: Improving timeliness and promoting preventive health in a lower socioeconomic reproductive health clinic. Nurs Forum 2020; 55:407-415. [PMID: 32185798 DOI: 10.1111/nuf.12445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Missed prevention opportunities are a financial burden to the US health care system and result in excess consumption of resources, reduced quality of life, increased morbidity, and premature death. LOCAL PROBLEM High staff turnover and inefficient practices at a local health department caused long patient wait times and missed opportunities for preventive health care. The project aim was to improve timeliness through Right Care in a lower socioeconomic reproductive health clinic while decreasing patient cycle time by 10% in 90 days. METHODS We used four plan-do-study-act cycles incorporating tests of change that focused on team and patient engagement and two process changes. The interventions included a care coordination huddle, an infant feeding decision aid to better understand patient values, a sexual health screening tool to identify prevention opportunities, and a redesigned patient-centered discharge process to improve efficiency. RESULTS Over 90 days, the receipt of Right Care increased while patient cycle time decreased by 2.6%. The team improved function with a mean huddle effectiveness score increase from 2 to 4.4 (1-5 Likert scale). Intent to breastfeed increased by 49% (35%-52%), and identification of preventive care needs increased by 320% (15%-63%). Preventive care follow-up remained unchanged at 26% with the new discharge process, identifying weaknesses in the health department referral systems. CONCLUSIONS Standardized tools and processes improved primary prevention opportunities at a local health department while reducing patient cycle time. The tools improved documentation of intent to exclusively breastfeed, increased preventive care identification, and streamlined the discharge process; while demonstrating a systems-level gap for long-term follow-up.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle G Stucky
- Doctorate of Nursing Practice Program, Frontier Nursing University, Hyden, Kentucky
| | - Diana Jolles
- Doctorate of Nursing Practice Program, Frontier Nursing University, Hyden, Kentucky
| | - Christopher H Stucky
- Center for Nursing Science and Clinical Inquiry, Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Bragg, North Carolina
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Hagley G, Mills PD, Watts BV, Wu AW. Review of alternatives to root cause analysis: developing a robust system for incident report analysis. BMJ Open Qual 2019; 8:e000646. [PMID: 31428706 PMCID: PMC6683108 DOI: 10.1136/bmjoq-2019-000646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2019] [Revised: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Gregory Hagley
- National Center for Patient Safety, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, White River Junction, Vermont, USA.,Rehabilitation Department, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Peter D Mills
- National Center for Patient Safety, White River Junction VA Medical Center, White River Junction, Vermont, USA.,Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Bradley V Watts
- Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA.,National Center for Patient Safety, White River Junction VA Medical Center, White River Junction, Vermont, USA
| | - Albert W Wu
- Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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