Medical errors detected and corrected by a pediatric infectious diseases consultation service

Terms used in patient safety related to medication: a literature review

PURPOSE

There is a lack of homogeneity in the terminology used in the context of patient safety related to medication. The aim of this review was to identify the terms and definitions used in patient safety related to medication within the scientific literature.

METHODS

Original and review articles that were indexed between 1998 and 2008 in MEDLINE and EMBASE and contained terms used in patient safety related to medication were included. Terms and definitions were extracted and categorised according to whether its definition referred to the process of medication use, or to the clinical outcome of medication use, or both.

RESULTS

Of 2564 articles, 147 were included. Sixty terms used in patient safety related to medication with 189 different definitions were identified. Among terms that referred only to the process of medication use (n = 23), medication error provided the greatest number of definitions (n = 29). Among terms that referred only to the clinical outcome of medication use (n = 31), adverse drug event provided the greatest number of definitions (n = 15). Finally, among terms that referred both to the process of use and to the clinical outcome of medication use (n = 13), drug-related problem provided the greatest number of definitions (n = 7).

CONCLUSIONS

A multitude of terms and definitions are used in patient safety related to medication. This heterogeneity makes it difficult to compare the results among studies and to appreciate the true magnitude of the problem. Classifying and unifying the terminology is necessary to advance in patient safety strategies.

Ten tips for incorporating scientific quality improvement into everyday work

Healthcare personnel often find it challenging to incorporate disciplined quality improvement into their daily work. Planning, managing and completing improvement projects with sufficient rigour to generate credible evidence and potentially publishable knowledge are even more difficult. Nonetheless, careful set-up and agile leveraging of existing resources and expertise can lead to surprisingly robust results. Project designs that integrate data collection with the work itself are especially helpful. Although the general perception is that top-flight journals are loath to publish the results of quality improvement work, accumulating experience suggests that this hurdle can be overcome. The Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence guidelines provide a promising framework for crafting publications that can meet the exacting standards of peer-reviewed journals.

Pediatric infectious diseases — Quo vadis 2015?

In modern medicine the discipline pediatric infectious diseases is an essential medical specialty. The challenging and complex tasks in the next years include meticulous consolidation and careful extension of existing activities aiming at conducting high level research, offering high standard teaching, and providing high quality patient management. This can only be accomplished by exquisitely dedicated individuals with extraordinary communication and integrative skills following painstaking continued training and formation. Potential careers in the discipline can be envisioned not only in academics, but also in government, public health, and industry, whilst less likely in private practice.