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Levine DM, Syrowatka A, Salmasian H, Shahian DM, Lipsitz S, Zebrowski JP, Myers LC, Logan MS, Roy CG, Iannaccone C, Frits ML, Volk LA, Dulgarian S, Amato MG, Edrees HH, Sato L, Folcarelli P, Einbinder JS, Reynolds ME, Mort E, Bates DW. The Safety of Outpatient Health Care : Review of Electronic Health Records. Ann Intern Med 2024; 177:738-748. [PMID: 38710086 DOI: 10.7326/m23-2063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite considerable emphasis on delivering safe care, substantial patient harm occurs. Although most care occurs in the outpatient setting, knowledge of outpatient adverse events (AEs) remains limited. OBJECTIVE To measure AEs in the outpatient setting. DESIGN Retrospective review of the electronic health record (EHR). SETTING 11 outpatient sites in Massachusetts in 2018. PATIENTS 3103 patients who received outpatient care. MEASUREMENTS Using a trigger method, nurse reviewers identified possible AEs and physicians adjudicated them, ranked severity, and assessed preventability. Generalized estimating equations were used to assess the association of having at least 1 AE with age, sex, race, and primary insurance. Variation in AE rates was analyzed across sites. RESULTS The 3103 patients (mean age, 52 years) were more often female (59.8%), White (75.1%), English speakers (90.8%), and privately insured (70.4%) and had a mean of 4 outpatient encounters in 2018. Overall, 7.0% (95% CI, 4.6% to 9.3%) of patients had at least 1 AE (8.6 events per 100 patients annually). Adverse drug events were the most common AE (63.8%), followed by health care-associated infections (14.8%) and surgical or procedural events (14.2%). Severity was serious in 17.4% of AEs, life-threatening in 2.1%, and never fatal. Overall, 23.2% of AEs were preventable. Having at least 1 AE was less often associated with ages 18 to 44 years than with ages 65 to 84 years (standardized risk difference, -0.05 [CI, -0.09 to -0.02]) and more often associated with Black race than with Asian race (standardized risk difference, 0.09 [CI, 0.01 to 0.17]). Across study sites, 1.8% to 23.6% of patients had at least 1 AE and clinical category of AEs varied substantially. LIMITATION Retrospective EHR review may miss AEs. CONCLUSION Outpatient harm was relatively common and often serious. Adverse drug events were most frequent. Rates were higher among older adults. Interventions to curtail outpatient harm are urgently needed. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE Controlled Risk Insurance Company and the Risk Management Foundation of the Harvard Medical Institutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Levine
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Primary Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (D.M.L., A.S., H.S., S.L., H.H.E.)
| | - Ania Syrowatka
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Primary Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (D.M.L., A.S., H.S., S.L., H.H.E.)
| | - Hojjat Salmasian
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Primary Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (D.M.L., A.S., H.S., S.L., H.H.E.)
| | - David M Shahian
- Harvard Medical School; Lawrence Center for Quality and Safety, Massachusetts General Hospital; and Division of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts (D.M.S.)
| | - Stuart Lipsitz
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Primary Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (D.M.L., A.S., H.S., S.L., H.H.E.)
| | - Jonathan P Zebrowski
- Harvard Medical School; Lawrence Center for Quality and Safety, Massachusetts General Hospital; and Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts (J.P.Z.)
| | - Laura C Myers
- Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research, Oakland, California (L.C.M.)
| | - Merranda S Logan
- Harvard Medical School and Division of Nephrology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts (M.S.L.)
| | | | - Christine Iannaccone
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Primary Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts (C.I., M.L.F., S.D., M.G.A.)
| | - Michelle L Frits
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Primary Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts (C.I., M.L.F., S.D., M.G.A.)
| | - Lynn A Volk
- Mass General Brigham, Somerville, Massachusetts (L.A.V.)
| | - Sevan Dulgarian
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Primary Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts (C.I., M.L.F., S.D., M.G.A.)
| | - Mary G Amato
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Primary Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts (C.I., M.L.F., S.D., M.G.A.)
| | - Heba H Edrees
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Primary Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (D.M.L., A.S., H.S., S.L., H.H.E.)
| | - Luke Sato
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Primary Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital; Harvard Medical School; and CRICO and the Risk Management Foundation of the Harvard Medical Institutions, Boston, Massachusetts (L.S.)
| | - Patricia Folcarelli
- CRICO and the Risk Management Foundation of the Harvard Medical Institutions, Boston, Massachusetts (P.F., J.S.E., M.E.R.)
| | - Jonathan S Einbinder
- CRICO and the Risk Management Foundation of the Harvard Medical Institutions, Boston, Massachusetts (P.F., J.S.E., M.E.R.)
| | - Mark E Reynolds
- CRICO and the Risk Management Foundation of the Harvard Medical Institutions, Boston, Massachusetts (P.F., J.S.E., M.E.R.)
| | - Elizabeth Mort
- Harvard Medical School; Lawrence Center for Quality and Safety, Massachusetts General Hospital; Division of General Internal Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital; and Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (E.M.)
| | - David W Bates
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Primary Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital; Harvard Medical School; and Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts (D.W.B.)
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Faisal S, Samoth D, Aslam Y, Patel H, Park S, Baby B, Patel T. Key Features of Smart Medication Adherence Products: Updated Scoping Review. JMIR Aging 2023; 6:e50990. [PMID: 38113067 PMCID: PMC10762620 DOI: 10.2196/50990] [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: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Older adults often face challenges in self-managing their medication owing to physical and cognitive limitations, complex medication regimens, and packaging of medications. Emerging smart medication dispensing and adherence products (SMAPs) offer the options of automated dispensing, tracking medication intake in real time, and reminders and notifications. A 2021 review identified 51 SMAPs owing to the rapid influx of digital technology; an update to this review is required. OBJECTIVE This review aims to identify new products and summarize and compare the key features of SMAPs. METHODS Gray and published literature and videos were searched using Google, YouTube, PubMed, Embase, and Scopus. The first 10 pages of Google and the first 100 results of YouTube were screened using 4 and 5 keyword searches, respectively. SMAPs were included if they were able to store and allowed for the dispensation of medications, tracked real-time medication intake data, and could automatically analyze data. Products were excluded if they were stand-alone software applications, not marketed in English, not for in-home use, or only used in clinical trials. In total, 5 researchers independently screened and extracted the data. RESULTS This review identified 114 SMAPs, including 80 (70.2%) marketed and 34 (29.8%) prototypes, grouped into 15 types. Among the marketed products, 68% (54/80) were available for consumer purchase. Of these products, 26% (14/54) were available worldwide and 78% (42/54) were available in North America. There was variability in the hardware, software, data collection and management features, and cost of the products. Examples of hardware features include battery life, medication storage capacity, availability of types and number of alarms, locking features, and additional technology required for use of the product, whereas software features included reminder and notification capabilities and availability of manufacturer support. Data capture methods included the availability of sensors to record the use of the product and data-syncing capabilities with cloud storage with short-range communications. Data were accessible to users via mobile apps or web-based portals. Some SMAPs provided data security assurance with secure log-ins (use of personal identification numbers or facial recognition), whereas other SMAPs provided data through registered email addresses. Although some SMAPs were available at set prices or free of cost to end users, the cost of other products varied based on availability, shipping fees, and subscription fees. CONCLUSIONS An expanding market for SMAPs with features specific to at-home patient use is emerging. Health care professionals can use these features to select and suggest products that meet their patients' unique requirements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sadaf Faisal
- School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, Kitchener, ON, Canada
| | - Devine Samoth
- School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, Kitchener, ON, Canada
| | - Yusra Aslam
- School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, Kitchener, ON, Canada
| | - Hawa Patel
- School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, Kitchener, ON, Canada
| | - SooMin Park
- School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, Kitchener, ON, Canada
| | - Bincy Baby
- School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, Kitchener, ON, Canada
| | - Tejal Patel
- School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, Kitchener, ON, Canada
- Schlegel - University of Waterloo Research Institute of Aging, Waterloo, ON, Canada
- Centre for Family Medicine Family Health Team, Kitchener, ON, Canada
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