Multiple user considerations and their implications in medical error reporting system design

Remembering Ben-Tzion Karsh's scholarship, impact, and legacy

Dr. Ben-Tzion (Bentzi) Karsh was a mentor, collaborator, colleague, and friend who profoundly impacted the fields of human factors and ergonomics (HFE), medical informatics, patient safety, and primary care, among others. In this paper we honor his contributions by reflecting on his scholarship, impact, and legacy in three ways: first, through an updated simplified bibliometric analysis in 2020, highlighting the breadth of his scholarly impact from the perspective of the number and types of communities and collaborators with which and whom he engaged; second, through targeted reflections on the history and impact of Dr. Karsh's most cited works, commenting on the particular ways they impacted our academic community; and lastly, through quotes from collaborators and mentees, illustrating Dr. Karsh's long-lasting impact on his contemporaries and students.

Knowledge, perceived barriers and facilitators of medication error reporting: a quantitative survey in Malaysian primary care clinics

Background Medication errors are the most common types of medical errors that occur in health care organisations; however, these errors are largely underreported. Objective This study assessed knowledge on medication error reporting, perceived barriers to reporting medication errors, motivations for reporting medication errors and medication error reporting practices among various health care practitioners working at primary care clinics. Setting This study was conducted in 27 primary care clinics in Malaysia. Methods A self-administered survey was distributed to family medicine specialists, doctors, pharmacists, pharmacist assistants, nurses and assistant medical officers. Main outcome measures Health care practitioners' knowledge, perceived barriers and motivations for reporting medication errors. Results Of all respondents (N = 376), nurses represented 31.9% (n = 120), followed by doctors (n = 87, 23.1%), pharmacists (n = 63, 16.8%), assistant medical officers (n = 53, 14.1%), pharmacist assistants (n = 46, 12.2%) and family medicine specialists (n = 7, 1.9%). Of the survey respondents who had experience reporting medication errors, 56% (n = 62) had submitted medication error reports in the preceding 12 months. Results showed that 41.2% (n = 155) of respondents were classified as having good knowledge on medication error and medication error reporting. The mean score of knowledge was significantly higher among prescribers and pharmacists than nurses, pharmacist assistants and assistant medical officers (p < 0.05). A heavy workload was the key barrier for both nurses and assistant medical officers, while time constraints prevented pharmacists from reporting medication errors. Family medicine specialists were mainly unsure about the reporting process. On the other hand, doctors and pharmacist assistants did not report primarily because they were unaware medication errors had occurred. Both family medicine specialists and pharmacist assistants identified patient harm as a motivation to report an error. Doctors and nurses indicated that they would report if they thought reporting could improve the current practices. Assistant medical officers reported that anonymous reporting would encourage them to submit a report. Pharmacists would report if they have enough time to do so. Conclusion Policy makers should consider using the information on identified barriers and facilitators to reporting medication errors in this study to improve the reporting system to reduce under-reported medication errors in primary care.

Decision-centred design in healthcare: The process of identifying a decision support tool for airway management

Current decision support interventions for airway management in anaesthesia lack the application of Human Factors Engineering; leading to interventions that can be disruptive, inefficient and error-inducing. This study followed a decision-centred design process to identify decision support that can assist anaesthesia teams with challenging airway management situations. Field observations, Critical Decision Method interviews and focus groups were conducted to identify the most difficult decisions and their requirements. Data triangulation narrowed the focus to key decisions related to preparation and planning, and the transitioning between airway techniques during difficulties. Five decision-support interventions were identified and positively rated by anaesthesia team members in relation to their perceived effectiveness. An organized airway equipment trolley was chosen as the most beneficial decision support intervention. This study reiterated the key importance of both Human Factors Engineering and data triangulation when designing for healthcare.

Qualitative ergonomics/human factors research in health care: Current state and future directions

The objective of this systematic review was to understand the current state of Ergonomics/Human Factors (E/HF) qualitative research in health care and to draw implications for future efforts. This systematic review identified 98 qualitative research papers published between January 2005 and August 2015 in the seven journals endorsed by the International Ergonomics Association with an impact factor over 1.0. The majority of the studies were conducted in hospitals and outpatient clinics, were focused on the work of formal health care professionals, and were classified as cognitive or organizational ergonomics. Interviews, focus groups, and observations were the most prevalent forms of data collection. Triangulation and data archiving were the dominant approaches to ensuring rigor. Few studies employed a formal approach to qualitative inquiry. Significant opportunities remain to enhance the use of qualitative research to advance systems thinking within health care.

Identification of serious and reportable events in home care: a Delphi survey to develop consensus

OBJECTIVE

To assess which client events should be considered reportable and preventable in home care (HC) settings in the opinion of HC safety experts.

BACKGROUND

Patient safety in acute care settings has been well documented; however, there are limited data about this issue in HC. While many organizations collect information about 'incidents', there are no standards for reporting and it is challenging to compare incident rates among organizations.

DESIGN

A 29-item electronic survey that included potential HC safety issues was used in a two-round Delphi study.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Twenty-four pan-Canadian HC safety experts participated in an electronic survey.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Perceived reportability and preventability of patient safety events, HC.

RESULTS

The events that were perceived as being most reportable and preventable included the following: a serious injury related to inappropriate client service plan (e.g. incomplete/inaccurate assessments, poor care plan design, flawed implementation); an adverse reaction requiring emergency room visit or hospitalization related to a medication-related event; a catheter-site infection (e.g. a new peritoneal dialysis infection or peritonitis); any serious event related to care or services that are contrary to current professional or other practice standards (e.g. incorrect treatment regimen, theft, retention of a foreign object in a wound, individual practicing outside scope or competence).

CONCLUSION

These data represent an important step in the development and validation of standard metrics about client safety in HC. The results address an expanding area of health services where there is a need to improve standardization and reporting.

Improving Pediatric Adverse Drug Event Reporting through Clinical Pharmacy Services

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to summarize adverse drug event (ADE) reporting and to characterize the type of healthcare practitioners involved in reporting over a 10-year period at a 120-bed university-affiliated children's hospital.

METHODS

The University of Virginia Children's Hospital ADE database was analyzed for records involving pediatric patients. Data from patients <18 years of age who were admitted to the University of Virginia Children's Hospital between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2009, were analyzed. Data collected included drug name and therapeutic class of the suspected causative agent, description of the event, severity, causality, outcome, and the type of healthcare practitioner reporting the event.

RESULTS

A total of 863 ADEs were reported over the 10-year period. The 5 most common types reported were extravasation injury (10%), rash (8%), hypotension (5%), pruritus (5%), and renal failure (3%). A total of 196 (21%) cases were categorized as mild, 436 (47%) cases as moderate, and 296 (32%) cases as severe. Further characterization of extravasations was performed to identify trends relating to potential causes. In 45 (57%) reports, parenteral nutrition was identified as the causative agent. Full recovery was documented in 21 (47%) extravasations. Of the total events reported, 83% were reported by pharmacists, 16% by nurses, and <1% by other healthcare practitioners.

CONCLUSIONS

Results of this study are consistent with those of previous studies involving ADE reporting in children's hospitals. This consistency is due in part to system design and use of unit-based pharmacists as the primary reporters.

[An adverse event continuous surveillance system in surgical services of the autonomous region of Cantabria (Spain)]

OBJECTIVE

To design a continuous surveillance system for adverse events (AEs) in surgical services in the Autonomous Community of Cantabria. Through homogeneous methodology, this system will provide the information needed to prevent and control AEs and avoid their recurrence.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We performed a prospective study of the population undergoing inpatient surgery in our service. The methodology used was an adapted version of the IDEA (Identification of Adverse Events) project. Surgeons had access to an intranet website and introduced the data by using a personal login. A web application allowed feedback through report-generation.

RESULTS

During the pilot phase, limited collection of variables requiring calculations and of those related to location and causality was observed. Assessment of the system indicated the need for simplification to obtain valid and useful information, as well as the need to provide help windows. The system was redesigned with two data input screens and currently allows for automatic report generation of registered AEs. Information was gathered on 70% of the patients and an incidence of 11.2 AEs/100 admissions was found. Of these, 47% were defined as surgical complications.

CONCLUSIONS

Establishing a continuous surveillance system for AEs is feasible if professionals participate in the process, data input is easy and feedback from the system is rapid and useful for implementing corrective measures. This system can be considered highly useful for obtaining information on AEs and consequently on the potential areas of improvement in surgical activity in Spanish hospitals.

Human factors contributions to knowledge elicitation

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this article is to lay out contributions of human factors to knowledge elicitation (KE) methodology.

BACKGROUND

The background is historical, dating to about 1985, and involves the convergence of expert systems with applied psychology and cognitive psychology.

METHOD

The method is a literature review, focusing on past issues of Human Factors.

RESULTS

Human factors researchers have contributed significantly to KE methodology. However, KE methodology "belongs to" a number of communities of practice and has applications that transcend individual disciplines.

CONCLUSION

Knowledge elicitation, thought of as a kind of cognitive task analysis, grows in importance with the increasing use of information technology to form complex sociotechnical work systems and the increasing importance of expertise to knowledge-based organizations.

APPLICATION

I discuss some open issues for further research and methodological investigation.

Politics and technology in health information systems development: A discourse analysis of conflicts addressed in a systems design group

Different types of disagreements must be managed during the development of health information systems. This study examines the antagonisms discussed during the design of an information system for 175,000 users in a public health context. Discourse analysis methods were used for data collection and analysis. Three hundred and twenty-six conflict events were identified from four design meetings and divided into 16 categories. There were no differences regarding the types of conflicts that the different participants brought into the design discussions. Instead, conflict occurrence was primarily affected by the agendas that set the stage for examinations and debates. The results indicate that the selection of design method and the structure used for the meetings are important factors for the manner in which conflicts are brought into consideration during health information system design. Further studies comparing participatory and non-participatory information system design practices in health service settings are warranted.

A review of medical error reporting system design considerations and a proposed cross-level systems research framework

OBJECTIVE

To review the literature on medical error reporting systems, identify gaps in the literature, and present an integrative cross-level systems model of reporting to address the gaps and to serve as a framework for understanding and guiding reporting system design and research.

BACKGROUND

Medical errors are thought to be a leading cause of death among adults in the United States. However, no review exists summarizing what is known about the barriers and facilitators for successful reporting systems, and no integrated model exists to guide further research into and development of medical error reporting systems.

METHOD

Relevant literature was identified using online databases; references in relevant articles were searched for additional relevant articles.

RESULTS

The literature review identified components of medical error reporting systems, error reporting system design choices, barriers and incentives for reporting, and suggestions for successful reporting system design. Little theory was found to guide the published research. An integrative cross-level model of medical error reporting system design was developed and is proposed as a framework for understanding the medical error reporting literature, addressing existing limitations, and guiding future design and research.

CONCLUSION

The medical error reporting research provides some guidance for designing and implementing successful reporting systems. The proposed cross-level systems model provides a way to understand this existing research. However, additional research is needed on reporting and related safety actions. The proposed model provides a framework for such future research.

APPLICATION

This work can be used to guide the design, implementation, and study of medical error reporting systems.