An integrated framework for safety, quality and risk management: an information and incident management system based on a universal patient safety classification.

More needs to be done to improve safety and quality and to manage risks in health care. Existing processes are fragmented and there is no single comprehensive source of information about what goes wrong. An integrated framework for the management of safety, quality and risk is needed, with an information and incident management system based on a universal patient safety classification. The World Alliance for Patient Safety provides a platform for the development of a coherent approach; 43 desirable attributes for such an approach are discussed. An example of an incident management and information system serving a patient safety classification is presented, with a brief account of how and where it is currently used. Any such system is valueless unless it improves safety and quality. Quadruple-loop learning (personal, local, national and international) is proposed with examples of how an exemplar system has been successfully used at the various levels. There is currently an opportunity to "get it right" by international cooperation via the World Health Organization to develop an integrated framework incorporating systems that can accommodate information from all sources, manage and monitor things that go wrong, and allow the worldwide sharing of information and the dissemination of tools for the implementation of strategies which have been shown to work.

Role of slice thickness in MR imaging of the internal auditory canal.

The relative efficacy of post-Gd-DTPA 5 and 3 mm axial T1-weighted images was compared in the detection of lesions in the internal auditory canal and cerebellopontine angle. One hundred twenty consecutive patients were prospectively evaluated with 5 mm axial T1-weighted slices. If these were negative or questionable. 3 mm axial slices were immediately obtained as the next sequence. Eighteen percent of cases were positive and in none of these was the 5 mm study normal. However, in 22 negative cases and two positive cases, a 3 mm study was necessary for confirmation. Five millimeter axial scanning post Gd-DTPA is recommended as the initial study for detection of masses in the internal auditory canal and cerebellopontine angle. Because this study requires fewer acquisitions than 3 mm sections and can be done satisfactorily on low and midfield systems, there are potential time- and cost-saving benefits to this approach.

Dural "tail" associated with meningiomas on Gd-DTPA-enhanced MR images: characteristics, differential diagnostic value, and possible implications for treatment.

Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging studies of 30 histologically proved cranial meningiomas revealed a linear enhanced structure or "tail" extending away from the tumor mass along the dural surface in 18 cases (60%). Contrast material-enhanced computed tomographic studies available in 10 of these 18 cases did not depict this structure. Characteristic features of this MR finding were reviewed, and criteria were defined to distinguish this tail from other enhanced structures. To assess the differential diagnostic value of this finding, gadolinium diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid-enhanced MR studies of a control group of other extraaxial lesions as well as superficial intraaxial tumors that abut the meninges were reviewed. These cases failed to show this MR feature. Pathologic correlation was available in three meningiomas with the finding of a tail, and these demonstrated meningothelial tumor nodules in the samples taken from areas corresponding to the enhanced regions on MR images. This is in agreement with other recent pathologic studies of the dura mater surrounding meningiomas. The authors believe that the linear enhanced structure described may represent tissue containing tumoral nodules. Awareness of this MR sign may be useful in distinguishing meningiomas from other lesions and in planning total resection of the infiltrated dura mater.

Comparison of radiographic quality and adverse reactions in myelography with iopamidol and metrizamide.

A randomized double-blind study was conducted to compare the radiographic quality and adverse reactions in myelography of the two nonionic water-soluble contrast media, iopamidol and metrizamide. A total of 46 myelograms were obtained, 28 with iopamidol and 18 with metrizamide. Untoward reactions consisted of nausea, headaches, back and leg pain, neuropsychiatric findings, and urinary retention. Iopamidol caused no reactions in 20 of the 28 cases, while metrizamide caused no reactions in only three of 18 cases. Film quality evaluation showed 22 of the 28 studies with iopamidol were judged excellent, whereas only 11 of the 18 metrizamide studies were judged excellent. The results of this study suggest that iopamidol produces better quality studies with fewer and milder adverse reactions than metrizamide.