The lingering safety menace: A 10-year review of enteral misconnection adverse events and narrative review.

In 2011, "Tubing Misconnections: Normalization of Deviance" reported >100 cases of enteral tubing misconnections leading to patient harm. Despite development of safer enteral device connectors, 96 new cases of enteral misconnections have been published since 2011. Publication and safety databases were searched for reports from 2011 to 2023. Reported misconnections lead to death in 4% of the cases and survival with harm were reported in 69% of cases. Reported misconnections occurred more often in infants and children than in adults. This article outlines why these misconnections happen, the history of the issue and development of safer connector standards, the safety threats and recommendations associated with the new cases, current conversion rates, and process steps, education, and resources for the conversion to safer connectors for enteral nutrition devices.

Development of the invasive candidiasis discharge [I Can discharge] model: a mixed methods analysis.

Patients with invasive candidiasis (IC) have complex medical and infectious disease problems that often require continued care after discharge. This study aimed to assess echinocandin use at hospital discharge and develop a transition of care (TOC) model to facilitate discharge for patients with IC. This was a mixed method study design that used epidemiologic assessment to better understand echinocandin use at hospital discharge TOC. Using grounded theory methodology focused on patients given echinocandins during their last day of hospitalization, a TOC model for patients with IC, the invasive candidiasis [I Can] discharge model was developed to better understand discharge barriers. A total of 33% (1405/4211) echinocandin courses were continued until the last day of hospitalization. Of 536 patients chosen for in-depth review, 220 (41%) were discharged home, 109 (20%) were transferred, and 207 (39%) died prior to discharge. Almost half (46%, 151/329) of patients discharged alive received outpatient echinocandin therapy. Independent predictors for outpatient echinocandin use were osteomyelitis (OR, 4.1; 95% CI, 1.1-15.7; p = 0.04), other deep-seated infection (OR, 4.4; 95% CI, 1.7-12.0; p = 0.003), and non-home discharge location (OR, 3.9, 95% CI, 2.0-7.7; p < 0.001). The I Can discharge model was developed encompassing four distinct themes which was used to identify potential barriers to discharge. Significant echinocadin use occurs at hospital discharge TOC. The I Can discharge model may help clinical, policy, and research decision-making processes to facilitate smoother and earlier hospital discharges.

Training Leaders in Health Informatics.

Despite the widespread adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) in the U.S. over the past decade, significant improvements, especially in patient safety, have yet to be realized. This finding, along with health informatics workforce data and an identified gap in the offerings of an educational program, led to a proposed professional doctorate in health informatics. Developed via stakeholder focus groups, the program was approved by the public university system, the state-level educational authority, and the regional accreditation body, with final approval in July 2018. Unique features of the program include a prolonged practice project demonstrating a return on investment, as well as online and face-to-face delivery components. This program aims to develop evidence-based professionals who improve the health of people and populations through the application of health informatics. Applications and interest in the first class are high.

Safe Practice Recommendations for the Use of Copy-Forward with Nursing Flow Sheets in Hospital Settings.

BACKGROUND: In early 2016 the Partnership for Health IT Patient Safety released safe practice recommendations for the use of copy-paste for electronic health record (EHR) documentation. These recommendations do not directly address nurses' use of copy-forward to document patient assessments in flow sheet software in hospital settings. Similar to clinicians' use of copy-paste and copy-forward with progress notes, concerns exist about patient safety issues from the use of potential inaccurate or outdated information to achieve increased efficiency of documentation. METHODS: A multiple-methods approach-which included a literature review, litigation search, stakeholder analysis, and consensus opinion from experts from multiple disciplines-was employed. RESULTS: Four recommendations correspond closely with copy-paste guidance for EHR documentation from the Partnership: (1) Provide a mechanism to make copied-forward content easily identifiable, (2) Ensure that the provenance of copied-forward content is readily available, (3) Ensure adequate staff training and education regarding the appropriate and safe use of copy-forward in flow sheet software, if available, and (4) Ensure that copy-forward practices are regularly monitored, measured, and assessed. A fifth additional recommendation is made to improve the efficiency of data entry mechanisms, which may reduce patient safety risk. Emerging promising areas for innovation are to optimize interface usability and flow sheet content, use templates, use digital photographs, and eliminate work-flow steps with better methods for authentication and data entry. CONCLUSIONS: A thoughtful and measured approach to safe use of copy-forward in flow sheets by nurses in hospital settings is expected to result in improvements in efficiency of documentation, work flow, and accuracy of information.

Tubing misconnections: normalization of deviance.

BACKGROUND: Accidental connection of an enteral system to an intravenous (IV) system frequently results in the death of the patient. Misconnections are commonly attributed to the presence of universal connectors found in the majority of patient care tubing systems. Universal connectors allow for tubing misconnections between physiologically incompatible systems. METHODS: The purpose of this review of case studies of tubing misconnections and of current expert recommendations for safe tubing connections was to answer the following questions: In tubing connections that have the potential for misconnections between enteral and IV tubing, what are the threats to safety? What are patient outcomes following misconnections between enteral and IV tubing? What are the current recommendations for preventing misconnections between enteral and IV tubing? Following an extensive literature search and guided by 2 models of threats and errors, the authors analyzed case studies and expert opinions to identify technical, organizational, and human errors; patient-related threats; patient outcomes; and recommendations. RESULTS: A total of 116 case studies were found in 34 publications. Each involved misconnections of tubes carrying feedings, intended for enteral routes, to IV lines. Overwhelmingly, the recommendations were for redesign to eliminate universal connectors and prevent misconnections. Other recommendations were made, but the analysis indicates they would not prevent all misconnections. CONCLUSIONS: This review of the published case studies and current expert recommendations supports a redesign of connectors to ensure incompatibility between enteral and IV systems. Despite the cumulative evidence, little progress has been made to safeguard patients from tubing misconnections.

Cause-and-effect mapping of critical events.

Health care errors are routinely reported in the scientific and public press and have become a major concern for most Americans. In learning to identify and analyze errors health care can develop some of the skills of a learning organization, including the concept of systems thinking. Modern experts in improving quality have been working in other high-risk industries since the 1920s making structured organizational changes through various frameworks for quality methods including continuous quality improvement and total quality management. When using these tools, it is important to understand systems thinking and the concept of processes within organization. Within these frameworks of improvement, several tools can be used in the analysis of errors. This article introduces a robust tool with a broad analytical view consistent with systems thinking, called CauseMapping (ThinkReliability, Houston, TX, USA), which can be used to systematically analyze the process and the problem at the same time.

Neonatal intensive care unit and emergency department nurses' descriptions of working together: building team relationships to improve safety.

Teamwork is considered a critical factor in delivering high-quality, safe patient care although research on the evidence base of the effectiveness of teamwork and communication across disciplines is scarce. Health care providers have limited educational preparation for the communication and complex care coordination across disciplines required by today's complex patients. Complex work environments are affected by little understood human factors including the intricacies of human communication and behavior. To understand how nurses view teamwork, this secondary qualitative analysis examined nurses' perceptions of working in high-performance areas with interdisciplinary teams. Results from 4 focus groups of 18 nurses from a neonatal intensive care unit and emergency department trauma resuscitation teams, revealed 3 themes with descriptive meanings to help understand the complexities of teamwork. These findings illustrate the rewards and challenges for teams working together in the current health care environment. Continuing to investigate teamwork can add to our understanding of what nurses and health professionals need to know about teamwork to help develop evidence-based team training in prelicensure education and in practice settings.

Enteral feeding misconnections: an update.

Enteral misconnections are defined as inadvertent connections between enteral feeding systems and nonenteral systems such as intravascular lines, peritoneal dialysis catheters, tracheostomy tube cuffs, medical gas tubing, and so on. Sentinel event data and causative factors are outlined along with potential solutions to prevent such medical errors. The solutions can be grouped into 3 areas: (1) education, awareness, and human factors; (2) purchasing strategies; and (3) design changes. Updates on safety innovations and programs are presented.

Threading needles in the dark: the effect of the physical work environment on nursing practice.

Frequently, the most critical calculations, considerations, and preparations for patient care and medication administration are made in noisy, dimly lit, and chaotic areas of the nursing unit. Healthcare has begun to recognize the impact of the physical work environment plays in the ability of humans to perform reliably and safely. This article reviews the draft guidelines recently released by the United States Pharmacopeia for public comment for the physical environment to promote safe medication administration.

Reexamining fatigue: implications for nursing practice.

A growing body of scientific evidence demonstrates negative effects of fatigue on human performance. Nursing practice encompasses many tasks that require optimal performance. Fatigue can be the result of a multitude of contributing causes. Nurses and nursing leaders must be aware of the causes and effects of fatigue and ensure that its impact is considered where staffing and patient safety intersect.

Enteral feeding misconnections: a consortium position statement.

A consortium of organization identified solutions to the problem of enteral feeding misconnections in three areas: (1) education, awareness, and human factors; (2) purchasing strategies; and (3) design changes.

Error-avoidance recommendations for tubing misconnections when using Luer-tip connectors: a statement by the USP Safe Medication Use Expert Committee.

Recommendations are provided to assist health care professionals, manufacturers, and consumers in the appropriate handling of tubing with Luer-tip connectors.

Tubing misconnections--a systems failure with human factors: lessons for nursing practice.

In a neonatal unit, an experienced nurse inadvertently connected a feeding tube to an intravenous catheter. An analysis of this error, including the historical perspective, reveals that this threat to safety has been documented since 1972. Implications for nursing practice include the redesign of systems to accommodate human factors science and a change in health care's view of vigilance.