Association of
|
||
Resource LinksWe are gathering the best sources for information about patient safety. Click on the resource that interests you to visit that site. Health care-associated infections Case studiesAgency for Healthcare Research and Quality: Real-life examples of safety scenarios are described in Impact Case Studies. An online web tool allows users to search for case studies by state or topic, including safety-related topics such as catheter-associated urinary tract infection, health care-associated infections and adverse drug events. Diagnostic errorsDiagnostic errors: A primer from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient safety and quality improvement from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality ACT for Better Diagnosis from the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine. Helmed by the Coalition to Improve Diagnosis, this initiative focuses on collaborative learning and crossdisciplinary sharing of knowledge to support and disseminate improvements in diagnostic accuracy, communication, and timeliness. Ten principles for more conservative, care-full diagnosis: Annals of Internal Medicine Moore Foundation’s Diagnostic Excellence Initiative Improving Diagnosis in Health Care, published in 2015, this report investigates diagnostic errors, something that most patients will experience at least once in their lifetime. Health care-associated infectionsAntimicrobial stewardship toolkits "Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States, 2019" (2019 AR Threats Report) is a publication of the Antibiotic Resistance Coordination and Strategy Unit within the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The full 2019 AR Threats Report, including methods and appendices, is available online. State-based health care-associated infection prevention activities from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Scorecard on Hospital-Acquired Conditions: Declines in HACs save 20,500 lives and $7.7 billion in costs. Released Jan. 29, 2019 OrganizationsInstitute for Healthcare Improvement World Health Organization: On Sept. 17, 2019, WHO launched a global campaign to create awareness of patient safety and urge people to show their commitment to making health care safer. ECRI’s International Patient Safety Day website has patient safety guidance, medical device safety resources, patient stories and more. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine The Joint Commission World Health Organization Patient Safety Canadian Patient Safety Institute PublicationsPatient Safety Global Journal on Quality and Safety in Healthcare ScreeningA federal advisory panel with an odd name helps doctors evaluate which patients should get screening tests and when they should get them. This is the task of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). Yes, the name is U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Preventive, not preventative. You likely will get that question from your editors unless they are savvy about health policy. USPSTF’s recommendations hold a lot of clout. The Affordable Care Act of 2010 mandated that private insurers cover services that get top marks -- "A" or "B" grades -- from the USPSFT, and that they do so without charging a copay. Both the “A” and “B” grades show the task force is confident or fairly confident the expected benefits of a screening service exceed its risk, as explained by the task force on its website. A “C” grade from the task force means that a service should be selectively offered, given that there is at least moderate certainty that the net benefit is small. A “D” grade means the USPSTF recommends against use of a service, due to concerns that there is no net benefit or that the harms outweigh the benefits. Sometimes the USPSTF issues an “I” grade meaning that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of the service. The USPSTF posts a lot of material on its website explaining both its recommendations and how it reaches them. The task force, for example, in May 2022 reaffirmed its “D” grade for screening for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in asymptomatic adults. As of May 2022, the task force was in the midst of an update of what’s long been its most high-profile work, its recommendation about how often women need mammograms and which age groups should get them. Re-opening AmericaCOVID-19 and Dentistry: Challenges and Opportunities for Providing Safe Care: The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) effectively shut down approximately 198,000 active dental practitioners in the USA. As individual states begin to resume dental care, discussion has centered on how to provide safe oral health care, given the nature of the virus and how easily it may be dispersed during common dental procedures. The widespread transmission of the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) places dental teams at high risk for becoming infected and falling ill with COVID-19, as well as transmitting the virus to other patients, due to the unique nature of dental care interventions. This primer, from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, summarizes best practices for infection control and prevention in the dental office setting, reviews Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) guidance on treating dental patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, discusses access issues for patients needing oral healthcare, and offers various Federal and professional resources to support the reconfiguration of dental practice, the implementation of teledentistry, and the prioritization of dental care needs after practices reopen. This primer concludes with key policy and research priorities to support safe and effective dental care during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. |
|
