Dataset Information

Patient safety in the operating room: an intervention study on latent risk factors.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Patient safety is one of the greatest challenges in healthcare. In the operating room errors are frequent and often consequential. This article describes an approach to a successful implementation of a patient safety program in the operating room, focussing on latent risk factors that influence patient safety. We performed an intervention to improve these latent risk factors (LRFs) and increase awareness of patient safety issues amongst OR staff.

Methods

Latent risk factors were studied using a validated questionnaire applied to the OR staff before and after an intervention. A pre-test/post-test control group design with repeated measures was used to evaluate the effects of the interventions. The staff from one operating room of an university hospital acted as the intervention group. Controls consisted of the staff of the operating room in another university hospital. The outcomes were the changes in LRF scores, perceived incident rate, and changes in incident reports between pre- and post-intervention.

Results

Based on pre-test scores and participants' key concerns about organizational factors affecting patient safety in their department the intervention focused on the following LRFs: Material Resources, Training and Staffing Recourses. After the intervention, the intervention operating room - compared to the control operating room - reported significantly fewer problems on Material Resources and Staffing Resources and a significantly lower score on perceived incident rate. The contribution of technical factors to incident causation decreased significantly in the intervention group after the intervention.

Conclusion

The change of state of latent risk factors can be measured using a patient safety questionnaire aimed at these factors. The change of the relevant risk factors (Material and Staffing resources) concurred with a decrease in perceived and reported incident rates in the relevant categories. We conclude that interventions aimed at unfavourable latent risk factors detected by a questionnaire focussed at these factors may contribute to the improvement of patient safety in the OR.

SUBMITTER: van Beuzekom M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3407486 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Patient safety in the operating room: an intervention study on latent risk factors.

van Beuzekom Martie M Boer Fredrik F Akerboom Simone S Hudson Patrick P

BMC surgery 20120622

<h4>Background</h4>Patient safety is one of the greatest challenges in healthcare. In the operating room errors are frequent and often consequential. This article describes an approach to a successful implementation of a patient safety program in the operating room, focussing on latent risk factors that influence patient safety. We performed an intervention to improve these latent risk factors (LRFs) and increase awareness of patient safety issues amongst OR staff.<h4>Methods</h4>Latent risk fac ...[more]

PMID: 22726757

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Project description:ObjectivesTo predict the amount of teamwork that takes place throughout a surgery, based on performing a preoperative safety standards (surgical safety checklist and surgical count) and to explore factors affecting patient safety and staff psychological safety during a surgery, based on interprofessional teamwork.MethodsThis mixed methods study included quantitative and qualitative analyses. Quantitative data included 2,184 direct observations of surgical cases with regard to the performance of safety standards during surgeries in 29 hospitals, analyzed using multivariate binary logistic regressions. Qualitative data were obtained from an analysis of 25 semi-structured interviews with operating room (OR) clinicians and risk managers, using an inductive thematic analysis approach.ResultsAnalysis of the OR observations revealed that a lack of teamwork in the preoperative "sign-in" phase doubled the chances of there being a lack of teamwork during surgery [odds ratio = 1.972, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.741, 2.233, p < 0.001] and during the "time-out" phase (odds ratio = 2.142, 95% CI 1.879, 2.441, p < 0.001). Consistent presence of staff during surgery significantly increased teamwork, by 21% for physicians and 24% for nurses (p < 0.05), but staff turnover significantly decreased teamwork, by 73% for physicians (p < 0.05). Interview data indicated that patient safety and staff psychological safety are related to a perception of a collaborative team role among OR staff, with mutual commitment and effective interprofessional communication.ConclusionsHealthcare organizations should consider the key finding of this study when trying to identify factors that affect teamwork during a surgery. Effective preoperative teamwork positively affects intraoperative teamwork, as does the presence of more clinicians participating in a surgery, with no turnover. Other factors include working in a fixed, designated team, led by a surgeon, which functions with effective interprofessional communication that promotes patient safety and staff psychological safety.

Project description:IntroductionPatient handover is a crucial transition requiring a high level of coordination and communication. In the BC Children's Hospital (BCCH) pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), 10 adverse events stemming from issues that should have been addressed at the operating room (OR) to PICU handover were reported into the patient safety learning system (PSLS) within 1 year. We aimed to undertake a quality improvement project to increase adherence to a standardized OR to PICU handover process to 100% within a 6-month time frame. In doing so, the secondary aim was to reduce adverse events by 50% within the same 6-month period.MethodsThe model for improvement and a Plan, Do, Study, Act method of quality improvement was used in this project. The adverse events were reviewed to identify root causes. The findings were reviewed by a multidisciplinary inter-departmental group comprised of members from surgery, anesthesia, and intensive care. Issues were batched into themes to address the most problematic parts of handover that were contributing to risk.InterventionA bedside education campaign was initiated to familiarize the team with an existing handover standard. The project team then formulated a new simplified visual handover tool with the mnemonic "PATHQS" where each letter denoted a step addressing a theme that had been noted in the pre-intervention work as contributing to adverse events.ResultsAdherence to standardized handover at 6 months improved from 69% to 92%. This improvement was sustained at 12 months and 3 years after the introduction of PATHQS. In addition, there were zero PSLS events relating to handover at 6 and 12 months, with only one filed by 36 months. Notably, staff self-reporting of safety concerns during handover reduced from 69% to 13% at 6 months and 0% at 3 years. The PATHQS tool created in this work also spread to six other units within the hospital as well as to one adult teaching hospital.ConclusionA simplified handover tool built collaboratively between departments can improve the quality and adherence of OR to PICU handover and improve patient safety. Simplification makes it adaptable and applicable in many different healthcare settings.

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Dataset Information

Patient safety in the operating room: an intervention study on latent risk factors.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Patient safety in the operating room: an intervention study on latent risk factors.

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