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Our goal is to review a number of methodologies which have been used to improve safety in healthcare since the release of the Institute of Medicine report in 1998 which documented that error was a significant cause of mortality in the USA. Multifaceted approaches have each led to reduction in error. Methods for error reduction included in this review are “Just Culture,” increased transparency and accountability, error reporting and investigation, second-victim programs, training in quality and safety methods, standardization and bundles, electronic health records, computerized order entry, barcode scanning, clinical decision support, predictive analytics, and situational awareness. Newer fields with the potential to improve patient safety include human factors engineering, indication-based prescribing, and Safety II. While each intervention has led to incremental improvement, continued expansion of these programs is necessary to eliminate medical error.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text., Introduction: Opioid abuse in the United States is a public health emergency. From 2000 to 2009, prenatal maternal opiate use increased from 1.19 to 5.63 per 1,000 births, with up to 80% of in utero opioid-exposed infants requiring pharmacotherapy. This study aimed to increase the percentage of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) medication orders based on birth weight (BW) in neonates admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit with a principal diagnosis of NAS from 29% to 90%, within 4 months of project initiation, and to sustain this for 6 months. Methods: This project occurred at an academic medical center with 5,000 deliveries per year and a 49-bed Level III neonatal intensive care unit. We used the Institute for Healthcare Improvement methodology, largely focusing interventions on clinical decision support (CDS) tools. We plotted all measures on Shewhart charts, and Nelson rules differentiated special versus common cause variation. Results: The percent of orders based on BW increased from 29% to 78% after implementing multiple interventions focused primarily on CDS. However, this later decreased to 48% as workarounds began. There was also a significant decrease in the length of stay variability, which persisted throughout the project. Discussion: CDS is a helpful tool to guide prescribing behavior; however, workarounds can negate its usefulness. Standardized use of BW for weight-based NAS medication prescribing can decrease the length of stay variability. Further studies are needed using a human factors approach to minimize workarounds in CDS and potentially decrease the length of stay in neonates with NAS.

Background Skin injuries are common among neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) patients and may lead to significant complications. Standardized methods of preventing, detecting, and treating skin injuries are needed. Purpose The aim of this project was to standardize the assessment, documentation, and tracking of skin injuries among hospitalized neonatal patients and to determine the incidence of pressure ulcers in this patient population. Methods (1) Creation of an interdisciplinary skin team to identify skin injuries through weekly skin rounds. (2) Assessment of all patients at least twice daily for the presence of skin injuries. Interventions were implemented upon identification of a skin injury. Pressure ulcers of Stage II or more were further assessed by wound/ostomy nurses. Findings A total of 2299 NICU patients were hospitalized and assessed between July 2011 and December 2015. After the initiation of skin rounds, the baseline incidence of pressure ulcers increased from 0.49 per 1000 patient days to 4.6 per 1000 patient days, reflecting an improvement in detection and reporting. The most common skin injuries detected included erythema, skin tears, and ecchymosis; the most common cause of injuries was medical devices. Implications for practice A dedicated skin team can improve the detection and reporting of skin injuries among NICU patients. Determination of the incidence of pressure ulcers in this population is critical to develop targeted interventions. Implications for research Further research is needed to determine the most effective interventions to prevent and treat skin injuries among hospitalized neonates.