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  1. Past hour
  2. Rhianne
    Rhianne joined the community
  3. Content Article
    Appreciative inquiry is one of the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) tools that can be use to learn from patient safety incidents. Katy Fisher, Senior Nurse Quality & Improvement at NHS Professionals, shares how she designed and introduced an appreciative inquiry tool at her hospital.
  4. Yesterday
  5. Chantal Yu
    Chantal Yu joined the community
  6. SarahB
    SarahB joined the community
  7. Content Article
    Healthcare services improvisation relies heavily on collaborating with patients and caregivers by acknowledging their feedback to enhance quality and safety. The 2023 World Patient Safety Day underscores the significance of co-production with patients in safety strategies. In accordance with this, a crucial tool that involves patients and caregivers is the “Patient-reported experience measures (PREMs)” that help in assessing healthcare delivery in terms of quality, safety and performance. These tools for various healthcare processes offer valuable insights into treatment effectiveness and areas needing improvement. PREMs are surveys used to assess patients' care experiences objectively, aiding in pinpointing the areas for improvement. Unlike patient satisfaction measures, which reflect only subjective evaluations, PREMs offer an objective view of care encounters. In view of the importance of a standardised tool for Indian health care organisations, CAHO in collaboration with various stakeholders and patients unveil the White paper on Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREMs) tool development process. This white paper was released by the honourable governor of West Bengal, Dr C.V Ananda Bose at the recently concluded CAHOCON 2024 at Biswa Bangla, Kolkata.
  8. Content Article
    Computerised provider order entry (CPOE) prompts can provide patient-specific risk estimates for multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs). This JAMA Network study aimed to find out whether CPOE prompts could reduce empiric extended-spectrum antibiotic use in patients admitted with pneumonia. The authors found that prompts promoting standard-spectrum antibiotics for patients at low risk of infection with MDROs reduced extended-spectrum antibiotic use by 28.4%, without increasing intensive care unit transfers or length of stay for patients with pneumonia.
  9. News Article
    Women have been told to avoid using weight-loss drugs to help them get pregnant, as doctors report a rise in surprise “Ozempic babies”. Some women struggling with infertility have unexpectedly become pregnant after being prescribed semaglutide, which is used to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes under the brand names Wegovy and Ozempic. However, scientists have now issued a warning that the weight-loss injections may cause birth defects and should not be used by anyone hoping to become pregnant. Professor Tricia Tan, from the department of metabolism, digestion and reproduction at Imperial College London, said: “Women need to know that these drugs should not be used during pregnancy. You can also see that most of the clinical trials have not included women who are intending to become pregnant. Animal studies did show that the animal babies born to animals who were given these medications had problems.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, 23 April 2024
  10. Patient Safety Learning started following WHO: Building trust through communication skills in healthcare
  11. Event
    WHO/Europe, the Austrian National Public Health Institute—a WHO-Collaborating Center for Health Promotion in Hospitals and Healthcare— EACH: International Association for Communication in Healthcare, and the University of Iowa have joined forces to deliver a unique series of webinars that will examine the critical role of effective communication in building trust within healthcare settings and the challenges healthcare professionals face in effectively communicating with each other and patients. This series also aims to inform future WHO guidance and recommendations on establishing national communication skills training programs in hospitals, drawing on insights and lessons from such programs in various countries. The first webinar provides a comprehensive overview of WHO/Europe's focus on trust and the foundational role of effective communication in hospitals. Experts will delve into the importance of patient-centred communication and how this approach improves patient outcomes, strengthens the patient-healthcare provider relationship, and builds trust. Experts will also discuss the role of transparent and empathetic communication in fostering trust when navigating adverse situations. Participants will hear about the advantages of establishing large-scale structured communication training programs and a case study illustrating the successful implementation of a mandatory Provider Communication Program across a hospital system, demonstrating practical applications of effective communication strategies. Speakers: Natasha Azzopardi Muscat, Director the Division of Country Health Policies and Systems at the WHO Regional Office for Europe Marlene Sator, a Senior Health Expert at the Austrian Public Health Institute and WHO Collaborating Centre for Health Promotion in Hospitals and Healthcare Joao Breda, Head of the WHO Office for Quality of Care and Patient Safety in Athens Marcy Rosenbaum, Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Iowa, past-president of EACH, and former Co-chair of EACH Theresa Brennan, Chief Medical Officer at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and Professor of Internal Medicine Register
  12. Debbie Duffin-Mills
    Debbie Duffin-Mills joined the community
  13. Content Article
    At a recent meeting of the 'Safer Healthcare Biosafety Network' (SHBN), members learned of a new initiative designed to improve the safety of healthcare workers in the event of a future pandemic. It should also greatly reduce nosocomial (healthcare acquired) infection. David Osborn explained that the intention is to shift the focus for respiratory protective equipment (RPE) away from FFP3 respirators more towards powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs). Although FFP3s provide efficient protection, they have several disadvantages for use in the healthcare sector, particularly when providing prolonged care of infectious patients. At the height of the pandemic, given the shortage of respirators, a new type of PAPR was developed at Southampton University and used to great effect. Staff reported that, whilst previously they had been coming to work in fear of infection, they now felt safe and secure in the knowledge that they were well protected. David is supporting Professor Kevin Bampton (Chief Executive, British Occupational Hygiene Society) and Professor Paul Elkington (Director, Institute for Medical Innovation, Southampton University). Following the SHBN, David prepared a briefing note (attached below) providing more details of the project.
  14. Event
    until
    This virtual launch event celebrates the ARMA report Act Now: MSK Health inequalities and deprivation. • Hear about the findings of the report and what they mean for health services and healthcare professionals. • How does deprivation relate to MSK health? • What are the 5 steps to addressing health inequalities and what do they look like in practice? • What are the particular issues for children and young people? • What can you do to create change if you act now? Join the discussion with the panel: • Anthony Gilbert, Postdoctoral Clinical Research Physiotherapist, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust • Shabir Aziz, Lived Experience Partner • Lesley Kay, National Clinical Director for MSK, NHS England • Jacqui Clinch, Consultant Paediatric Rheumatologist Register for the event
  15. Anouchka
    Anouchka joined the community
  16. avozik
    avozik joined the community
  17. Yvonne Millard
    Yvonne Millard joined the community
  18. Patient Safety Learning started following Ethnic minorities in England ‘need more GP visits’ before cancer diagnosis , Unplanned ‘Ozempic babies’ may be harmed by weight-loss drugs , Asthma: Action needed on needless deaths, says charity and 1 other
  19. News Article
    Urgent government action is needed to stop preventable asthma deaths, a leading charity has said. More than 12,000 people in the UK have died from asthma attacks since 2014, according to Asthma and Lung UK. It said the figures meant "shockingly little" had changed since a major report a decade ago which found two thirds of asthma deaths could have been avoided with better care. People with asthma should get an annual condition review, a written action plan and inhaler technique checks. But the charity said people with asthma were being "failed", with seven out of 10 not receiving basic care, partly because healthcare workers were over-stretched. Asthma and Lung UK said 31% of asthmatics were "disengaged" with managing their condition, putting them at higher risk, according to its research. Ministers in England and Wales said they were trying to improve services. Read full story Source: BBC News, 24 April 2024
  20. News Article
    Patients needing urgent treatment for life-threatening illness such as strokes or heart attacks waited more than 24 hours for an ambulance response, new figures show. New data shows the crisis facing NHS ambulance services resulted in every region missing vital NHS targets to respond to some of the most critically unwell patients last year. Despite improvements compared to 2022, figures obtained by the Liberal Democrat party show ambulance services continued to struggle with response times to category two patients, which may include those who have suffered a stroke or heart attack and should receive a response within 18 minutes. In two cases patients needing this level of response, in Warrington and Staffordshire, waited more than 25 hours for an ambulance. Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive at NHS Providers, which represents all NHS trusts, called for “urgent” investment and warned that “rising demand, limited resources and vast staff shortages are piling pressure on an already-stretched service, further driving up ambulance waiting times.” He said NHS hospital and ambulance leaders are working to reduce delays and responses at a time “when demand has never been higher.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 23 April 2024
  21. News Article
    Ethnic minorities and young people require more visits than other people to the GP before being diagnosed with cancer, according to new analysis. On average, one in five people across England require three or more GP interactions before being diagnosed with cancer. But for people from ethnic minority backgrounds, the figure rises to one in three, according to analysis of the NHS cancer patient experience 2022 survey by QualityWatch, a joint programme from the Nuffield Trust and the Health Foundation. For young people aged between 16 and 24, about half needed at least three GP visits before being diagnosed, with 20% needing at least five visits. Despite this, young people were still more likely to be diagnosed at an early stage in their cancer. Prof Kamila Hawthorne, the chair of the Royal College of GPs, said that identifying cancer symptoms in young people could be challenging as the risk for the group was generally much smaller. Hawthorne said: “Ensuring patients receive timely and appropriate referrals for suspected cancers is a priority for GPs – and to this end, they are doing a good job, making more urgent referrals and ensuring more cancers are being diagnosed at an early stage than ever. “Whilst GPs are highly trained to identify cancers, this remains challenging in primary care, not least and particularly with some cancers, because the symptoms are often vague and typical of other, more common conditions.” Dr Liz Fisher, senior fellow at the Nuffield Trust, said: “Delays to a cancer diagnosis pose real risks for people and an early diagnosis plays a pivotal role in determining the treatments available to people and determining outcomes. “The NHS has set an ambitious goal to dramatically increase early detection of cancer, but performance in this area has stubbornly stalled in recent years. Everyone’s experience of cancer diagnosis is different but the risks to delays aren’t felt equally, with younger people and those from minority ethnic groups requiring more visits to health professionals to secure a diagnosis.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 24 April 2024
  22. Last week
  23. SMcentee
    SMcentee joined the community
  24. Emily kelly
    Emily kelly joined the community
  25. Content Article
    Children being subjected to lethal medical experiments sounds like the plot of a dystopian horror film. Yet that is exactly what happened in the UK in the 1970s and 80s. New documents seen last week by the BBC reveal the extent to which children with haemophilia and other blood clotting disorders were enrolled in clinical trials, often without their parents’ consent. Most of them were infected with HIV or hepatitis C as a result of being treated with blood products that doctors knew could kill them. At one boarding school for boys with haemophilia used by the doctors conducting these trials, Treloar College in Hampshire, 75 out of the 122 pupils who attended between 1974 and 1987 have died as a result of their HIV or hepatitis C infections. The independent inquiry on the contaminated blood scandal estimated that 1,250 people contracted both HIV and hepatitis C as a result of these agents, and between 2,400 and 5,000 people hepatitis C alone. Others contracted these viruses after receiving blood transfusions following surgery or childbirth; it is thought that up to 100 people were infected with HIV this way, and 27,000 people with hepatitis C. Around 2,900 people have died so far. One gets a sense of the horrific trauma the state inflicted on people by reading the evidence those affected gave the inquiry.
  26. News Article
    Medical device companies are paying millions of pounds to hospitals in the UK to fund staff places, as well as training and awareness campaigns, while pushing sales of their products, including implants, heart valves and diagnostic equipment, a new report reveals. An analysis of disclosures by medical device companies found that between 2017 and 2019 they reported €425m (£367m at today’s rates) in payments to healthcare organisations in Europe, according to the study in the journal Health Policy and Technology. The businesses reported paying more than €37m to hospitals and other healthcare bodies in the UK over the three-year period. The disclosures include payments to some of the biggest hospital trusts in England. James Larkin, one of the authors of the study and a postdoctoral researcher at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, said the filings did not include consultancy fees for medical staff and many companies did not register their payments. “This is just the tip of the iceberg,” he said. “There is a huge number of payments that are not being disclosed. The descriptions for payments which are disclosed are very vague and it is not completely clear what they are for.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 20 April 2024
  27. News Article
    A failure to share medical information between IT systems contributed to the death of a man in prison custody, a coroner has concluded. In a newly published report on the death of Finlay Finlayson at HMP Lewes in 2019, the coroner highlighted “information sharing” problems and “permissions issues” between the prison IT system and that of the man’s GP surgery. Mr Finlayson died from blood clots in his lungs, having suffered from multiple long-term health conditions including cancer during his life. At the time of his death in 2019, health services at HMP Lewes were provided by Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust, though they are now provided by the Practice Plus Group. According to the Prevention of Future Deaths report issued last month, coroner Laura Bradford heard evidence that Mr Finlayson’s care was affected by “confusion and uncertainty about his medical conditions caused by information sharing and permissions issues with SystmOne”. It appears the GP practice had not enabled sharing of the data, which would have been required for it to be accessed in the prison. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 22 April 2024 Further reading on the hub: NHS England warns electronic patient record could pose ‘serious risks to patient safety’: what can we learn? The digitalising of patient records — why patients MUST be involved
  28. Content Article
    In this blog Dr Henrietta Hughes, Patient Safety Commissioner for England, outlines the activities included in the Patient Safety Commissioner Business Plan 2024-25.
  29. Content Article
    Measures exist to improve early recognition of, and response to, deteriorating patients in hospital. However, deteriorating patients continue to go unrecognized. To address this, interventions have been developed that invite patients and relatives to escalate patient deterioration to a rapid response team. To systematically review articles that describe these interventions and investigate their effectiveness at reducing preventable deterioration.
  30. Content Article
    Measures exist to improve early recognition of and response to deteriorating patients in hospital. However, management of critical illness remains a problem globally; in the United Kingdom, 7% of the deaths reported to National Reporting and Learning System from acute hospitals in 2015 related to failure to recognize or respond to deterioration. The current study explored whether routinely recording patient-reported wellness is associated with objective measures of physiology to support early recognition of hospitalised deteriorating patients.
  31. Content Article
    Measures exist to improve early recognition of, and response to deteriorating patients in hospital. Despite these, 7% of the deaths reported to the National Reporting and Learning System from acute hospitals in 2015 related to a failure to recognise or respond to deterioration. Interventions have been developed that allow patients and relatives to escalate patient deterioration to a critical care outreach team. However, there is not a strong evidence base for the clinical effectiveness of these interventions, or patients’ ability to recognise deterioration. The aims of this study were to (a) identify methods of involving patients in recognising deterioration in hospital, generated by health professionals, and (b) to develop and evaluate an identified method of patient involvement in practice, and explore its feasibility and acceptability from the perspectives of patients. The preliminary findings suggest that patient-reported wellness may predict subsequent improvement or decline in their condition as indicated by objective measurements of physiology (NEWS). Routinely recording patient-reported wellness during observation shows promise for supporting the early recognition of clinical deterioration in practice, although confirmation in larger-scale studies is required.
  32. Pastest
    Pastest changed their profile photo
  33. Content Article Comment
    Thank you very much for writing this account. I too admire your tenacity and courage in doing what is right. Being so transparent and open is new and scary for some organisations and people still so we need pioneers like yourself. The reactions I get around the country in response to using After Action Review with patients and families participating illustrates the same concerns. Some trusts are all for it, others, are very hesitant.
  34. Content Article
    'Vinney' died of pulmonary thromboemboli due to deep vein thrombosis with a background of metastatic carcinoma of the base of the tongue following cardiac arrest on 25 January 2019 at HMP Lewes (Cell 216 on C-Wing), whilst on remand. He was pronounced dead at 9.16 am. The jury considered that Vinney’s care was affected by the following issues, the absence of which may have delayed or changed the circumstances of his death. There was confusion and uncertainty about his medical conditions caused by information sharing and permissions issues with SystmOne, leading to an over reliance on Vinney’s own statements. Some poor record keeping on SystmOne and confusion over when to reference the system. This affected both plans and reporting of interactions. Failures in communication between agencies and shifts, not helped by the numbers of different staff and agencies involved, high demand and challenging workloads and associated delays in accessing healthcare. This was particularly relevant between 21 and 24 January 19. In particular a lack of quantifiable evidence, e.g. NEWS scores or notes of proportionate follow-ups and recorded observations between 21 and 24/1/19 which may have allowed any deterioration in Vinney’s condition to be missed. On 25/1/19, there was a grave and unacceptable failure in communications with two or three emergency radios switched off in contravention of prison rules and protocols. This was then compounded by a delay in timely response, i.e. the proposal of a phone call rather than an in-person response, which may have been longer had it not been for decisive intervention from comms. This was followed by unacceptable indecision on calling an ambulance, in which perceptions of Vinney’s mental health were a factor, and should have been automatic on account of his head injury.
  35. Content Article
    This podcast looks at preventing respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) outbreaks within healthcare facilities and strategies to minimise transmission of RSV among healthcare workers and patients during an outbreak. 
  36. News Article
    New figures have quantified what the pandemic has meant for cancer waiting lists—and the impact is stark. Official data show that 15,971 cancer patients in the UK have had to wait more than 124 days, or four months, after diagnosis for their treatment to start since 2020 as the pandemic sends waiting lists soaring. The statistics show that the number of untreated patients has more than doubled since Covid began, with one patient waiting for more than two years, according to data released following a freedom of information request from the Liberal Democrats. This is despite an NHS target for patients to receive cancer treatments within two months of an urgent referral. Last year, 6,334 patients waited more than 124 days, compared to 2,922 in 2022, the figures show. Data was received from 69 out of 137 acute health trusts in the UK, meaning the true number of people waiting long periods for treatment is likely to be much higher. Over 1,100 cancer patients last year were left waiting more than six months to receive treatment, triple the NHS target time. Liberal Democrat Leader, Ed Davey, said: “Every single one of these figures is a tragedy. Long delays for treatment can have a devastating impact on cancer patients and their families, and in certain cases can even cost lives." Read full story Source: inews, 22 April 2024
  37. News Article
    Hospital patients who are treated by women doctors are less likely to die and to be readmitted, a new study has found. Research, by UCLA, discovered the health of female patients is more advantaged by treatment from women doctors than it is for men. The study, published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, found the mortality rate for female patients was 8.15 per cent when treated by women physicians in comparison to 8.38 per cent when the doctor was male - which researchers deem a “clinically significant” difference. Meanwhile, the mortality rate for male patients treated by female doctors was 10.15 per cent - less than the 10.23 per cent rate for male physicians. Researchers unearthed the same pattern for hospital readmission rates. Professor Yusuke Tsugawa, one of the authors, said patient outcomes between male and female physicians would not be different if the professionals practiced medicine in the same way. “What our findings indicate is that female and male physicians practice medicine differently, and these differences have a meaningful impact on patients’ health outcomes,” he said. Read full story Source: The Independent, 22 April 2024
  38. Content Article
    Little is known as to whether the effects of physician sex on patients’ clinical outcomes vary by patient sex. This study examined whether the association between physician sex and hospital outcomes varied between female and male patients hospitalised with medical conditions. The findings indicate that patients have lower mortality and readmission rates when treated by female physicians, and the benefit of receiving treatments from female physicians is larger for female patients than for male patients.
  39. News Article
    The government has been accused of “deprioritising women’s health” as analysis shows that almost 600,000 women in England are waiting for gynaecological treatment, an increase of a third over two years. There are 33,000 women waiting more than a year for such treatment, an increase of 43%, according to Labour analysis of data from the House of Commons library. It found that there is no region in England that meets the government’s target for cervical cancer screening of 80% coverage, with just over two-thirds of women (68.7%) having been screened in the past five and a half years. Also, one in four women (26%) with suspected breast cancer waited more than a fortnight to see a specialist in the year to September 2023. Under two-thirds (66.4%) of eligible women have been screened for breast cancer in the last three years, with just two English regions meeting the 70% coverage target. The NHS target in England is that 92% of patients have a referral-to-treatment time of less than 18 weeks. The figures come after the government pledged to end decades of gender-based health inequalities through a new women’s health strategy for England. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 22 April 2024
  40. News Article
    Leaders of an integrated care system in the Midlands have warned they cannot make the scale of staffing cuts required to balance the books without putting patients at risk. Indicative analysis produced by Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board also found its provider trusts would have to cut 10 per cent of their workforce to break even. This would equate to 2,300 posts across University Hospitals North Midlands, Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust and North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare, while the ICB would have to cancel a “very high proportion” of third-sector contracts. The document says this “would bring our teams below safe staffing levels” and have a “profound effect on our ability to deliver safe services”. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 23 April 2024
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