AHRQ Patient Safety Network (PSNet): Submit a patient safety case

Summary

AHRQ PSNet is looking for interesting, provocative cases that illustrate key issues in patient safety such as medication errors, diagnostic errors, and adverse events that either had the potential for or resulted in patient harm. Cases from outpatient, ambulatory surgery, home health, long-term care, and rehabilitation settings are of particular interest. When a case is selected, the editorial team invites an expert author to write a commentary based on the case. Please note that case submitters do not receive any “authorship” because case submissions are anonymous. However, submitters of selected cases will receive a $300 honorarium.

The AHRQ Patient Safety Network (PSNet) is a national web-based resource featuring the latest news and essential resources on patient safety. 

Content

Case submission

When submitting a case, the following information is required.

• Title (please provide an appropriate title for the case).
• Patient Description (describe the patient [as much as you would in a case summary] at the time of the event of interest)
• Nature of Error (the nature of the error and any relevant events or contributing factors)
• Impacts/Effects (describe the impact of the error on the patient and state whether the patient was harmed or required increased level of care, even if only temporarily)
• How Error was Recognised (if not noted above, describe how the error was recognized)
• Recommendations (describe your suggestions for how providers or systems might prevent similar errors from happening in the future)

Responses to each of the above areas are limited to 250 words. Please note that submissions may be extensively edited for consistency with PSNet’s style, without changing important clinical details.

Case selection criteria

The editorial team reviews submitted cases regularly and judges cases using the following criteria:

• How interesting is the case from a medical error/patient safety standpoint?
• Is the case an important example of a common error, or is it unique but nevertheless raises some key issues of general interest?
• Does the case have sufficient clinical detail to inform practicing clinicians?
• Does the case have significant educational value?
• Does the case highlight important systems issues?

If you are interested in submitted a case, please visit: https://psnet.ahrq.gov/webmm/submit-case. You may be contacted if further information is needed to judge your case submission.