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Showing results for tags 'UK'.
Found 185 results
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Content ArticleThis paper by Biophorum, a membership organisation for the biopharmaceutical industry, looks at how companies in the sector can adopt a human performance approach to operations. It highlights the need to move away from a focus on reducing human error and towards integrating fundamental systems changes that will enhance human performance.
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Content ArticleDiagnostic error occurs more frequently in the emergency department than in regular in-patient hospital care. This study in BMC Emergency Medicine sought to characterise the nature of reported diagnostic error in hospital emergency departments in England and Wales from 2013 to 2015. The authors identified the priority areas for intervention to reduce the occurrence of diagnostic error. The study found that system modifications are needed to support clinicians in assessing patients and interpreting investigations. Interventions to reduce diagnostic error need to be evaluated in the emergency department setting, and could include standardised checklists, structured reporting and technological investigation improvements.
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Content ArticleThis report by The Right Reverend James Jones KBE aims to provide an insight into what the bereaved Hillsborough families experienced in the years following the Hillsborough disaster in April 1989. It seeks to place their insight on the official public record in the hope that their suffering and experience will bring about changes to the way in which public institutions treat people who have been bereaved. It records family members' experiences of interacting with the authorities after the disaster and around the different inquests, and highlights 25 points of learning for public institutions.
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Content ArticleVariation in healthcare processes is widespread in mental health care and can lead to inefficient processes and unnecessarily long inpatient stays. This study in The British Journal of Healthcare Management aimed to identify sources of variation and introduce a huddle intervention to increase system efficiency on a psychiatric inpatient ward in London. The study found that huddles are a useful way to improve staff communication and increase ward efficiency without taking up a significant amount of clinicians' time.
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Content ArticleThe report of the Independent Inquiry into Inequalities in Health chaired by Sir Donald Acheson was published in 1998. The purpose of the inquiry was to inform the development of the government's public health strategy and to contribute to the forthcoming white paper, Our healthier nation. The report made a number of specific recommendations on a range of areas relating to health, environmental and social factors including: introducing health impact assessments for all policies that were likely to have a direct or indirect impact on health and health inequalities. appointing directors of public health in every health authority. placing a partnership duty on the NHS executive and regional government to ensure local partnerships between health and local government.
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Content Article
Article: Culture, kinship and intelligent kindness (2013)
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Culture
This article by Penny Campling for the Royal College of Psychiatrists suggests that cultivating a culture of 'intelligent kindness' within the NHS will result in more safe and humane care. The author proposes a 'virtuous circle of compassionate care' and highlights systemic barriers that prevent organisations achieving this ideal. She argues that to create this virtuous circle, healthcare professionals need to acknowledge - and consciously work against - structures that undermine kindness. This requires a greater understanding the emotional impact of healthcare work, an acknowledgement that market culture undermines compassionate care and a renewed focus on relationships between professionals. -
Content ArticleThis study in BMJ Open considers how the usefulness of internal whistleblowing is affected by other institutional processes in healthcare organisations. The authors examine how the effectiveness of formal inquiries (in response to employees raising concerns) affects the utility of whistleblowing. The study used computer simulations to test the utility of several whistleblowing policies in a variety of organisational contexts. This study found that: organisational inefficiencies can have a negative impact on the benefits of speaking up about poor patient care where resources are limited and reviews less efficient, it can actually improve patient care if whistleblowing rates are limited including 'softer' mechanisms for reporting concerns (for example, peer to peer conversation) alongside whistleblowing policies, can overcome these organisational limitations.
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Content ArticleThis editorial in BMJ Quality & Safety suggests that individual doctors' conduct, performance and responsibility are important factors in improving patient safety. The authors argue that although a 'systems approach' is important, it is necessary to examine the role of individuals within those systems. They highlight recent research that points to small numbers of individual doctors who contribute repeatedly to patient dissatisfaction and harm, and to difficult working environments for other staff. They suggest that identifying and intervening with these individuals plays a role in the wider systems approach to patient safety. They also highlight an urgent need for further research into identifying and responding to problematic clinicians.
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Content Article
Transvaginal mesh timeline (7 December 2017)
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Women's health
This blog sets out a timeline of the major landmarks for transvaginal surgical mesh since its first approval in 1996. -
Content ArticleThis cross-sectional survey in the British Journal of General Practice looks at the availability and use of emergency admission risk stratification (EARS) tools across the UK and aims to identify factors that influence their implementation. The authors identified 39 different EARS tools in use. They found that the most important factors in encouraging general practices to use EARS tools were: promotion by NHS commissioners involvement of clinical leaders engagement of practice managers. High workloads and information governance were significant barriers to their use. The authors highlight the need to align policy and practice with research evidence.
