ECRI: Top patient safety concerns of 2017

March 14, 2017

Accreditation & Quality Compliance Advisor - Volume 11 Issue 11

The ECRI Institute has published its 2017 list of top patient safety hazards and concerns. The Institute publishes the list to highlight and educate healthcare workers on various dangers affecting patients. The list includes guidance on how to effectively respond to these concerns, along with implementing priorities and corrective action plans. This year the list includes:

1.    Information Management in electronic health records (EHR)
2.    Unrecognized patient deterioration (UPD)
3.    Implementation and use of clinical decision support
4.    Test result reporting and follow-up
5.    Antimicrobial stewardship
6.    Patient identification
7.    Opioid administration and monitoring in acute care
8.    Behavioral health issues in non-behavioral-health settings
9.    Management of new oral anticoagulants
10. Inadequate organization systems or processes to improve safety and quality

"The 10 patient safety concerns listed in our report are very real," Catherine Pusey, RN, ECRI associate director told HealthLeaders. "They are causing harm (often serious harm) to real people."

The proper use and timely access to EHRs for patient information management was the main concern this year, Lorraine B. Possanza, program director for ECRI's Partnership for Health IT Patient Safety said in a press release. She says the vast storehouses of patient data now available to physicians have created new challenges.

"The object is still for people to have the information that they need to make the best clinical decision," she wrote. "Health information needs to be clear, accurate, up-to-date, readily available, and easily accessible."

The second concern, UPD, has recently been the subject of increased training, education, better clinical protocols, and public awareness campaigns. However, despite faster recognition and response, UPD is still a major concern.

"People have seen how well the campaigns have worked for stroke and STEMI and how much they've improved outcomes," Patricia N. Neumann, RN, ECRI senior patient safety analyst and consultant told HealthLeaders. "What if those same principles could be applied to other conditions that require fast recognition and management? We could have a big impact on improving outcomes."