a new one Report Patient safety group ECRI has identified staffing shortages as one of the factors compromising patient safety. The impact of Covid-19 on the mental health of healthcare workers came in second, followed by prejudice and racism when patient safety was cited as the third-largest risk factor, the report said. In addition to outlining these issues, the report provides steps to address each risk area — such as offering health care plans for health care workers or recruiting different staff.
It’s no surprise that staffing shortages top the top ten factors threatening patient safety in The Great Resignation. But the pandemic isn’t just to blame, the report said. Before Covid-19, the field was already facing looming staffing shortages, exacerbated by nurses reaching retirement age. Case in point: The median age of registered nurses in 2020 was 52, the report said. As such, the report recommends several action steps for organizations, ranging from creating flexible staffing models (such as floating nurses between units as needed) to adding tele-ICU capabilities.
As a second risk factor for patient health, the report cites the impact of Covid-19 on the mental health of healthcare workers. This existed before the pandemic, but was exacerbated by it. As of June 2021, 29% of physicians had received or diagnosed anxiety or depression, the report said. Additionally, 20 percent reported feeling exhausted and a shocking 7 percent reported suicidal thoughts, the report said. To address this risk factor, the report recommends several actions, including providing workers with wellness programs and engaging professional development experts who can share mindfulness skills with clinicians and staff.
Prejudice and racism ranked third among risk factors affecting patient safety. The report notes that health care providers do not report harmful incidents to minority patients as frequently as they do to white patients. Actionable steps suggested include cultural competency training, taking allegations of racism seriously, and recruiting a diverse workforce.
A fourth risk factor is gaps and errors in vaccine coverage, which includes vaccines other than Covid-19. Specifically, giving the wrong vaccine or incorrect doses and giving expired vaccines were responsible for the error, the report said. To address and minimize the resulting risks, the report advocates improved vaccine regimens and placing vaccines on shelves with the closest early expiration dates.
Cognitive biases and diagnostic errors threaten patient safety as they can lead to misdiagnosis, the report said. For example, patients with breathing problems are often suspected of having Covid-19, even after testing negative. This led to delays in care and treatment for their actual diagnosis, the report noted. As a remedy, the report recommends simulation training to identify illnesses and reduce biases that prompt patient descriptions, such as “drug seeking” or “frequent flyer.”
The other five risk factors were: non-ventilator-associated pneumonia, telemedicine issues (eg, intermittent adoption), disruptions to international supply chains, products requiring emergency use authorization, and telemetry monitoring (measurement of patient physiological parameters from a distance).
“Healthcare and government leaders must now proactively address these challenges as the pandemic persists and health systems weaken by prioritizing recruitment, retention and clinician resilience,” said Marcus ShabakPresident and CEO of ECRI, in a press release“As leaders, their most important job is to ensure that the health and safety of patients is a top priority.”
Image: Getty Images, Thomas Berg
