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15127

Which definition have leaders in the field used to outline patient safety?

Patient safety is a discipline in the health-care sector ...

who_000772_62nd_world_health_assembly_by_cedric_vincensini (copy 1).jpg

... that applies safety science methods in order to achieve a trustworthy system of health-care delivery. ... it minimizes the incidence and impact of, and maximizes recovery from adverse events.

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Explanation

This definition provides the scope for the conceptual model of patient safety. It divides health-care systems into the following four main domains:

1. those who work in health care; 2. those who receive health care or have a stake in its availability; 3. the infrastructure of systems for therapeutic interventions (health-care delivery processes); 4. methods for feedback and continuous improvement.

Photo credit: WHO/Cédric Vincensini, WHO Media Centre #WHO_000772. © World Health Organization

Content source:
Fundamentals in Patient Safety (WHO, Course handout, p. 2-3)
http://www.who.int/patientsafety/education/curriculum/course1_handout.pdf
© World Health Organization, 2012. All rights reserved.

15122

Which of the following issues constitute adverse events?

Mistakes during treatment

Rapid reporting of results

Inadequate postoperative care

Mistaken identity

Timely diagnoses

Solution Next

Explanation

"Adverse events" include missed and delayed diagnoses, mistakes during treatment, medication mistakes, delayed reporting of results, miscommunications during transfers and transitions in care, inadequate postoperative care, mistaken identity and others.

Reporting and analysis of errors can help identify the contributing factors. Understanding the factors that lead to errors is essential in order to develop changes that will prevent future errors.

Photo credit: WHO/Sergey Volkov, WHO Media Centre #WHO_056129. © World Health Organization

Content source:
Fundamentals in Patient Safety (WHO, Course handout, p. 1)
http://www.who.int/patientsafety/education/curriculum/course1_handout.pdf
© World Health Organization, 2012. All rights reserved.

21588

What are some of the risk factors in developing countries that make the probability of adverse events much higher?

Unreliable quality of drugs

Overconfidence of health services

Poor state of infrastructure & equipment

Shortcomings in infection control

Workoholism of personnel

Solution Next

Explanation

In developing countries, the poor state of infrastructure and equipment, unreliable supply and quality of drugs, shortcomings in infection control and waste management, poor performance of personnel, low motivation or insufficient skills and severe under-financing of the health services makes the probability of adverse events much higher.

Photo credit: WHO/Diego Rodriguez, WHO Media Centre #WHO_059725. © World Health Organization

21586

How many hospital patients suffer an adverse event (AE) in developed countries?

25%

10%

30%

Solution Next

Explanation

Health care is one of the most unsafe industries. Studies show that about 10% of hospital patients suffer an adverse event (AE) and the incidence of AE in developing countries is higher than 10%.

15126

A midwife who fails to record a woman's progress because of time constraints is an example of which type of violation?

Necessary violation

Routine violation

Optimizing violation

Solution Next

Explanation

Time-poor nurses and doctors who knowingly skip important steps in administering (or prescribing) medication, or a midwife who fails to record a woman's progress because of time constraints, are examples of necessary violations.

Using a systems approach, the entire system of care can be examined to find out what happened rather than who did it. Only after careful attention to the multiple factors associated with an incident can there be an assessment as to whether any one person was responsible.

Photo credit: WHO/Sergey Volkov, WHO Media Centre #WHO_000772. © World Health Organization

Content source:
WHO Multi-professional Patient Safety Curriculum Guide (WHO, 2011, p. 102)
http://www.who.int/patientsafety/education/curriculum/en/index.html
© World Health Organization, 2011. All rights reserved.