Three Evidence-based Strategies for Preventing Pressure Injuries in Older Patients

Pressure injuries (PIs) can be a common health concern, especially for populations like older adults, where typical changes that accompany the aging process can already increase risks for these typ...

Exploring Systems Safety White Paper: Increasing Awareness of Work Design beyond Acute Care

Download your complimentary copy now to learn how a systems safety approach can drive continuous improvement within your organization. Improving patient, resident, worker, and visitor safety within...

How to Improve Medication History and Reconciliation Processes in Ambulatory Care

Patients often have multiple providers involved in their care. According to a 2019 study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, 30% of older Americans can see at least five different doctors...

Supporting Women Veterans: The Role of Healthcare Leaders

On June 12, we recognize Women Veterans Recognition Day, a date designated to mark the anniversary of the signing of the 1948 Women's Armed Services Integration Act, which allowed women the right t...

Evidence-based Strategies for Preventing CAUTIs from Indwelling Catheters

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common healthcare-associated infection, and approximately 75% of UTIs acquired in the...

Navigating the Death of a Pediatric Patient

​An ECRI member recently asked for information regarding support for healthcare providers navigating the death of a pediatric patient. In our response, we discuss strategies and provide relevant re...

Violence against Healthcare Staff: How Leaders in Ambulatory Care Can Keep Providers and Staff Safe

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, healthcare workers suffer from higher rates of workplace violence (i.e., verbal abuse such as threats, harassment, or intimidation, or physical abu...

Preventing Harm in Senior Care: Emerging Technologies to Mitigate Hazardous Wandering and Elopement

Caring for persons with dementia requires provider organizations to create tailored care delivery environments that enhance a person’s remaining capabilities while also supporting the special needs...

Aging Services White Paper

Mismatched Needs and Services Can Lead to Harm Processes for preadmission, admission, discharge, and transition in care are at the very heart of every provider organization. These daily activit...

Combatting Nurse Fatigue for Improved Staff and Patient Safety

In the modern healthcare environment, healthcare workers often experience job-related fatigue, which can have a negative effect on patient and staff safety and well-being. In addition, worker fatig...

Increased Payer Support for Telemedicine May Improve Maternal Health Outcomes and Lower Costs

When compared to ten other developed nations, the United States has the highest maternal death rate. Yet, according to a recent maternal mortality review committee report by the Centers for Disease...

Utilizing Data from Wearable Devices

A member recently asked about liabilities associated with the utilization of data from nonprescription consumer wearable devices that track various health statuses (e.g., heart rate, blood pressure...

Ambulatory Care Providers Can Combat Sepsis through Prevention, Identification, and Treatment

Sepsis is the body's overwhelming response to infection and can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, anyone can get an infec...

Three Strategies for Primary Care Providers to Ease the Pediatric Mental Health Crisis

The mental health of children is currently in crisis. According to an investigation reported in 2021 in JAMA Pediatrics, one in four children globally is experiencing elevated depressive symptoms a...

ECRI's Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns for 2023

Each year, ECRI publishes a list of top patient safety concerns to call attention to safety risks that need to be addressed to keep patients and staff safe. Concerns on this year’s list are heavily...

Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns 2023 Special Report

Learn how to identify and address patient safety concerns in your facilities ECRI’s Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns 2023 list identifies potential sources of danger for patients and staff. We believ...

Health Technology Assessments Vital to Payers for Defensible Coverage Determinations

In today's healthcare environment, payers are under increasing pressure to make new and updated medical policy determinations as quickly and cost-effectively as possible. Health technology assessm...

Pump Up the Volume: How to Prioritize Events and Analyze Error Data

Problem: Error reports can be used to identify local system hazards, provide analysis of uncommon events, share lessons within and across organizations, and improve patient safety culture.1 In our ...

Controversial New Study on Medical Masks versus N95 Respirators for COVID Prevention in Healthcare Workers

We noted with great interest the study by Loeb et al., published in the December 2022 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, as well as a helpful commentary and various reactions to the findings. In...

Advancing Patient Safety Through Better Designs or Processes: Top 10 Health Tech Hazards Part 2

This is part two of a two-part blog. A nurse's aide, when transferring a mother in labor to the delivery room, turned off the infusion pump delivering Pitocin, a drug administered intravenously to...

Look-Alike Drug Names with Recommended Tall Man (Mixed Case) Letters

Drug name pairs or larger groupings that look similar utilize bolded uppercase letters to help draw attention to the dissimilarities in look-alike drug names.