Patient Safety Authority

09/12/2025

📣 JUST PUBLISHED: In the fast-paced, often chaotic, and ever-changing environment of medicine, we know how important it is to keep people at the heart of healthcare—but that may be easier said than done. Dr. Amanda Burden, professor of Anesthesiology and assistant dean for Clinical Skills and Simulation Education at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, sat down with PATIENT SAFETY managing editor, Caitlyn Allen, to share how they put people first and collaborate to be ready for anything.

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By Amanda Burden, Caitlyn Allen & 1 more. In the fast-paced, often chaotic, and ever-changing environment of medicine, we know how important it is to keep people at the heart of healthcare—but that may be easier said than...

09/11/2025

📣 JUST PUBLISHED: In the patient safety trends article published on April 21, 2025, reporting rates for 2024 were calculated based on data from the first half of the year, as data for Q3 and Q4 were not available as of the publication date. This brief update provides the final rates for 2024 using all quarters of data and compares them to the 2024 rates based on Q1 and Q2 as well as rates for prior years.

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By Shawn Kepner. This brief update provides the final rates for 2024 using all quarters of data and compares them to the 2024 rates based on Q1 and Q2 as well as rates...

09/10/2025

September 10, 2025, is ***dePrevention Day (WSPD), organized by the International Association for Su***de Prevention and co-sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO). The purpose of this day is to raise awareness around the globe that su***de can be prevented.

In September, we also recognize ***dePreventionAwareness Month, organized by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). This year’s theme is “Together in Strength, Dignity, Hope, and Purpose,” reflecting that connecting people and communities to the support they need can help save lives.

Please review and share these resources and journal articles to learn more about how to prevent su***de: https://patientsafetyj.com/post/3433-world-su***de-prevention-day-2025

September 10 is World Su***de Prevention Day. The purpose of this day is to raise awareness around the globe that su***de can be prevented.

09/08/2025

Just published: The Patient Safety Authority (PSA) established the I AM Patient Safety Achievement Awards to recognize that everyone in healthcare has a role in patient safety: admission registrars, nurses, physicians, pharmacists, environmental staff, and more. The annual IAPS contest is an opportunity for healthcare staff to celebrate and share the inspiring stories of peers who go above and beyond to ensure safe care for their patients.

This year, PSA introduced several new award categories to highlight champions for their commitment to safety, solutions to address healthcare disparity, improving the medication administration process, and educating and engaging patients as partners in their own care. Although only one person or team can win the award in each category, every nominee deserves congratulations for their extraordinary efforts, accomplishments, and contributions to patient safety. Many of their successes will be published on the PSA’s website as examples of how event reporting catalyzes change that improves care within a facility, a health system, or even nationwide.2

The 2025 IAPS awards were judged by patient safety advocates; government, university, and patient representatives; and healthcare executives, who carefully evaluated 147 nominations from 50 healthcare facilities for innovation, impact, sustainability, and scalability. In addition to the nine juried awards, PSA Executive Director Regina Hoffman, MBA, RN, selected a Choice Award winner for special recognition.

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By Eugene Myers. The annual IAPS contest is an opportunity for healthcare staff to celebrate and share the inspiring stories of peers who go above and beyond to ensure safe care for their...

09/05/2025

The application period for our fall 2025 writing workshop closes TODAY!

🕒 Two days left! Applications for our free 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 are due by 11:59 p.m. ET tomorrow, September 5.

Publishing about your QI project helps others learn from and replicate it—a terrific way to make a lasting impact on patient safety. This two-part online workshop for healthcare workers will be held on the evenings of Oct. 2 and Nov. 13. Participants will leave with a publishable manuscript and skills and tools to write future QI studies, which can be taught to others.

Learn more and complete the application form today: https://patientsafetyj.com/post/3337-fall-2025-writing-workshop-in-quality-improvement-studies

09/04/2025

🕒 Two days left! Applications for our free 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 are due by 11:59 p.m. ET tomorrow, September 5.

Publishing about your QI project helps others learn from and replicate it—a terrific way to make a lasting impact on patient safety. This two-part online workshop for healthcare workers will be held on the evenings of Oct. 2 and Nov. 13. Participants will leave with a publishable manuscript and skills and tools to write future QI studies, which can be taught to others.

Learn more and complete the application form today: https://patientsafetyj.com/post/3337-fall-2025-writing-workshop-in-quality-improvement-studies

09/03/2025

Just published: Asthma—a chronic inflammation of airways which causes wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing—is a serious health problem worldwide, including in Saudi Arabia, where it affects an estimated 25% of children. At the Armed Forces Hospital (AFH), a team observed that in 2022, 62% of its asthmatic patients were uncontrolled and accounted for 6% of monthly emergency department (ED) visits and 10% of monthly pediatric admissions. As part of Saudi Vision 2030, a kingdomwide initiative to improve the quality of life and well-being of citizens, AFH sought to reduce asthma-related ED visits and hospitalizations by 20% by the end of September 2023.

To accomplish their goals, the AFH team implemented EXHALE, a comprehensive approach to improving asthma care management developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Asthma Control Program. The team adapted the six strategies of EXHALE to pediatric asthma patients: (1) Education on asthma self-management, (2) eXtinguishing secondhand and thirdhand smoke, (3) Health education for trigger reduction and asthma self-management, (4) Achievement of guideline-based medical management, (5) Linkages and coordination of care across settings, and (6) Encouragement of patients and engagement of healthcare practitioners.

Their interventions resulted in a 60% reduction in ED visits and a 50% decrease in monthly admissions, and an increase in the percentage of controlled asthma patients from 38% to 72%. Savings in overall asthma management costs during the project implementation amounted to 1,046,603 Saudi riyals ($279,057).

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By Jean De Asis, Fawzyh AlKhadidi & 6 more. The EXHALE strategy, developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), offers a comprehensive approach to asthma management. Our project aimed to reduce pediatric asthma-related emergency department...

09/02/2025

⏰ 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲’𝘀 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁! Applications for our fall Master Class in Writing Quality Improvement Studies are due this 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟱!

💻 This free, two-part writing workshop for healthcare professionals will take place virtually on October 2 and November 13, from 3 to 5 p.m. ET. Participants will learn how to turn their QI project into a publishable manuscript to broadly share their work — no writing experience needed!

👉 Learn more and submit your application today: https://patientsafetyj.com/post/3337-fall-2025-writing-workshop-in-quality-improvement-studies

08/28/2025

👉🏽 So your facility completed a project that improved patient care—don’t stop there! If you share your work, other facilities can do it too.
👉🏽 Our free, online workshop teaches healthcare workers to write quality improvement studies and submit them for publication.
👉🏽 Learn more and apply by Friday, September 5 for our fall 2025 session.

Our free online Master Class Writing Workshop in Quality Improvement Studies teaches you how to turn your QI project into a manuscript.

08/27/2025

We're hiring! The Patient Safety Authority has an opening for an Patient Safety Advisor (Southeast). In this role, you will help us improve patient safety in Pennsylvania by establishing a collaborative local presence at healthcare facilities.

For more information and to apply, please visit https://www.indeed.com/job/patient-safety-advisor-25abc66b852b52da

We look forward to hearing from you!

08/26/2025

Electrosurgery is used to rapidly cut soft tissue and control bleeding during a variety of surgical procedures. Some commonly reported complications from electrosurgery include electrical burns, surgical fires, electric shock, and malfunction of implanted medical devices such as pacemakers. A review of event reports recently submitted to the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System (PA-PSRS) identified complications that were less commonly referenced when reviewing the literature about electrosurgery complications: burns from a metal instrument that was in contact with the electrosurgical unit (ESU) and skin injuries from the ESU grounding pad. Knowledge about the principles of electrosurgery and how ESUs work can help prevent complications that may pose a risk to patient safety.

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By Christine E. Sanchez. A review of event reports recently submitted to the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System (PA-PSRS) identified complications that were less commonly referenced when reviewing the literature about electrosurgery complications:...

08/25/2025

📖JUST PUBLISHED: In memory of James Reason (1938–2025), the influential psychologist behind the Swiss cheese model, who passed away on February 5, 2025, we honor his legacy by acknowledging how his work has shaped patient safety. Reason’s pioneering insights have profoundly advanced our understanding of human error and systemic safety management across high-risk domains, including radiation therapy. This brief tribute highlights the continued relevance and application of Reason’s concepts by examining their critical role in analyzing radiation therapy incidents.

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By Mohammad Bakhtiari. This brief tribute highlights the continued relevance and application of Reason’s concepts by examining their critical role in analyzing radiation therapy incidents.