from the editor
Patient Safety Concerns Dominated by Long-standing Stressors on Healthcare Personnel Exacerbated by the Pandemic
a departure from the usual clinical
In issues caused by device malfunctions or medical errors that make ECRI ’ s list of top patient safety issues , staffing shortages and healthcare workers ’ mental health are the priorities this year .
ECRI researchers say the most significant concerns currently are caused by crises that have simmered , but COVID-19 exponentially worsened .
“ Shortages in the healthcare workforce and mental health challenges were broadly known and well-documented for years ,” says Marcus Schabacker , MD , PhD , president and CEO of ECRI . “ Physicians and nurses were at risk of burnout , emotional exhaustion , and depression prior to 2020 , but the pandemic made both issues significantly worse .”
While both trends were known , their effect on patient care was not well documented . Now , ECRI researchers say inadequate staffing is actively jeopardizing patient safety . Due to staffing shortages , many patients are waiting longer for care , even in life-threatening emergencies , or simply being turned away .
With reports of more healthcare workers planning on leaving the industry , ECRI experts say patients could face even higher risks without proactive solutions . Without intervention , the chaos and understaffing in hospitals and other healthcare settings seen over the last two years could become the new normal for the foreseeable future .
“ Healthcare and government leaders now must aggressively manage these challenges amidst a lingering pandemic and a weakened health system by prioritizing recruitment , retention , and clinician resilience ,” Schabacker adds . “ As leaders , their most important job is ensuring that patient health and safety are top priorities .”
“ ECRI ’ s report is a roadmap to help prioritize patient safety initiatives and
allocate necessary resources that accelerate organizations in their total system approach to safety ,” says Brigitta Mueller , MD , executive director of patient safety , risk and quality at ECRI . “ We are here to help healthcare and government leaders as they finally address these longstanding issues in a comprehensive , forward-thinking way .”
To identify the most pressing patient safety threats , ECRI analyzed a wide scope of data , including scientific literature , patient safety events or concerns reported to or investigated by ECRI , client research requests and queries , and other internal and external data sources .
The top 10 patient safety concerns for 2022 are :
● Staffing shortages
● COVID-19 effects on healthcare workers ’ mental health
● Bias and racism in addressing patient safety
● Vaccine coverage gaps and errors
● Cognitive biases and diagnostic errors
● Non-ventilator healthcare-associated pneumonia
● Human factors in operationalizing telehealth
● International supply chain disruptions
● Products subject to emergency use authorization
● Telemetry monitoring
It ’ s a list that requires a multi-disciplinary team to address , not just the infection preventionist . Here ’ s hoping that your healthcare institutions make note of these imperatives and provide the funding , resources and personnel needed to ensure these challenges don ’ t land on ECRI ’ s list again in 2023 .
Until next month , bust those bugs ! Kelly M . Pyrek Editor & Publisher kelly @ healthcarehygienemagazine . com healthcarehygienemagazine
A . G . Hettinger , CPA president & CFO
Patti Valdez art director
J . Christine Phillips customer service manager
Healthcare Hygiene magazine is published monthly by Keystone Media Inc . 8955 Ridgeline Blvd ., Suite 500 , Highlands Ranch , CO 80129 . Free digital subscriptions available at www . healthcarehygienemagazine . com for U . S ., Canada and other foreign subscribers . Copyright © 2022 Keystone Media Inc . All rights reserved . The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject any advertising or editorial material . Advertisers , and / or their agents , assume the responsibility for all content of published advertisements and assume responsibility for any claims against the publisher based on the advertisement . Editorial contributors assume responsibility for their published works and assume responsibility for any claims against the publisher based on the published work . All items submitted to Healthcare Hygiene magazine become the sole property of Keystone Media Inc . Editorial content may not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher . No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means , including information storage and retrieval systems , without permission in writing from the publisher .