Journal Article

Randomized Trial of Reducing Ambulatory Malpractice and Safety Risk

Keohane, Carol, Singer, Sara J., Weissman, Joel S., Yoon, Catherine, Griswold, Paula, Leydon, Nicholas, Foskett, Cathy, Goldmann, Don, Schiff, Gordon D., Federico, Frank, Ellis, Bonnie R., Biondolillo, Madeleine, Bates, David W., Ling, Judy, Nieva, Harry Reyes, Orav, E. John

2017

Overview

Evaluate application of quality improvement approaches to key ambulatory malpractice risk and safety areas. In total, 25 small-to-medium-sized primary care practices (16 intervention; 9 control) in Massachusetts. Controlled trial of a 15-month intervention including exposure to a learning network, webinars, face-to-face meetings, and coaching by improvement advisors targeting \"3+1\" high-risk domains: test result, referral, and medication management plus culture/communication issues evaluated by survey and chart review tools. Chart reviews conducted at baseline and postintervention for intervention sites. Staff and patient survey data collected at baseline and postintervention for intervention and control sites. Chart reviews demonstrated significant improvements in documentation of abnormal results, patient notification, documentation of an action or treatment plan, and evidence of a completed plan (all P<0.001). Mean days between laboratory test date and evidence of completed action/treatment plan decreased by 19.4 days (P<0.001). Staff surveys showed modest but nonsignificant improvement for intervention practices relative to controls overall and for the 3 high-risk domains that were the focus of PROMISES. A consortium of stakeholders, quality improvement tools, coaches, and learning network decreased selected ambulatory safety risks often seen in malpractice claims.

• Publisher: Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc,Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Ovid Technologies
• Subject: Adult / Aged / Ambulatory Care / Consortia / Control charts / Data collection / Data processing / Documentation / Health care / Health Care Surveys / Humans / Intervention / Laboratory tests / Learning / Malpractice / Malpractice - trends / Massachusetts / Medical treatment / Meetings / Middle Aged / Original Article / Patient Safety / Polls & surveys / Primary Health Care / Quality control / Retrospective Studies / Risk assessment / Risk factors / Risk Management - organization & administration / Safety / Young Adult