We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us

Download Mobile App




Cross-Checking between ED Physicians Reduces Harm

By HospiMedica International staff writers
Posted on 08 May 2018
Print article
Image: A new study suggests a few minutes of consultation can avoid adverse ED events (Photo courtesy of Dreamstime).
Image: A new study suggests a few minutes of consultation can avoid adverse ED events (Photo courtesy of Dreamstime).
A new study suggests that systematic cross-checking between doctors may be a key to reducing the high rate of adverse events in the emergency department (ED).

Researchers at the Sorbonne University (Paris, France), Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital (Paris, France), and other institutions conducted a cluster randomized crossover trial that included a random sample of 1,680 patients attended to in six EDs in France during two 10-day periods. The intervention included systematic cross-checking between ED physicians three times a day, which included a brief presentation of one physician’s case to another, followed by the second physician’s feedback. The main outcome was medical error, defined as either a near miss or a serious adverse event.

The results showed that there were 54 adverse events among 840 patients (6.4%) during the cross-check intervention, compared with 90 adverse events among 840 patients (10.7%) during the control period, a relative reduction of 40%. Most of the reductions occurred in adverse events defined as near misses, with a reduction of 47%. Errors in sepsis management accounted for more than 40% of the preventable serious adverse events. The median duration of cross-checking sessions was nine minutes, during which about seven patients were discussed. The study was published on April 23, 2018, in JAMA Internal Medicine.

“The reduction in preventable serious adverse events with systematic cross-checking did not reach statistical significance; only reductions in near misses did,” explained lead author Yonathan Freund, MD, PhD, of Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière. “Whether an adverse event resulted from a misdiagnosis or from the implementation of an inappropriate plan for the correct diagnosis could not be determined decisively. This included sepsis-associated medical errors, which may be particularly relevant, because the most commonly occurring serious adverse events were violations of the surviving sepsis campaign guidelines.”

An adverse event is defined as a preventable or non-preventable injury that was caused by medical management (rather than the underlying disease) and that prolonged hospitalization, produced a disability at the time of discharge, or both. Adverse event also include errors, defined as acts of commission or omission leading to an undesirable outcome or significant potential for such an outcome, and near misses, in which an error was committed, but the patient did not experience clinical harm, either through early detection or sheer luck.

Related Links:
Sorbonne University
Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital

Gold Member
POC Blood Gas Analyzer
Stat Profile Prime Plus
Gold Member
Solid State Kv/Dose Multi-Sensor
AGMS-DM+
Silver Member
Wireless Mobile ECG Recorder
NR-1207-3/NR-1207-E
New
Self-Driving Mobile C-arm
CIARTIC Move

Print article

Channels

Surgical Techniques

view channel
Image: NTT and Olympus have begun the world\'s first joint demonstration experiment of a cloud endoscopy system (Photo courtesy of Olympus)

Cloud Endoscopy System Enables Real-Time Image Processing on the Cloud

Endoscopes, which are flexible tubes inserted into the body's natural openings for internal examination and biopsy collection, are becoming increasingly vital in medical diagnostics. Their minimal invasiveness... Read more

Patient Care

view channel
Image: The newly-launched solution can transform operating room scheduling and boost utilization rates (Photo courtesy of Fujitsu)

Surgical Capacity Optimization Solution Helps Hospitals Boost OR Utilization

An innovative solution has the capability to transform surgical capacity utilization by targeting the root cause of surgical block time inefficiencies. Fujitsu Limited’s (Tokyo, Japan) Surgical Capacity... Read more

Health IT

view channel
Image: First ever institution-specific model provides significant performance advantage over current population-derived models (Photo courtesy of Mount Sinai)

Machine Learning Model Improves Mortality Risk Prediction for Cardiac Surgery Patients

Machine learning algorithms have been deployed to create predictive models in various medical fields, with some demonstrating improved outcomes compared to their standard-of-care counterparts.... Read more

Point of Care

view channel
Image: The PATHFAST hs-cTnI-II high-sensitivity troponin assay has been developed for the PATHFAST Biomarker Analyzer (Photo courtesy of Polymedco)

POC Myocardial Infarction Test Delivers Results in 17 Minutes

Chest pain is the second leading cause of emergency department (ED) visits by adults in the United States, generating over 7 million visits annually. In the event of a suspected heart attack, physicians... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.