Practices Proven to Improve Patient Safety

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reviews existing evidence on practices that help to improve patient safety. The report describes 11 practices that have been proven to work and recommends their widespread adoption.

These include the use of prophylaxis to prevent venous thromboembolism in patients at risk, the use of perioperative beta-blockers in appropriate patients to prevent morbidity and mortality, and the use of maximum sterile barriers while placing central intravenous catheters to prevent infections. Other practices include the use of antibiotic prophylaxis in surgical patients to prevent postoperative infections, asking patients to recall and restate what they have been told during the informed consent process, and the continuous aspiration of subglottic secretions to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia.

Still other practices include the use of pressure-relieving bedding materials to prevent pressure ulcers, the use of real-time ultrasound guidance during central line insertion to prevent complications, and patient self-management for warfarin to achieve appropriate outpatient anticoagulation and prevent complications. The last two practices recommended are the appropriate provision of nutrition, with a particular emphasis on early enteral nutrition in critically ill and surgical patients, and the use of antibiotic-impregnated central venous catheters to prevent catheter-related infections.

The complete report, entitled Making Health Care Safer: A Critical Analysis of Patient Safety Practices, is available on the agency's website.




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Agency for Health Care Research