Health care working conditions affect patient safety - Brief Article

AORN Journal,  June, 2003  

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A report detailing the effects of health care working conditions on patient safety recommends increasing nurse staffing and improving communication systems in health care facilities, according to a May 2, 2003, news release from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Researchers from the Oregon Health & Science University Evidence-based Practice Center, Portland, reviewed 115 studies conducted in health care and nonhealth care settings, and they concluded that the literature supports specific recommendations to improve patient safety.

Among the researchers' findings are that preventable complications are less likely to occur when complex procedures are performed by physicians who perform them regularly. In addition, errors are less likely to occur when staff members are subject to fewer interruptions and distractions. Improved communications systems for exchanging information when patient care is transferred from a hospital to a nonhospital setting can decrease medication errors.

Researchers did not find sufficient evidence to make recommendations regarding workplace stress, lighting, and several organizational factors. A summary of the report is available from AHRQ at http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/epcsums/worksum.htm.

AHRQ Report Describes Enhancements to Health Care Working Conditions that Could Improve Patient Safety (news release, Rockville, Md: Agency for Healthcare Research end Quality, May 2, 2003).

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