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September 16, 2020

Patient Safety Beat Patient safety news and progress in Massachusetts.

Betsy Lehman Center offers home and other health care workers PPE how-to videos

Two new videos — available in English, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese and Haitian Creole — feature a Massachusetts certified nurse aide correctly donning and doffing personal protective equipment, including a facemask, gloves, gown, head covering, shoe coverings and eye protection. Produced by the Betsy Lehman Center, with the help of leaders in home, elder, disability and assisted living care, the videos are a much-needed resource to help protect health workers and the people who rely on them from spreading COVID-19. One video is for members of the home care workforce while the other is a resource for all who care for people in congregate settings such as assisted living and nursing homes.

Read more and see the videos

Campaign emphasizes sepsis awareness during COVID-19

The Massachusetts Sepsis Consortium is conducting a statewide social media campaign this month to boost awareness of sepsis symptoms, especially in communities of color. This follows the release of a new national survey about sepsis awareness that shows marked differences among racial and ethnic groups. Among 2,000 adults surveyed in early June, 71% had heard of sepsis, up from 65% in 2019. Demographic details reveal disparities: 76% of white, 63% of Hispanic and 49% of Black people have heard the term “sepsis.” When it comes to identifying symptoms, responses are more uniform —  all rate poorly — and only 34% of respondents overall identified sepsis as a complication of COVID-19. Data show that communities of color experience disproportionate levels of both sepsis and coronavirus. The annual survey has been sponsored since 2012 by the Sepsis Alliance, a non-profit organization, and released in September to coincide with Sepsis Awareness Month. The Massachusetts Sepsis Consortium — 25+ health care providers, payers, researchers, patients, state agencies, and policymakers, led by the Betsy Lehman Center — is working to lower sepsis morbidity and mortality. In addition to resources for Emergency Departments and post-acute and long term care facilities, the Consortium supports a public-facing website.

New action plan to spur renewed focus, national coordination on safety efforts A 27-member group representing federal agencies, health care organizations, patient and family advocates, and respected industry experts has released Safer Together: A National Action Plan to Advance Patient Safety. The National Steering Committee, convened by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in May 2018, harnessed their collective knowledge to develop actionable and effective recommendations put forward in the new plan, which includes a self-assessment tool and an implementation guide. The Committee is co-chaired by Drs. Jeffrey Brady, Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety, and Tejal Gandhi, Chief Safety and Transformation Officer at Press Ganey.

Brigham and Women's study finds low risk of hospital-acquired COVID-19 Fear of becoming infected with COVID-19 in a health care setting has led some patients to delay or avoid treatment for other medical conditions. With that in mind, researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital looked back at patient records from early this spring and determined that, with the right precautions in place, the risk of acquiring COVID-19 in the hospital appears to be low. Among more than 9,100 patients admitted between March 7 — when the first COVID-19 patient was admitted to the hospital — and May 30, researchers found one case where a patient was apparently infected by a presymptomatic spouse. This took place before visiting restrictions and universal masking policies were adopted at the hospital. Another case, discovered post-discharge, was considered to be likely hospital-acquired, although no source of transmission was found. Brigham and Women’s approach to infection control and testing evolved during the 12 weeks of the study. While stressing the importance of early and serial testing of patients, researchers say the infection control practices outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and followed by the hospital are effective. They hope patients feel reassured that risk of nosocomial COVID-19 is minimal. The study did not include the risk of infection to health care workers, which researchers say warrants a separate study. Read the study in JAMA Network Open

Upcoming events PFAC reports due soon. Submit to Health Care For All by October 1. Click here for more information, including a report template Sepsis Alliance Summit: Virtual event today and tomorrow for health care providers, managers, policymakers, and industry leaders. CE credits available. Click here for more information MACRMI’s annual Communication, Apology, and Resolution (CARe) Forum online Monday, September 21, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. The program is free and offers both CME and nursing credits to qualified attendees. Register here

Patient Safety Beat is published by the Betsy Lehman Center, a state agency that uses communications, research, and data to catalyze the efforts of providers, policymakers, and consumers working toward safer health care in Massachusetts.

BetsyLehmanCenterMA.gov

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