Annals of Family Medicine Annals Impact Factor is 4.5
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Annals of Family Medicine 2:327-332 (2004)
© 2004 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.
doi: 10.1370/afm.221
This Article
Right arrow Figures Only
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Supplemental data: Appendixes
Right arrow In Brief
Right arrow TRACK Comments: Submit a response
Right arrow TRACK Comments: View responses
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when TRACK Comments are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Fernald, D. H.
Right arrow Articles by Westfall, J. M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Fernald, D. H.
Right arrow Articles by Westfall, J. M.

Event Reporting to a Primary Care Patient Safety Reporting System: A Report From the ASIPS Collaborative

Douglas H. Fernald, MA1, Wilson D. Pace, MD1, Daniel M. Harris, PhD2, David R. West, PhD1, Deborah S. Main, PhD1 and John M. Westfall, MD1

1 Department of Family Medicine, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Aurora, Col
2 The CNA Corporation, Alexandria, Va

CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Douglas H. Fernald, MA, Department of Family Medicine, UCHSC at Fitzsimons, Mail Stop F496, PO Box 6508, Aurora, CO 80045-0508, doug.fernald{at}uchsc.edu

BACKGROUND We examined reports to a primary care, ambulatory, patient safety reporting system to describe types of errors reported and differences between anonymous and confidential reports.

METHODS Applied Strategies for Improving Patient Safety (ASIPS) is a demonstration project designed to collect and analyze medical error reports from clinicians and staff in 2 practice-based research networks: the Colorado Research Network (CaReNet) and the High Plains Research Network (HPRN). A major component of ASIPS is a voluntary patient safety reporting system that accepts reports of errors anonymously or confidentially. Reports are coded using a multiaxial taxonomy.

RESULTS Two years into this project, 33 practices with a total of 475 clinicians and staff have participated in ASIPS. Participants submitted 708 reports during this time (66% using the confidential reporting form). We successfully followed up on 84% of the confidential reports of interest within the allotted 10-day time frame. We ended up with 608 relevant, codable reports. Communication problems (70.8%), diagnostic tests (47%), medication problems (35.4%), and both diagnostic tests and medications (13.6%) were the most frequently reported errors. Confidential reports were significantly more likely than anonymous reports to contain codable data.

CONCLUSION A safe and secure reporting system that relies on voluntary reporting from clinicians and staff can be successfully implemented in primary care settings. Information from confidential reports appears to be superior to that from anonymous reports and may be more useful in understanding errors and designing interventions to improve patient safety.

Key Words: Practice-based research network • medical errors • primary health care • incident reporting • risk management




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Int J Qual Health CareHome page
A. G. Kennedy, B. Littenberg, and J. W. Senders
Using nurses and office staff to report prescribing errors in primary care
Int. J. Qual. Health Care, August 1, 2008; 20(4): 238 - 245.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Qual Saf Health CareHome page
J Hickner, D G Graham, N C Elder, E Brandt, C B Emsermann, S Dovey, and R Phillips
Testing process errors and their harms and consequences reported from family medicine practices: a study of the American Academy of Family Physicians National Research Network
Qual. Saf. Health Care, June 1, 2008; 17(3): 194 - 200.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Qual Saf Health CareHome page
D G Graham, D M Harris, N C Elder, C B Emsermann, E Brandt, E W Staton, and J Hickner
Mitigation of patient harm from testing errors in family medicine offices: a report from the American Academy of Family Physicians National Research Network
Qual. Saf. Health Care, June 1, 2008; 17(3): 201 - 208.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Qual Saf Health CareHome page
M A B Makeham, S Stromer, C Bridges-Webb, M Mira, D C Saltman, C Cooper, and M R Kidd
Patient safety events reported in general practice: a taxonomy
Qual. Saf. Health Care, February 1, 2008; 17(1): 53 - 57.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Am. J. Roentgenol.Home page
L. Berlin
Communicating Results of All Radiologic Examinations Directly to Patients: Has the Time Come?
Am. J. Roentgenol., December 1, 2007; 189(6): 1275 - 1282.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Qual Saf Health CareHome page
S. M Evans, B. J Smith, A. Esterman, W. B Runciman, G. Maddern, K. Stead, P. Selim, J. O'Shaughnessy, S. Muecke, and S. Jones
Evaluation of an intervention aimed at improving voluntary incident reporting in hospitals
Qual. Saf. Health Care, June 1, 2007; 16(3): 169 - 175.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Qual Saf Health CareHome page
D. M Woods, E. J Thomas, J. L Holl, K. B Weiss, and T. A Brennan
Ambulatory care adverse events and preventable adverse events leading to a hospital admission
Qual. Saf. Health Care, April 1, 2007; 16(2): 127 - 131.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Am Board Fam MedHome page
R. F. Van Vorst, R. Araya-Guerra, M. Felzien, D. Fernald, N. Elder, C. Duclos, and J. M. Westfall
Rural Community Members' Perceptions of Harm from Medical Mistakes: A High Plains Research Network (HPRN) Study
J Am Board Fam Med, March 1, 2007; 20(2): 135 - 143.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Qual Saf Health CareHome page
B. Parnes, D. Fernald, J. Quintela, R. Araya-Guerra, J. Westfall, D. Harris, and W. Pace
Stopping the error cascade: a report on ameliorators from the ASIPS collaborative
Qual. Saf. Health Care, February 1, 2007; 16(1): 12 - 16.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 RadiologyHome page
J. A. Ruiz and G. M. Glazer
The State of Radiology in 2006: Very High Spatial Resolution but No Visibility
Radiology, October 1, 2006; 241(1): 11 - 16.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Am Board Fam MedHome page
D. E. Hildebrandt, J. M. Westfall, D. H. Fernald, and W. D. Pace
Harm Resulting from Inappropriate Telephone Triage in Primary Care
J Am Board Fam Med, September 1, 2006; 19(5): 437 - 442.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Qual Saf Health CareHome page
D M Woods, J Johnson, J L Holl, M Mehra, E J Thomas, E S Ogata, and C Lannon
Anatomy of a patient safety event: a pediatric patient safety taxonomy
Qual. Saf. Health Care, December 1, 2005; 14(6): 422 - 427.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Am. J. Roentgenol.Home page
L. Berlin
Using an Automated Coding and Review Process to Communicate Critical Radiologic Findings: One Way to Skin a Cat
Am. J. Roentgenol., October 1, 2005; 185(4): 840 - 843.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Ann Fam MedHome page
J. W. Mold and K. A. Peterson
Primary Care Practice-Based Research Networks: Working at the Interface Between Research and Quality Improvement
Ann. Fam. Med, May 1, 2005; 3(suppl_1): S12 - S20.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Ann Fam MedHome page
W. D. Pace and E. W. Staton
Electronic Data Collection Options for Practice-Based Research Networks
Ann. Fam. Med, May 1, 2005; 3(suppl_1): S21 - S29.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 JAMAHome page
P. C. Smith, R. Araya-Guerra, C. Bublitz, B. Parnes, L. M. Dickinson, R. Van Vorst, J. M. Westfall, and W. D. Pace
Missing Clinical Information During Primary Care Visits
JAMA, February 2, 2005; 293(5): 565 - 571.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 JAMAHome page
N. C. Elder and J. Hickner
Missing Clinical Information: The System Is Down
JAMA, February 2, 2005; 293(5): 617 - 619.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Ann Fam MedHome page
K. C. Stange
In This Issue: Practice Change and Patient Safety
Ann. Fam. Med, July 1, 2004; 2(4): 290 - 291.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Ann Fam MedHome page
J. H. Wasson
Why Isn't It Better?
Ann. Fam. Med, July 1, 2004; 2(4): 292 - 293.
[Full Text] [PDF]

TRACK Comments:

Read all TRACK Comments

Importance of clarifying purpose of error reports
Nancy C Elder
Annals of Family Medicine, 4 Aug 2004 [Full text]
The Submission of Confidential Error Reports
Deborah G Graham
Annals of Family Medicine, 4 Aug 2004 [Full text]

HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2004 by the Annals of Family Medicine.