Patient Safety Resources

Building a Culture of Safety in Ophthalmology – American Board of Ophthalmology

Patient safety focused on a reduction in both procedural and diagnostic error is the number one concern of the United States healthcare system in the 21st century. This article reviews the topic of patient safety in ophthalmology and highlights concerns for ophthalmologists.

WHO Patient Safety – VISION 2020 e-resource

Includes links to Surgical Confusions in Ophthalmology, Eliminating Wrong Site Surgery, Minimizing Wrong IOL Placement

Patient Safety Statements - American Academy of Ophthalmology

These bulletins seek to increase patient safety and to inform ophthalmologists of systematic practices that can prevent errors from occurring. Resources include:

• Wrong-Site-Wrong-IOL Checklist
• Minimizing Medication Errors: Communication about Drug Orders
• Ophthalmic Surgical Task Force Surgery Checklist

Wrong Site/Wrong IOL Surgery Performance Improvement Course – American Academy of Ophthalmology

This activity addresses wrong-site surgery and wrong-IOL implants. Video reenactments of scenarios demonstrate how errors can occur. Assess your current practices and apply clinical guidelines to prevent operating room mistakes related to wrong-site, wrong-patient, and wrong-IOL implants.

To Err Is Human: Building A Safer Health System – Institute of Medicine

This comprehensive report from 2000, now an online book, provides thoughtful, multifaceted responses in response to the large, complex problems of improving patient safety. The combined goal of the recommendations is for the “external environment” to create sufficient pressure to make errors costly to health care organizations and providers, so they are compelled to take action to improve safety.

Patient Safety Activities – American Board of Ophthalmology

Participation in a Patient Safety activity is a Maintenance of Certification (MOC) requirement for all diplomates certified or recertified as of 2012 (MOC Track 2). Track 2 diplomates must complete this activity within the first three years of their MOC cycle and attest to completion using the CME attestation link on their MOC Status Page. Diplomates may complete any approved Patient Safety activity or submit a new activity for ABO review.

• 2016 Building a Culture of Patient Safety Webcast

Patient Administration Risk Management Resource Library – Ophthalmic Mutual Insurance Company

Comprehensive collection of loss prevention and patient safety resources for ophthalmic practices.

Global Call for Action to Eliminate Eye Surgical Errors – International Council of Ophthalmology

The ICO calls on societies and ophthalmologists around the world to support and advocate for the elimination of human suffering from errors related to eye surgery.

Guidance on patient safety in ophthalmology from the Royal College of Ophthalmologists

This paper outlines which patient safety incidents to report and analyze in ophthalmic practice and how to do so.

Patient Safety Information – The Royal College of Ophthalmologists

Includes links to Safety Standards for Invasive Procedures, Surgical Checklists, IOL Theatre Checks Prior to IOL Insertion

Improving Diagnosis in Health Care — The Next Imperative for Patient Safety – New England Journal of Medicine

This report’s recommendations address myriad system features and activities affecting diagnosis, acknowledging that many contributing factors are intricately related to health care delivery problems.

Errors in Strabismus Surgery – JAMA Ophthalmology

This study concluded that reducing error in strabismus surgery might entail confirming that the deviation matches the surgical plan preoperatively, more elaborate site marking, and involving an assistant in a preoperative verification of the specific eye muscles and surgical procedure.

Wrong Site Surgery – Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare

The Center for Transforming Healthcare created a suite of resources aimed at reducing the risk of wrong site surgery, a preventable adverse event.

The physician's role in patient safety: What's in it for me? - Baylor University Medical Center

This article details obstacles to patient safety, how to engage physicians in a culture of safety and ways to improve patient safety.

Sentinel Events in Ophthalmology: Experience from Hong Kong

This study looks at sentinel events in Ophthalmology reported from November 2007 to October 2014 at public hospitals in Hong Kong. They were classified into 4 main categories, namely “wrong eye,” “wrong prescription,” “wrong patient and surgery,” and “retained surgical items.” The key contributing factor leading to the occurrence of the incidents was largely human error. Increased staff awareness and proper time-out procedures were recommended to help prevent occurrence of these errors.

Methods to reduce prescription errors in ophthalmic medication – Saudi Journal of Ophthalmology

The authors determined the majority of prescribing errors occurred at the stage of writing the prescription. Their findings suggested that the intervention of check and counter check can reduce the rate of error significantly.