[Infusion pumps and patient safety].

Introduction: Infusion pumps are important clinical tools where controlled and precise infusions are needed. However, there are a number of potential risks for patient safety in their use: There is a risk of free-flow, i.e.

[Wrong-site surgery: incidence and prevention].

Introduction: This paper illustrates how reporting of adverse events can be used to introduce changes in an organization. Starting from reports of incidents on wrong-site surgery, a method to prevent them and its implementation in the Copenhagen Hospital Corporation (H:S) are described.

Materials And Methods: The H:S adverse event database, the Danish Patient Insurance Association and international sources were searched to estimate the extent of wrong-site surgery.

[Adverse events management. Methods and results of a development project].

Introduction: This article describes the methods and results of a project in the Copenhagen Hospital Corporation (H:S) on preventing adverse events. The aim of the project was to raise awareness about patients' safety, test a reporting system for adverse events, develop and test methods of analysis of events and propagate ideas about how to prevent adverse events.

Materials And Methods: H:S developed an action plan and a reporting system for adverse events, founded an organization and developed an educational program on theories and methods of learning from adverse events for both leaders and employees.

[Clinical decision support: Is the number of medication errors reduced?].

22 papers on clinical decision support (CDS) for computer physician order entry (CPOE) and the ability to reduce medication errors were reviewed. Among the 22 original clinical trials, 21 demonstrated a reduced number of medication errors after the implementation of CDS. The effect was strongest for 2nd and 3rd generation of the CDS-systems.

Screening for congenital malformations by ultrasonography in the general population of pregnant women: factors affecting the efficacy.

Objectives: To assess whether the efficacy of screening for fetal malformations is affected by patient-, staff-, team- or work environment-related factors.

Methods: A prospective cohort study was carried out at a Danish university hospital with 4000 deliveries per year. In total, 7963 fetuses were examined by midtrimester ultrasound scan during 1997 and 1998.