Root causes and preventability of unintentionally retained foreign objects after surgery: a national expert survey from Switzerland.

Background: Retained foreign objects (RFO) after surgery are rare, serious patient safety events. In international comparisons based on routine data, Switzerland had remarkably high RFO rates. The objectives of this study were to 1) explore national key stakeholders' views on RFO as a safety problem, its preventability and need for action in Switzerland; and 2) to assess their interpretation of Switzerland's RFO incidence compared to other countries.

Are cross-sectional safety climate survey results in operating room staff associated with the surgical site infection rates in Swiss hospitals?

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between surgical site infections (SSIs), a major source of patient harm, and safety and teamwork climate. Prior research has been unclear regarding this relationship.

Design: Based on the Swiss national SSI surveillance and a survey study assessing (a) safety climate and (b) teamwork climate, associations were analysed for three kinds of surgical procedures.

Preventing Surgical Site Infections: Are Safety Climate Level and Its Strength Associated With Self-reported Commitment To, Subjective Norms Toward, and Knowledge About Preventive Measures?

Objectives: Surgical site infections (SSIs) represent a major source of preventable patient harm. Safety climate in the operating room personnel is assumed to be an important factor, with scattered supporting evidence for the association between safety climate and infection outcome so far. This study investigated perceptions and knowledge specific to infection prevention measures and their associations with general assessments of safety climate level and strength.

Addressing Patient Safety Hazards Using Critical Incident Reporting in Hospitals: A Systematic Review.

Introduction: Critical incident reporting systems (CIRS) are in use worldwide. They are designed to improve patient care by detecting and analyzing critical and adverse patient events and by taking corrective actions to prevent reoccurrence. Critical incident reporting systems have recently been criticized for their lack of effectiveness in achieving actual patient safety improvements.

What do double-check routines actually detect? An observational assessment and qualitative analysis of identified inconsistencies.

Objectives: Double checking is used in oncology to detect medication errors before administering chemotherapy. The objectives of the study were to determine the frequency of detected potential medication errors, i.e.