Unavoidable Pressure Injury during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Position Paper from the National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel

National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel (NPIAP)

The purposes of this National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel (NPIAP) Position Paper are to:

  1. Summarize the current NPIAP position regarding unavoidable pressure injuries.
  2. Examine the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on the scope of what is considered an unavoidable pressure injury.
  3. State the position of the NPIAP regarding determinations of unavoidable pressure injuries during the COVID-19 crisis.
  4. Renew the NPIAP call to collaborate on the development of criteria for the determination of unavoidable pressure injuries in acute care.

Hospital Toolkit for Adult Sepsis Surveillance

Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

This toolkit allows healthcare professionals who are interested in using the sepsis surveillance methodology from the national burden study to track healthcare facility-level sepsis incidence and outcomes using an objective
definition based on clinical data. Necessary data may be obtained and processed directly from electronic health record, but could also be obtained using manual chart review. These data may be useful for understanding the effectiveness of local sepsis prevention, early recognition, and treatment programs.

2023 National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN); Patient Safety Component Manual

CDC, National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN)

The Patient Safety Component includes five modules that focus on events associated with medical devices, surgical procedures, antimicrobial agents used during healthcare, multidrug resistant organisms, and Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Diagnostic Safety and Quality

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Diagnostic errors occur in all settings of care, contribute to about 10 percent of patient deaths, and are the primary reason for medical liability claims.  AHRQ is the lead Federal agency investing in research to improve diagnostic safety and reduce diagnostic error.

  • Issue Briefs
  • Papers
  • Tools to Improve Diagnostic Safety
  • Blogs
  • Patient and Family Engagement

National Action Plan to Prevent Health Care-Associated Infections: Road Map to Elimination

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP)

In recognition of health care-associated infections (HAIs) as an important public health and patient safety issue, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) convened the Federal Steering Committee for the Prevention of Health Care-Associated Infections (originally called the HHS Steering Committee, but was changed to reflect the addition of agencies outside of HHS). The Steering Committee’s charge is to coordinate and maximize the efficiency of prevention efforts across the federal government. Members of the Steering Committee include clinicians, scientists, and public health leaders representing: