Sailing the boat together: Co-creation of a model for learning during transition.

PURPOSE: Medical students' transition to postgraduate training, given the complexity of new roles and responsibilities, requires the engagement of all involved stakeholders. This study aims to co-create a transition curriculum and determine the value of involving the key stakeholders throughout such transition in its design process. METHODS: We conducted a mixed-methods study involving faculty/leaders (undergraduate/postgraduate), final-year medical students, and chief residents. It commenced with eight co-creation sessions (CCS), qualitative results of which were used to draft a quantitative survey sent to non-participants, followed by two consensus-building CCS with the original participants. We applied thematic analysis for transcripts of all CCS, and mean scores with standard deviations for survey analysis. RESULTS: We identified five themes: adaptation, authenticity, autonomy, connectedness, and continuity, embedded in the foundation of a supportive environment, to constitute a Model of Learning during Transition (MOLT). Inclusion of various stakeholders and optimizing their representation brought rich perspectives to the design process. This was reinforced through active students' participation enabling a final consensus. CONCLUSIONS: Bringing perspectives of key stakeholders in the transition spectrum enriches transition curricula. The proposed MOLT can provide a guide for curriculum designers to optimize the final year of undergraduate medical training in preparing students for postgraduate training with essential competencies to be trained.

Efficacy of postmortem CT and tissue sampling in establishing the cause of death in clinical practice: a prospective observational study.

AIMS: The aim of this study is to evaluate whether agreement with autopsy-determined cause of death (COD) increases by use of postmortem CT (PMCT) or PMCT in combination with postmortem sampling (PMS), when compared with clinical assessment only. METHODS: This prospective observational study included deceased patients from the intensive care unit and internal medicine wards between October 2013 and August 2017. The primary outcome was percentage agreement on COD between the reference standard (autopsy) and the alternative postmortem examinations (clinical assessment vs PMCT or PMCT+PMS). In addition, the COD of patient groups with and without conventional autopsy were compared with respect to involved organ systems and pathologies. RESULTS: Of 730 eligible cases, 144 could be included for analysis: 63 underwent PCMT without autopsy and 81 underwent both PMCT and autopsy. Agreement with autopsy-determined COD was significantly higher for both PMCT with PMS (42/57, 74%), and PMCT alone (53/81, 65%) than for clinical assessment (40/81, 51%; p=0.007 and p=0.03, respectively). The difference in agreement between PMCT with PMS and PMCT alone was not significant (p=0.13). The group with autopsy had a significantly higher prevalence of circulatory system involvement and perfusion disorders, and a lower prevalence of pulmonary system involvement. CONCLUSION: PMCT and PMS confer additional diagnostic value in establishing the COD. Shortcomings in detecting vascular occlusions and perfusion disorders and susceptibility to pulmonary postmortem changes could in future be improved by additional techniques. Both PMCT and PMS are feasible in clinical practice and an alternative when autopsy cannot be performed.

A Systematic Review of Methods for Medical Record Analysis to Detect Adverse Events in Hospitalized Patients.

OBJECTIVE: In this systematic review, we evaluate 2 of the most used trigger tools according to the criteria of the World Health Organization for evaluating methods. METHODS: We searched Embase, PubMed, and Cochrane databases for studies (2000-2017). Studies were included if medical record review (MRR) was performed with either the Global Trigger Tool or the Harvard Medical Practice Study in a hospital population. Quality assessment was performed in duplicate. Fifty studies were included, and results were reported for every criterion separately. RESULTS: Medical record review reveals more adverse events (AEs) than any other method. However, at the same time, it detects different AEs. The costs of an AE were on average €4296. Considerable efforts have been made worldwide in health care to improve safety and to reduce errors. These have resulted in some positive effects. The literature showed that MRR is focused on several domains of quality of care and seems suitable for both small and large cohorts. Furthermore, we found a moderate to substantial agreement for the presence of a trigger and a moderate to good agreement for the presence of an AE. CONCLUSIONS: Medical record review with a trigger tool is a reasonably well-researched method for the evaluation of the medical records for AEs. However, looking at the World Health Organization criteria, much research is still lacking or of moderate quality. Especially for the cost of detecting AEs, valuable information is missing. Moreover, knowledge of how MRR changes quality and safety of care should be evaluated.

The Harvard medical practice study trigger system performance in deceased patients.

BACKGROUND: To detect possible threats to quality and safety, multiple systems have been developed. One of them is retrospective chart review. A team of experts scrutinizes medical records, selected by trigger systems, to detect possible adverse events (AEs). The most important AEs and more hints for possible improvement of care appear in deceased patients. Using triggers in a sample of these patients might increase the performance and lower the burden of scrutinizing records without possible preventable AEs. The aim of this study was therefore to determine the performance of the trigger system in a sample of deceased patients and to calculate the specificity and the sensitivity of this trigger system for predicting AEs. METHODS: We performed a study in which the records of deceased patients were screened for triggers by a team of trained nurses. A sample of 100 medical records was randomly selected out of records which had been screened between 2012 and 2015 for the first time, prior to the study in 2016. For the determination of significant differences between the first and second screening, McNemar's test of symmetry was used. Also, observed agreement, Cohen's Kappa and prevalence-adjusted and-bias-adjusted-kappa (PABAK) statistics were calculated. This was done for the two trigger rounds on both any trigger present and for every trigger separately. RESULTS: The observed agreement for any given trigger was 75% with a Kappa and PABAK of 0.5. For the individual triggers, the observed agreement was on average 90%. The corresponding Kappa was on average 0.42 (range: - 0.03-0.78) and the average PABAK was 0.8 (range: 0.44-0.92). Two adverse events were found in cases without triggers previously. The recalculated specificity and sensitivity for the original population were 58 and 92% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: For the reproducibility of triggers it seems that some perform better than others, but on average this is to our opinion suboptimal. The low specificity implies that many records are selected without AEs. This leads to a high false-positive rate making this labour-intensive record review process costly. Therefore, research for better and more expedient systems is required.

Variación biológica de Creatinina, Cistatina C y Tasa de Filtrado Glomerular Estimada a lo largo de 24 horas / Biological Variation of Creatinine, Cystatin C, and Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate over 24 hours

Antecedentes: La tasa de filtración glomerular estimada (TFGe) es ampliamente utilizada en la práctica clínica. El presente estudio evaluó la variación biológica intraindividual (CVI) de diferentes ecuaciones de TFGe en sujetos con enfermedad renal crónica (ERC) y sin ERC. Los objetivos de este estudio fueron (a) determinar los perfiles de variación biológica durante 24 horas de creatinina, cistatina C y TFGe y (b) determinar si el CVI de la creatinina, la cistatina C y la TFGe cambia el deterioro de la filtración glomerular. Métodos: Se analizaron muestras de sangre cada hora de 37 individuos (17 sin ERC, 20 con ERC) durante 24 h. La creatinina (método enzimático) y la cistatina C se midieron usando un Cobas 8000 (Roche Diagnostics). La TFGe se estimó utilizando la Modificación de la Dieta en la Enfermedad Renal y la Colaboración de Epidemiología de la Enfermedad Renal Crónica basada en creatinina y/o cistatina C. Las muestras de plasma se almacenaron a -80 °C antes del análisis. Se verificaron los análisis de valores atípicos y de homogeneidad antes de realizar un ANOVA anidado para determinar la variación biológica. Resultados: La CVI de creatinina fue más alta en sujetos sin ERC que en aquellos con ERC (6.4% frente a 2.5%) debido principalmente al efecto más marcado del consumo de carne sobre la variabilidad de creatinina en individuos con concentraciones iniciales de creatinina más bajas. A diferencia de la creatinina, las concentraciones de cistatina C no se vieron afectadas por el consumo de carne. La cistatina C mostró alguna variación rítmica diurna y menor en los sujetos con ERC. Los valores de referencia del cambio (VCR) de todas las ecuaciones de TFGe estuvieron dentro del 13% al 20% en ambos grupos de estudio. Conclusiones: A pesar de las diferencias en el CVI de la creatinina, el CVI y el VRC de las ecuaciones de TFGe fueron relativamente similares para los sujetos con o sin ERC.

Background: Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) is widely used in clinical practice. This study assessed the within-subject biological variation (CVI) of different eGFR equations in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and people without CKD. The aims of this study were (a) to determine the 24-h biological variation profiles of creatinine, cystatin C, and eGFR and (b) to determine whether CVI of creatinine, cystatin C, and eGFR changes on deterioration of glomerular filtration. Methods: Hourly blood samples were analyzed from 37 individuals (17 without CKD, 20 with CKD) during 24 h. Creatinine (enzymatic method) and cystatin C were measured using a Cobas 8000 (Roche Diagnostics). eGFR was estimated using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease and the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration based on creatinine and/or cystatin C. Plasma samples were stored at -80 °C before analysis. Outlier and homogeneity analyses were checked before performing a nested ANOVA to determine biological variation. Results: CVI of creatinine was higher in people without CKD than in those with CKD (6.4% vs. 2.5%) owing primarily to the more profound effect of meat consumption on creatinine variability in individuals with lower baseline creatinine concentrations. Unlike creatinine, cystatin C concentrations were unaffected by meat consumption. Cystatin C showed some diurnal rhythmic variation and less in people with CKD. Reference change values (RCVs) of all eGFR equations were within 13% to 20% in both study groups. Conclusions: Despite differences in CVI of creatinine, the CVI and RCV of the eGFR equations were relatively similar for people with or without CKD.

Adverse event detection by medical record review is reproducible, but the assessment of their preventability is not.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the reproducibility of adverse event evaluation by a medical record review committee. DESIGN: Cross-sectional reanalysis of medical records. INTERVENTION: Reviewers re-examined fifty medical records of deceased patients regarding the presence of adverse events, their potential preventability and their possible contribution to death. Also we investigated the root causes of the preventable AEs. Differences between the first and second assessment were calculated. RESULTS: The Kappa on the presence of an adverse event was 0.64 and 0.32 for the potential preventability. The intrarater agreement showed a Kappa of 0.61 on the adverse event presence and 0.64 for the potential preventability. Interrater agreement showed a Kappa of 0.66 for the adverse event presence and 0.03 for the potential preventability. CONCLUSION: We found a fair reproducibility for the detection of adverse events, but a poor reproducibility for the potential preventability. Possibly this was caused by lack of a definition for the preventability of adverse events. We think giving feedback to professionals using the results of medical record review remains valuable, but an improvement of its reproducibility is essential. To our opinion an international consensus on what exactly constitutes preventability of adverse events and agreement on a definition is necessary. This would result in more comparable studies in this field and could then be more informative on the ideal procedure to avoid certain potentially preventable adverse events in the future.

[It is not an issue that basic science courses are vanishing from the medical curriculum]. / Prima dat basisvakken verdwijnen uit de opleiding.

There is some controversy regarding the role of and time devoted to so-called basic sciences in the medical curriculum. In this article, the author argues that nowadays basic sciences are a far less important element of the medical curriculum than in the past, and that in time they will likely be phased out completely. Arguments put forward are the changing role of the medical doctor, evidence that general clinical reasoning skills do not exist, and that the contrary assumption has led to havoc. He concludes that the removal of basic sciences from the medical curriculum will be substituted by teaching of consultation skills, psychology and guideline application.

Biological Variation of Creatinine, Cystatin C, and eGFR over 24 Hours.

BACKGROUND: Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) is widely used in clinical practice. This study assessed the within-subject biological variation (CVI) of different eGFR equations in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and people without CKD. The aims of this study were (a) to determine the 24-h biological variation profiles of creatinine, cystatin C, and eGFR and (b) to determine whether CVI of creatinine, cystatin C, and eGFR changes on deterioration of glomerular filtration. METHODS: Hourly blood samples were analyzed from 37 individuals (17 without CKD, 20 with CKD) during 24 h. Creatinine (enzymatic method) and cystatin C were measured using a Cobas 8000 (Roche Diagnostics). eGFR was estimated using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease and the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration based on creatinine and/or cystatin C. Plasma samples were stored at -80 °C before analysis. Outlier and homogeneity analyses were checked before performing a nested ANOVA to determine biological variation. RESULTS: CVI of creatinine was higher in people without CKD than in those with CKD (6.4% vs 2.5%) owing primarily to the more profound effect of meat consumption on creatinine variability in individuals with lower baseline creatinine concentrations. Unlike creatinine, cystatin C concentrations were unaffected by meat consumption. Cystatin C showed some diurnal rhythmic variation and less in people with CKD. Reference change values (RCVs) of all eGFR equations were within 13% to 20% in both study groups. CONCLUSIONS: Despite differences in CVI of creatinine, the CVI and RCV of the eGFR equations were relatively similar for people with or without CKD.

The ability of triggers to retrospectively predict potentially preventable adverse events in a sample of deceased patients.

Several trigger systems have been developed to screen medical records of hospitalized patients for adverse events (AEs). Because it's too labor-intensive to screen the records of all patients, usually a sample is screened. Our sample consists of patients who died during their stay because chances of finding preventable AEs in this subset are highest. Records were reviewed for fifteen triggers (n = 2182). When a trigger was present, the records were scrutinized by specialized medical doctors who searched for AEs. The positive predictive value (PPV) of the total trigger system and of the individual triggers was calculated. Additional analyses were performed to identify a possible optimization of the trigger system. In our sample, the trigger system had an overall PPV for AEs of 47%, 17% for potentially preventable AEs. More triggers present in a record increased the probability of detecting an AE. Adjustments to the trigger system slightly increased the positive predictive value but missed about 10% of the AEs detected with the original system. In our sample of deceased patients the trigger system has a PPV comparable to other samples. However still, an enormous amount of time and resources are spent on cases without AEs or with non-preventable AEs. Possibly, the performance could be further improved by combining triggers with clinical scores and laboratory results. This could be promising in reducing the costly and labor-intensive work of screening medical records.

Labtracker+, a medical smartphone app for the interpretation of consecutive laboratory results: an external validation study.

OBJECTIVES: When monitoring patients over time, clinicians may struggle to distinguish 'real changes' in consecutive blood parameters from so-called natural fluctuations. In practice, they have to do so by relying on their clinical experience and intuition. We developed Labtracker+, a medical app that calculates the probability that an increase or decrease over time in a specific blood parameter is real, given the time between measurements. DESIGN: We presented patient cases to 135 participants to examine whether there is a difference between medical students, residents and experienced clinicians when it comes to interpreting changes between consecutive laboratory results. Participants were asked to interpret if changes in consecutive laboratory values were likely to be 'real' or rather due to natural fluctuations. The answers of the study participants were compared with the calculated probabilities by the app Labtracker+ and the concordance rates were assessed. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Medical students (n=92), medical residents from the department of internal medicine (n=19) and internists (n=24) at a Dutch University Medical Centre. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Concordance rates between the study participants and the calculated probabilities by the app Labtracker+ were compared. Besides, we tested whether physicians with clinical experience scored better concordance rates with the app Labtracker+ than inexperienced clinicians. RESULTS: Medical residents and internists showed significantly better concordance rates with the calculated probabilities by the app Labtracker+ than medical students, regarding their interpretation of differences between consecutive laboratory results (p=0.009 and p<0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION: The app Labtracker+ could serve as a clinical decision tool in the interpretation of consecutive laboratory test results and could contribute to rapid recognition of parameter changes by physicians.

Within-day biological variation and hour-to-hour reference change values for hematological parameters.

BACKGROUND: Middle- and long-term biological variation data for hematological parameters have been reported in the literature. Within-day 24-h variability profiles for hematological parameters are currently lacking. However, comprehensive hour-to-hour variability data are critical to detect diurnal cyclical rhythms, and to take into account the 'time of sample collection' as a possible determinant of natural fluctuation. In this study, we assessed 24-h variation profiles for 20 hematological parameters. METHODS: Blood samples were collected under standardized conditions from 24 subjects every hour for 24 h. At each measurement, 20 hematological parameters were determined in duplicate. Analytical variation (CVA), within-subject biological variation (CVI), between-subject biological variation (CVG), index of individuality (II), and reference change values (RCVs) were calculated. For the parameters with a diurnal rhythm, hour-to-hour RCVs were determined. RESULTS: All parameters showed higher CVG than CVI. Highest CVG was found for eosinophils (46.6%; 95% CI, 34.9%-70.1%) and the lowest value was mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) (3.2%; 95% CI, 2.4%-4.8%). CVI varied from 0.4% (95% CI, 0.32%-0.42%) to 20.9% (95% CI, 19.4%-22.6%) for red cell distribution width (RDW) and eosinophils, respectively. Six hematological parameters showed a diurnal rhythm. CONCLUSIONS: We present complete 24-h variability profiles for 20 hematological parameters. Hour-to-hour reference changes values may help to better discriminate between random fluctuations and true changes in parameters with rhythmic diurnal oscillations.

Acute dyspnea caused by hypocalcemia-related laryngospasm.

BACKGROUND: Laryngospasm is a rare cause of stridor in adults, and laryngospasm due to hypocalcemia is an unusual finding. CASE REPORT: We present a case of an adult woman with acute dyspnea. A week prior to presentation, she experienced short episodes of a pinching feeling in her throat and difficulty breathing. On primary assessment, stridor and a positive Trousseau sign were noted. Laboratory examination showed hypocalcemia. We concluded that the dyspnea was caused by laryngospasm due to hypocalcemia. Hypocalcemia was treated promptly, and stridor and dyspnea resolved rapidly. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Laryngospasm is a rare, but serious and potentially lethal, complication of hypocalcemia in adults. In every adult presenting with acute dyspnea and stridor, the possibility of hypocalcemia should be considered. Hypocalcemia should be treated promptly.

Nonlinear mixed effects modeling of the diurnal blood pressure profile in a multiracial population.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac and cerebrovascular events in hypertensive patients are related to specific features of the 24-hour diurnal blood pressure (BP) profile (i.e., daytime and nighttime BP, nocturnal dip (ND), and morning surge (MS)). This investigation aimed to characterize 24-hour diurnal systolic BP (SBP) with parameters that correlate directly with daytime and nighttime SBP, ND, and MS using nonlinear mixed effects modeling. METHODS: Ambulatory 24-hour SBP measurements (ABPM) of 196 nontreated subjects from three ethnic groups were available. A population model was parameterized in NONMEM to estimate and evaluate the parameters baseline SBP (BSL), nadir (minimum SBP during the night), and change (SBP difference between day and night). Associations were tested between these parameters and patient-related factors to explain interindividual variability. RESULTS: The diurnal SBP profile was adequately described as the sum of 2 cosine functions. The following typical values (interindividual variability) were found: BSL = 139 mm Hg (11%); nadir = 122 mm Hg (14%); change = 25 mm Hg (52%), and residual error = 12 mm Hg. The model parameters correlate well with daytime and nighttime SBP, ND, and MS (R (2) = 0.50-0.92). During covariate analysis, ethnicity was found to be associated with change; change was 40% higher in white Dutch subjects and 26.8% higher in South Asians than in blacks. CONCLUSIONS: The developed population model allows simultaneous estimation of BSL, nadir, and change for all individuals in the investigated population, regardless of individual number of SBP measurements. Ethnicity was associated with change. The model provides a tool to evaluate and optimize the sampling frequency for 24-hour ABPM.

Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling of the antihypertensive effect of eprosartan in Black and White hypertensive patients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: It is well recognized that many antihypertensive drugs exhibit large interindividual variability in effect and that this wide range of patient response to antihypertensive drugs is a major problem in achieving blood pressure (BP) control. Variability in both drug concentration and drug effect may cause the heterogeneity in antihypertensive drug response. However, for most antihypertensive drugs, no clear relationship between drug concentration and its effect on BP has been reported. This study aimed to describe the relationship between eprosartan exposure and its effect on the systolic blood pressure (SBP) using population pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling. Interindividual variability in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics was quantified and the influence of covariates on this relationship was evaluated. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eprosartan plasma concentrations and SBP measurements were determined in 86 mildly hypertensive patients from the ROTATE study aged 48.1 ± 7.6 years with different ethnic backgrounds (33 White Dutch, 41 Creole Surinamese, 12 Hindustani Surinamese). In 12 of these patients, pharmacokinetics were densely sampled and 24-h ambulatory BP measurements were obtained. Data were analyzed using nonlinear mixed effects modeling. RESULTS: Eprosartan concentration-time profiles were adequately described with a two-compartment pharmacokinetic model with zero-order absorption. A log-linear relationship was used to describe the relationship between concentration and the decrease in SBP. A hypothetical effect compartment was used to describe hysteresis in the drug effect. Approximately 80 % of the maximum decrease in SBP was observed after 24 days. Interindividual variability in drug response was 65 % and decreased to 14 % when ethnicity was added as covariate. Creole Surinamese exhibited no drug response in contrast to White Dutch and Hindustani Surinamese [-2.6 mm Hg per (ng/ml)]. CONCLUSIONS: The developed pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic model allows the quantification and explanation of variability in SBP between individuals with ethnicity as a useful determinant of responsiveness to eprosartan.

Informal learning from error in hospitals: what do we learn, how do we learn and how can informal learning be enhanced? A narrative review.

Learning from error is not just an individual endeavour. Organisations also learn from error. Hospitals provide many learning opportunities, which can be formal or informal. Informal learning from error in hospitals has not been researched in much depth so this narrative review focuses on five learning opportunities: morbidity and mortality conferences, incident reporting systems, patient claims and complaints, chart review and prospective risk analysis. For each of them we describe: (1) what can be learnt, categorised according to the seven CanMEDS competencies; (2) how it is possible to learn from them, analysed against a model of informal and incidental learning; and (3) how this learning can be enhanced. All CanMEDS competencies could be enhanced, but there was a particular focus on the roles of medical expert and manager. Informal learning occurred mostly through reflection and action and was often linked to the learning of others. Most important to enhance informal learning from these learning opportunities was the realisation of a climate of collaboration and trust. Possible new directions for future research on informal learning from error in hospitals might focus on ways to measure informal learning and the balance between formal and informal learning. Finally, 12 recommendations about how hospitals could enhance informal learning within their organisation are given.

Reflective learning in a patient safety course for final-year medical students.

BACKGROUND: Patient safety has become an important topic over the last decade and has also been increasingly implemented in the undergraduate curriculum. However, the best timing and method of teaching still remains to be decided. AIMS: To develop and evaluate a patient safety course for final-year students. The course is based on reflective learning and personal experiences to improve the transfer of theory into practice. METHODS: We performed a mixed method evaluation study of the course. An evaluation questionnaire and the number of completed incident report cards were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Focus groups, organized two and four weeks after the course, were analyzed using template analysis; the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) was used to interpret the results. RESULTS: Students found the course overall instructive and reacted positively towards many elements of the course. Focus group analysis showed that an increase in knowledge about patient safety topics resulted in a change of attitudes towards these subjects and in an increase in awareness of patient safety. This influenced students' behavioral intention and their behavior. CONCLUSIONS: A course based on students' personal experiences enables them to transfer theory on patient safety issues into their own practice and has an effect on their awareness, attitudes and behavior. This could have a large impact on their future role as resident.

A comprehensive overview of medical error in hospitals using incident-reporting systems, patient complaints and chart review of inpatient deaths.

BACKGROUND: Incident reporting systems (IRS) are used to identify medical errors in order to learn from mistakes and improve patient safety in hospitals. However, IRS contain only a small fraction of occurring incidents. A more comprehensive overview of medical error in hospitals may be obtained by combining information from multiple sources. The WHO has developed the International Classification for Patient Safety (ICPS) in order to enable comparison of incident reports from different sources and institutions. METHODS: The aim of this paper was to provide a more comprehensive overview of medical error in hospitals using a combination of different information sources. Incident reports collected from IRS, patient complaints and retrospective chart review in an academic acute care hospital were classified using the ICPS. The main outcome measures were distribution of incidents over the thirteen categories of the ICPS classifier "Incident type", described as odds ratios (OR) and proportional similarity indices (PSI). RESULTS: A total of 1012 incidents resulted in 1282 classified items. Large differences between data from IRS and patient complaints (PSI = 0.32) and from IRS and retrospective chart review (PSI = 0.31) were mainly attributable to behaviour (OR = 6.08), clinical administration (OR = 5.14), clinical process (OR = 6.73) and resources (OR = 2.06). CONCLUSIONS: IRS do not capture all incidents in hospitals and should be combined with complementary information about diagnostic error and delayed treatment from patient complaints and retrospective chart review. Since incidents that are not recorded in IRS do not lead to remedial and preventive action in response to IRS reports, healthcare centres that have access to different incident detection methods should harness information from all sources to improve patient safety.

Students' perceptions of patient safety during the transition from undergraduate to postgraduate training: an activity theory analysis.

Evidence that medical error can cause harm to patients has raised the attention of the health care community towards patient safety and influenced how and what medical students learn about it. Patient safety is best taught when students are participating in clinical practice where they actually encounter patients at risk. This type of learning is referred to as workplace learning, a complex system in which various factors influence what is being learned and how. A theory that can highlight potential difficulties in this complex learning system about patient safety is activity theory. Thirty-four final year undergraduate medical students participated in four focus groups about their experiences concerning patient safety. Using activity theory as analytical framework, we performed constant comparative thematic analysis of the focus group transcripts to identify important themes. We found eight general themes relating to two activities: learning to be a doctor and delivering safe patient care. Simultaneous occurrence of these two activities can cause contradictions. Our results illustrate the complexity of learning about patient safety at the workplace. Students encounter contradictions when learning about patient safety, especially during a transitional phase of their training. These contradictions create potential learning opportunities which should be used in education about patient safety. Insight into the complexities of patient safety is essential to improve education in this important area of medicine.

Are "functionally related polymorphisms" of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system gene polymorphisms associated with hypertension?

BACKGROUND: Genotype-phenotype association studies are typically based upon polymorphisms or haplotypes comprised of multiple polymorphisms within a single gene. It has been proposed that combinations of polymorphisms in distinct genes, which functionally impact the same phenotype, may have stronger phenotype associations than those within a single gene. We have tested this hypothesis using genes encoding components of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and the high blood pressure phenotype. METHODS: Our analysis is based on 1379 participants of the cross-sectional SUNSET study randomly selected from the population register of Amsterdam. Each subject was genotyped for the angiotensinogen M235T, the angiotensin-converting enzyme insertion/deletion and the angiotensin II type 1 receptor A1166C polymorphism. The phenotype high blood pressure was defined either as a categorical variable comparing hypertension versus normotension as in most previous studies or as a continuous variable using systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressure in a multiple regression analysis with gender, ethnicity, age, body-mass-index and antihypertensive medication as covariates. RESULTS: Genotype-phenotype relationships were explored for each polymorphism in isolation and for double and triple polymorphism combinations. At the single polymorphism level, only the A allele of the angiotensin II type 1 receptor was associated with a high blood pressure phenotype. Using combinations of polymorphisms of two or all three genes did not yield stronger/more consistent associations. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that combinations of physiologically related polymorphisms of multiple genes, at least with regard to the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and the hypertensive phenotype, do not necessarily offer additional benefit in analyzing genotype/phenotype associations.