Caregiver and Patient Input for Quality and Safety (C-PIQS) Pilot Study: Patient-Initiated Safety Observations Using...

Area of Science:

• Health informatics
• Patient safety
• Health equity

Background:

• Traditional safety reporting systems often miss adverse events experienced by hospitalized patients.
• Patients and caregivers can identify critical safety events missed by healthcare staff.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility of a text message-based safety reporting tool for adult inpatients and their caregivers at a public hospital.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, observational pilot study was conducted.
• Participants received daily text messages with a link to an online reporting tool.
• Feasibility was assessed via engagement, reporting rates, content analysis, and comparison with staff reports.

Main Results:

• Fifty percent of eligible patients and caregivers participated.
• Over 50% of participants engaged with the tool, submitting 64 safety observations.
• Reporting rates varied significantly by race, ethnicity, and language, with lower rates among Spanish-speaking Latinx and Black/African American patients.

Conclusions:

• A text message tool can feasibly collect patient-reported safety observations, including from marginalized populations.
• Lower reporting rates among minority groups underscore disparities in patient safety initiatives.
• Improving engagement across diverse patient populations is crucial for equitable safety reporting and outcomes.