Patient Safety Authority

02/27/2026

Time's running out! The application period for our spring Master Class in writing quality improvement studies ends TONIGHT. Fill out this form and submit it by 11:59 p.m. EST:https://patientsafety.pa.gov/Documents/Writing%20Workshop/QISubmissionTemplate-Spring2026.pdf

02/26/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲! The application period for our spring Master Class in writing quality improvement studies ends tomorrow, Feb. 27, at 11:59 p.m.

Submit your application by February 27, 2026! Our free online Master Class Writing Workshop in Quality Improvement Studies teaches you how to turn your QI project into a manuscript.

02/25/2026

New at PATIENT SAFETY: Wrong-site surgery (WSS) is defined as a “surgical or other invasive procedure performed on the wrong side, site, or patient, or an incorrect procedure performed on the patient.” This avoidable medical error continues to be significant problem in hospitals and ambulatory surgical facilities (ASFs).

Expanding on previous WSS research, the authors of this study took a novel approach: They reviewed and analyzed 644 WSS events reported in Pennsylvania from 2015 to 2024 and identified combinations of clinically related variables, such as type of facility, hospital procedure location, error type, clinician specialty, region of the body, and specific procedure. Among their findings: Most of these WSS events occurred in hospitals rather than ASFs, distributed across operating rooms, interventional radiology, and other procedural locations. The most frequently involved specialties were interventional radiology, pain management, and orthopedics.

This study represents one of the largest samples of WSS events examined in a single study. The authors have visualized their deep-dive analysis in 16 figures, tables, and supplemental appendices to help stakeholders comprehend the many combinations of variables contributing to WSS, identify these factors in their own facility, and design interventions to improve patient safety.

Read more:

By Matthew A. Taylor, Molly Quesenberry & 1 more. Wrong-site surgery (WSS) remains a significant and avoidable medical error, persisting despite decades of national and international efforts to prevent it. Pennsylvania is one of the few large governments...

02/23/2026

If you've been digging out from an avalanche of work and/or snow, you may have missed the deadline for our spring writing workshop — so we're extending it by a week!

That's right, you now have until Friday, February 27, to submit an application describing the quality improvement project you completed that you want to tell the world about. For more information and to apply, visit https://patientsafetyj.com/post/3690-spring-2026-writing-workshop-in-quality-improvement-studies

But hurry: Time is running out (again)!

02/20/2026

Today’s your last day to apply for our spring Master Class Writing Workshop in Quality Improvement Studies!

This two-part online workshop is intended for healthcare workers who have completed a quality improvement (QI) project which made a difference in patient care at their facility or organization—but have not yet written it for publication. In just four hours, you will build the skills and confidence to write, submit, and publish your manuscript in an academic journal—amplifying the impact of your work to benefit patients beyond the walls of your hospital.

Apply before midnight at https://patientsafetyj.com/post/3690-spring-2026-writing-workshop-in-quality-improvement-studies

02/19/2026

🕒 Two days left! Applications for our free 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 are due by 11:59 p.m. ET tomorrow, February 20.

Publishing about your QI project helps others learn from and replicate it—a terrific way to make a lasting impact on patient safety. This two-part online workshop for healthcare workers will be held on the evenings of April 9 and June . Participants will leave with a publishable manuscript and skills and tools to write future QI studies, which can be taught to others.

Learn more and complete the application form today: https://patientsafetyj.com/post/3690-spring-2026-writing-workshop-in-quality-improvement-studies

Submit your application by February 20, 2026! Our free online Master Class Writing Workshop in Quality Improvement Studies teaches you how to turn your QI project into a manuscript.

02/18/2026

⏰ 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲’𝘀 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁! Applications for our spring Master Class in Writing Quality Improvement Studies are due this 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟬!

💻 This free, two-part writing workshop for healthcare professionals will take place virtually on April 9 and June 4, from 3 to 5 p.m. ET. Participants will learn how to turn their QI project into a publishable manuscript to broadly share their work — no writing experience needed!

👉 Learn more and submit your application today:

Submit your application by February 20, 2026! Our free online Master Class Writing Workshop in Quality Improvement Studies teaches you how to turn your QI project into a manuscript.

02/13/2026

Have you participated in a quality improvement project that impacted patient care? Don’t forget the next step: Publishing the results of your QI project is an important but often overlooked way to benefit patients beyond the walls of your facility. Sharing your work can help other facilities learn from and replicate it.

Writing an academic article may not be as hard—or take as much time—as you think. Join our online fall Master Class Writing Workshop in Quality Improvement Studies and we will teach you the skills you need to turn your QI project into a publishable manuscript! Learn more and apply by Friday, February 20:

Submit your application by February 20, 2026! Our free online Master Class Writing Workshop in Quality Improvement Studies teaches you how to turn your QI project into a manuscript.

02/09/2026

𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱: Radiation therapy (RT), in which radiation is administered to the body externally (e.g., beam radiation) or internally (by temporary insertion or permanent implant), is a well-known treatment for cancer. However, RT is complex and nuanced, requiring planning, administration, and monitoring by a large, multidisciplinary care team—and thus comes with its own safety risks for patients and staff. This study of 245 events reported by 40 hospitals from January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2023, identified 23 risk factors across six phases of RT (before simulation, simulation, treatment planning, pretreatment QA review, treatment delivery, and after treatment completion).

In each event, one of the 23 RT risk factors contributed to a wrong dose error (71%) or delay in treatment (29%). More than half of the wrong dose events (51%) originated from the treatment planning phase and a majority of the delay in treatment events (67%) were associated with treatment delivery. One standout finding is that lengthy treatment delays were frequently attributed to scheduling or ordering errors in the before simulation phase, suggesting that automated tracking systems could be used to mitigate risk. The authors have provided a list of such mitigation strategies aimed at detecting and preventing the risk factors identified in their study. This online supplement is intended as a resource to guide interventions and reduce patient harm in RT.

Read more in PATIENT SAFETY:

By Matthew A. Taylor, Scott Symington & 1 more. Radiation therapy is a common lifesaving practice in the treatment of cancer, yet there is the potential for error that may cause patient harm or death.

02/04/2026

Have you participated in a quality improvement project that impacted patient care? Don’t forget the next step: Publishing the results of your QI project is an important but often overlooked way to benefit patients beyond the walls of your facility. Sharing your work can help other facilities learn from and replicate it.

Writing an academic article may not be as hard—or take as much time—as you think. Join our free, online Master Class Writing Workshop in Quality Improvement Studies and we will teach you the skills you need to turn your QI project into a publishable manuscript! Learn more and apply for the spring session by Friday, February 20 at

Submit your application by February 20, 2026! Our free online Master Class Writing Workshop in Quality Improvement Studies teaches you how to turn your QI project into a manuscript.

01/28/2026

We are now open to applications for our spring Master Class Writing Workshop in Quality Improvement Studies!

👉🏽 Did your facility complete a project to improve patient care? If you publish your work, other facilities can learn from it and replicate your success.
👉🏽 Our free, online workshop teaches healthcare workers to write quality improvement studies and submit them for publication.
👉🏽 Learn more and apply by Friday, February 20, for our spring 2026 session:

Submit your application by February 20, 2026! Our free online Master Class Writing Workshop in Quality Improvement Studies teaches you how to turn your QI project into a manuscript.

01/16/2026

Cuneiform. Printing presses. Typewriters. Computers. Large language models. Humanity is once again on the precipice of a communication evolution. How is artificial intelligence (AI) transforming academic publishing—and writing in general? Penn State professor of Radiology and Medicine and active researcher on the adoption of AI in healthcare, Dr. Michael Bruno, shared his thoughts about where the industry is headed and whether humans are still in the driver’s seat.

By Michael A. Bruno. How is artificial intelligence (AI) transforming academic publishing—and writing in general? Penn State professor of Radiology and Medicine and active researcher on the adoption of AI in healthcare, Dr. Michael...