Information Management Efforts in Improving Patient Safety in Critical Care - A Review of the Literature

Abstract

Patient safety is the responsibility of all professionals involved in the provision of health care services. The risk of harm is increased in the critical care setting due to complex care needs and frequent procedures. Information management is a contributing factor to a large number of incidents in the critical care setting. The aim of this study was to explore the current research of efforts in improving patient safety in the critical care environment. An integrative literature review was conducted and four databases (Cinahl, Pubmed, Scopus, and Web of Science) were searched. A total of 19 articles were included in the review. A theoretical framework of information management in decision-making in hospitals was used to guide the analysis. The results indicate that most research from a patient safety perspective focuses on means to improve information management on clinical level decision-making and that managerial information management remains vaguely explored. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014.