AHRQ Patient Safety Network ► Nighttime cross-coverage is associated with decreased intensive care unit mortality. A single-center study.

AHRQ Patient Safety Network



Nighttime cross-coverage is associated with decreased intensive care unit mortality. A single-center study.

Kajdacsy-Balla Amaral AC, Barros BS, Barros CC, Innes C, Pinto R, Rubenfeld GD. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2014;189:1395-1401.

This study revealed that cross-coverage, in which physicians care for patients they have learned about throughhandoffs, was associated with lower mortality in the intensive care unit. This finding counters persisting concerns about harm related to discontinuity of care. The authors suggest that an independent assessment by a second physician may mitigate cognitive errors.

PubMed citation 
Available at 

Related Resources

STUDY

Discontinuity of chronic medications in patients discharged from the intensive care unit.

Bell CM, Rahimi-Darabad P, Orner AI. J Gen Intern Med. 2006;21:937-941.

STUDY

An observational study of changes to long-term medication after admission to an intensive care unit.

Campbell AJ, Bloomfield R, Noble DW. Anaesthesia. 2006;61:1087-1092.

STUDY

Iatrogenic events resulting in intensive care admission: frequency, cause, and disclosure to patients and institutions.

Lehmann LS, Puopolo AL, Shaykevich S, Brennan TA. Am J Med. 2005;118:409-413.

STUDY

Real time patient safety audits: improving safety every day.

Ursprung R, Gray JE, Edwards WH, et al. Qual Saf Health Care. 2005;14:284-289.

View all related resources...