[Prevention of adverse events for patient safety in chronic pain treatment units]

Objectives: To identify preventive actions that minimise risk of patients safety in pain treatment units, and to cluster preventive actions into homogeneous groups. The current study is part of a project intended to improve patient safety in pain treatment units, and is aimed at identifying, prioritising and preventing patient safety risk.

Material and methods: A group of experts was selected from professionals with a specific clinical background and experience in pain treatment units. This group was provided with information on patient safety and on known adverse events, errors and related causes. Through a brainstorming method the participants were asked: What changes or improvements would need to be undertaken to absolutely prevent the occurrence of each adverse event? The participant's proposals were analysed and grouped according to their homogeneity.

Results: A total of 456 preventive actions were identified. The group that received the highest number of suggestions was the one including changes in the management of healthcare processes, followed by the group that considered improvements in clinical practice, training activities, protocols and policies, and patient communication.

Conclusions: According to the consensus of the experts, management of healthcare processes and improvements in health care practices are the 2 interventions that are most likely to reduce patient safety risk in pain treatment units.