Hospital Resources

Emergency Severity Index

The Emergency Severity Index (ESI) is a five-level emergency department (ED) triage algorithm that provides clinically relevant stratification of patients into five groups from 1 (most urgent) to 5 (least urgent) on the basis of acuity and resource needs. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) funded initial work on the ESI.

Fall Prevention in Hospitals Training Program

AHRQ developed the Fall Prevention in Hospitals Training Program to support the training of hospital staff on how to implement AHRQ’s Preventing Falls in Hospitals Toolkit. The content of the Training Program and supporting materials help hospitals become familiar with each of the components of the Toolkit and learn how to overcome the challenges associated with developing, implementing, and sustaining a fall prevention program.

Guide to Patient and Family Engagement in Hospital Quality and Safety

Research shows that when patients are engaged in their health care, it can lead to measurable improvements in safety and quality.  To promote stronger engagement, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) developed a guide to help patients, families, and health professionals work together as partners to promote improvements in care.

• Information to Get Started
• Bedside Shift Report (Video)
• Strategy 1
• Strategy 2
• Strategy 3
• Strategy 4

Hospital Guide to Reducing Medicaid Readmissions

Reducing readmissions is a national priority for payers, providers, and policymakers seeking to improve health care and lower costs. Readmissions are a significant issue among patients with Medicaid. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality commissioned this guide to identify ways evidence-based strategies to reduce readmissions can be adapted or expanded to better address the transitional care needs of the adult Medicaid population.

Improving the Emergency Department Discharge Process

Millions of patients visit hospital emergency departments (EDs) each year for a variety of injuries and ailments. It is crucial for these patients to receive appropriate preparation for their return home so that they can properly manage their recovery. ED discharge failure, such as ED return within 72 hours or more, carries significant clinical implications for patients, including unfinished treatments and progression of illness. But there is only limited understanding of such risk factors currently. This report presents the purpose, methods, and results of an environmental scan on existing literature in this area.

Improving Patient Safety Systems for Patients with Limited English Proficiency

This TeamSTEPPS guide was created to help enhance safety for patients with limited English Proficiency.

Make Informed Consent an Informed Choice: Training Modules for Health Care Leaders and Professionals

Many individuals do not understand the benefits, harms, and risks of treatment, even after signing a consent form. This raises patient safety and liability concerns, and runs counter to person-centered care. AHRQ has developed two interactive training modules that teach clear, comprehensive, engaging communication strategies that hospitals and clinical teams can use to ensure that people understand the benefits, harms, and risks of their alternatives, including the option of not having any treatment.

NICU Toolkit

This toolkit includes resources for hospitals that wish to improve safety when newborns transition home from their neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) by creating a Health Coach Program, tools for coaches, and information for parents and families of newborns who have spent time in the NICU.

Preventing Falls in Hospitals

Each year, somewhere between 700,000 and 1,000,000 people in the United States fall in the hospital. A fall may result in fractures, lacerations, or internal bleeding, leading to increased health care utilization. Research shows that close to one-third of falls can be prevented. Fall prevention involves managing a patient's underlying fall risk factors and optimizing the hospital's physical design and environment. This toolkit focuses on overcoming the challenges associated with developing, implementing, and sustaining a fall prevention program.

Pressure Injury Prevention in Hospitals Training Program

AHRQ developed the Pressure Injury Prevention in Hospitals Training Program to support the training of hospital staff on how to implement AHRQ’s Preventing Pressure Ulcers in Hospitals Toolkit. The content of the Training Program and supporting materials help hospitals become familiar with each of the components of the Toolkit and learn how to overcome the challenges associated with developing, implementing, and sustaining a pressure injury prevention program.

Preventing Pressure Ulcers in Hospitals

Each year, more than 2.5 million people in the United States develop pressure ulcers. These skin lesions bring pain, associated risk for serious infection, and increased health care utilization. The aim of this toolkit is to assist hospital staff in implementing effective pressure ulcer prevention practices through an interdisciplinary approach to care.

RED (Re-Engineered Discharge) Toolkit

Researchers at the Boston University Medical Center (BUMC) developed and tested the Re-Engineered Discharge (RED). Research showed that the RED was effective at reducing readmissions and posthospital emergency department (ED) visits. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality contracted with BUMC to develop this toolkit to assist hospitals, particularly those that serve diverse populations, to replicate the RED.

QI Toolkit for Hospitals

• Interview Series: AHRQ Quality Indicators I Toolkit for Hospitals
• Webinar on AHRQ Quality Indicators Toolkit for Hospitals

Transforming Hospitals: Designing for Safety and Quality

This AHRQ video reviews the case for evidence-based hospital design and how it increases patient and staff satisfaction and safety, quality of care, and employee retention, and results in a positive return on investment. The video explains the rationale for creating hospital settings that draw upon the best available evidence concerning how the physical environment of a health care facility can measurably improve patient outcomes.

Universal ICU Decolonization Protocol

The REDUCE MRSA Trial (Randomized Evaluation of Decolonization vs. Universal Clearance to Eliminate Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus) found that universal decolonization was the most effective intervention to reduce MRSA infections. This enhanced protocol provides instructions for implementing universal decolonization in adult intensive care units.