Patient Safety for Hospitalized Young Adults and Adults with Chronic Childhood Conditions

Adults with chronic childhood conditions and intellectual and developmental disabilities are frequently hospitalized. During hospitalization, these adults are at increased risk for adverse patient safety events due to multi-level challenges in delivering age-, developmental-, or condition-appropriate care that contribute to complications such as missed or delayed diagnoses. We use the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) model to describe key components of the hospitalization process that can be optimized to promote patient safety and quality care. We will focus on proactive planning, screening for challenging events, and specialty interventions. Associated tools are then highlighted by each SEIPS component that hospitals and health systems could implement.