Season’s greetings from Patient Safety!

Our December 2021 issue is now available to read and download at no charge at PatientSafetyJ.com.

As 2021 ends, the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife also draws to a close. The World Health Organization originally declared 2020 the Year of the Nurse, marking the 200^th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth, but they extended it for another year in recognition of nurses’ vital role in patient care during the pandemic. In this issue, one nurse shares what it is like on the front lines and the toll it has taken on her mental health—a deeply personal and painful story, yet a traumatic experience shared by many nurses around the United States.

Other highlights include

Patient engagement expert Dr. Judith Hibbard discusses how “activated patients” help improve their own healthcare
A data analysis and toolkit addressing urinary tract infections in long-term care facilities
Learn one mother’s lessons for staying healthy, which helped her avoid problems common with aging
A look at how new-onset atrial fibrillation presents challenges for ambulatory surgical facilities
We know it can be unsafe when benzodiazepines are used with opioids in older adults. What risks are created when these drugs are administered together in the hospital?
Researchers studied patient safety events related to perioperative delirium and agitation and share strategies to reduce risk.

Did you hear? Patient Safety just won a Gold award in the Fall 2021 Digital Health Awards! This is our sixth award, and we owe such success and recognition to our incredible authors, peer reviewers, editorial board members, and Patient Safety Authority staff. If you would like to contribute your next manuscript to our journal, please send it to us!

Thank you for reading and sharing our journal in your social circles. Best wishes for the New Year!

The Safety of Benzodiazepines and Opioids in the Geriatric Population: An Analysis of Patient Safety Events Reported by Hospitals and Ambulatory Surgical Facilities