Study identifies how ICU nurses prevent patient harm

Nurses’ clinical intervention, often supported by technologies such as barcode medication scanners, prevented patient harm in intensive care units at Cedars-Sinai, according to a study published in The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety. Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles analyzed 288 “near misses” reported in 2024 from inpatient critical care units. Nurses’ actions were the most common source of intervention for 41% of the misses. Their actions included following up on irregular orders, conducting routine medication safety checks and facilitating communication among care teams to catch errors before they occurred. The article is free to access until Feb. 28. (Joint Commission news release, 2/3/26)