Reliability and usability of a 7-minute chart review tool to identify pediatric prehospital adverse safety events

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Although medical errors in the hospital are a recognized source of morbidity and mortality, less is known about safety events in the prehospital care of children. As part of a multiphase study, we developed and evaluated the reliability and usability of the pediatric prehospital safety event detection system (PEDS), a tool used to identify safety events in prehospital care. METHODS: The tool was based on hospital chart review tools, literature review, and results from focus groups and a national Delphi survey. After reviewer training, preliminary testing, and initial use, we refined the tool on the basis of data analysis and reviewer feedback. Thirty charts were randomly selected from our study population of pediatric transports with lights and sirens in Multnomah County, Oregon, and independently reviewed by 2 pediatric emergency physicians with experience in prehospital care to evaluate interrater reliability and time to completion of the final tool. RESULTS: The PEDS tool contains 36 items, takes reviewers a median of 7 minutes to complete (interquartile range: 4–12), and exists in both paper and electronic formats. When comparing the presence or absence of severe safety events between 2 expert arbiters, we found 87% agreement (k 5 0.68), indicating good agreement. CONCLUSIONS: The PEDS tool is the first chart review tool designed to identify safety events for children receiving prehospital care, and it displayed good usability and reliability in this study. With this tool, we provide a novel mechanism for researchers, clinicians, and prehospital care leaders to identify opportunities to improve care for children.