The Impact of Active Occurrence Variance Reporting on Patient Safety: Insights from Healthcare Quality Improvement Initiatives

Objective: This study evaluates the impact of Active Occurrence Variance Reporting (OVR) and Safety Huddles on key patient outcomes, including average length of stay (ALOS), mortality rates, and patient satisfaction, to assess their role in enhancing patient safety within healthcare settings. Methods: A retrospective observational cohort design was utilized to analyze data from January 2022 to December 2023. This study examined the relationship between OVR events and Safety Huddles within Imam Abdulrahman Al Faisal Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Data on 10,736 OVR incidents, 2,437 Safety Huddles, and clinical outcomes from 13,092 patient discharges were retrospectively collected. Key outcome measures included ALOS, overall mortality rate, sepsis mortality rate, central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) rate, catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) rate, and patient satisfaction scores obtained from third-party surveys. Pearson correlation analysis was employed to assess associations, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05.0 Results: Significant associations were found between OVR and several patient outcomes. Active OVR correlated with shorter ALOS (r = -0.7293, p < 0.001), reduced mortality rate (r = -0.5684, p = 0.004), lower sepsis mortality rate (r = -0.7305, p = 0.001), and higher patient satisfaction (r = 0.6498, p < 0.001). Safety huddles showed a strong negative correlation with ALOS (r = -0.9249, p < 0.001) and mortality rate (r = -0.6962, p < 0.001), and a positive correlation with patient satisfaction (r = 0.8331, p < 0.001). No significant associations were identified between OVR or safety huddles and infection rates (CLABSI, CAUTI). Conclusions: Active OVR and safety huddles are linked to improved patient outcomes, specifically in reducing ALOS and mortality rates, while positively influencing patient satisfaction. These findings highlight the potential of integrating variance reporting and regular team-based safety interventions to foster a culture of safety and transparency in healthcare. However, further research may be needed to explore their effects on specific healthcare-associated infections and to address potential confounding factors within the clinical setting.