UMEM Educational Pearls

Category: Administration

Title: What is Administrative Harm?

Keywords: administrative harm, employee, adverse events (PubMed Search)

Posted: 6/26/2024 by Steve Schenkel, MPP, MD (Updated: 7/15/2024)
Click here to contact Steve Schenkel, MPP, MD

“Administrative harm” (defined as “the adverse consequences of administrative decisions within health care”) is a relatively new term for challenges that arise in complex health care work environments. 

41 mostly hospitalists participating in interviews and focus groups found that the concept resonated, and that administrative harms could arise at all levels of leadership, negatively impacted both workforce and patients, were challenging to measure, and pointed to a lack of leadership responsibility and accountability. The group also suggested many approaches and solutions for prevention.

The article is here, https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2820266. If interested, take a look at the thematic tables 2 and 3.

There is a brief editorial comment here, https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2820275.