Patient Safety Resource Guide
associations, organizations and agencies
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ): Medical Errors and Patient Safety
AHRQ is the primary federal agency concerned with quality and safety issues. It provides a collection of links to documents, reports, legislation and other useful information for health professionals and consumers. Web M&M is the agency's online journal and discussion forum. - American Hospital Association (AHA): Quality and Patient Safety
The AHA safety site offers tools to measure and evaluate quality in hospitals as well as links to reports, news and advisories. - American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP): Patient Safety Resource Center
Focuses on issues surrounding the safe use of medications in hospitals. Includes links to news, issue briefs and reporting medication errors. Some sections limited to ASHP members. - Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation
Targeted to anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists, the Foundation web site includes back issues of its newsletter, announcements of research grants, and expert discussions of anesthesia safety questions. - Association of Operating Room Nurses (AORN): Patient Safety First
Resources on patient safety in surgical settings. Includes links to resources, conferences, continuing education, and information for patients. - Association for Professionals in Infection Control (APIC): Patient Safety
Extensive links to case studies, news, guidelines, research, organizations and consumer information on all aspects of patient safety. - Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
The FDA provides a number of web sites regarding safety issues, including:- FDA Drug Safety Podcasts - audio broadcasts
- Medication Errors - regulations, guidance and other safety alerts
- Medical Device Safety - safety issues with medical devices
- MedWatch: Medical Product Safety Information - searchable databases, information and forms for submitting adverse events
- Patient Safety News - newsletter and video clips
- Institute for Safe Medication Practices
Resources and tools for education and prevention of medication errors. Includes information on Textbook and Publication Errata. - Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO): Patient Safety
Standards, goals, statements, awards and publications on patient safety from the primary accreditation organization for healthcare facilities. - Kaiser.EDU.org
A health policy website for educators and students interested in learning more about health policy. The module includes links to data sources, organizations, presentations, public opinion surveys and other key documents. - The Leapfrog Group
Coalition of benefits purchasers organized to improve health care quality by promoting core safety standards. Hospitals voluntarily submit responses to a web survey regarding specific patient safety practices and consumers can view the results by state. - National Patient Safety Agency (UK)
Great Britain's coordinating agency for patient safety within the organizations of the National Health Service. - National Patient Safety Foundation
Non-profit organization that sponsors education programs, conferences, speakers bureau, research programs and other resources. - Partnership for Patient Safety
Another non-profit organization, p4ps has as its goal a healthcare system that is "authentically patient-centered and systems-based." - Patient Safety Institute
An industry-sponsored network promoting online access to critical clinical patient data. - IHI.org
Sponsored by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, IHI.org highlights innovative practices and ideas on patient safety and other related topics with discussion groups, case studies, measures, interactive tools, literature and other information resources. - Quality Interagency Coordination (QuIC) Task Force
QuIC was established in 1998 by President Bill Clinton to "ensure that all Federal agencies involved in purchasing, providing, studying, or regulating health care services are working in a coordinated way toward the common goal of improving quality of care." - Veterans Administration (VA) National Center for Patient Safety
News, research and resources on patient safety topics from the Veterans Healthcare Administration. - World Health Organization (WHO): Patient Safety
The site provides links to events, information, abstracts, and other resources
institute of medicine (IOM) reports
Reports from the committees of the IOM Quality of Care Initiative available online:
- To Err is Human (1999)
- Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century (2001)
- Keeping Patients Safe: Transforming the Work Environment of Nurses (2003)
- Patient Safety: Achieving a New Standard of Care (2003)
- Other reports, projects and events on Quality and Safety from the IOM
- PubMed Search
Search for recent articles on patient safety indexed by PubMed, from the National Library of Medicine. - JAMA & AMA Archives: Patient Safety/Medical Error
Collection of articles published in AMA journals; available to VCU users on both campuses OR off-campus with EZProxy
National Academy for State Health Policy: Quality and Patient Safety
Examples from selected states:
- California Health Care Foundation: Patient Safety
- Colorado Patient Safety Coalition
- Hawaii Patient Safety Task Force
- Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors
- Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety
- Nebraska Hospital Association: Patient Safety
- Ohio Patient Safety Institute
- Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority
- Washington Patient Safety Coalition
- Wisconsin Hospital Association: Quality and Patient Safety
- Virginians Improving Patient Care and Safety
- AHRQ Web M&M
CME credit available for "Spotlight Cases" - Certificate Course in Patient Safety and Prevention of Medical Errors
American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians - Executive Fellowship in Patient Safety
Dept. of Health Administration, School of Allied Health Professions, VCU - Patient Safety CME
American College of Physicians
consumer and patient information
- AHRQ: Consumers and Patients Page
- Consumers Advancing Patient Safety
- MEDLINEplus: Drug and Medical Device Safety
- Safemedication.com