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.
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:
- Medication Errors - regulations, guidance and other safety alerts
- MedWatch: Medical Product Safety Information - searchable databases, information and forms for submitting adverse events
- Patient Safety News - newsletter with video clips
- Patient Safety Web Portal - safety issues with medical devices
Institute for Healthcare Improvement
Not-for-profit organization driving the improvement of health by advancing the quality and value of health care.
Institute for Safe Medication Practices
Resources and tools for education and prevention of medication errors.
Joint Commision 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 Family Foundation
A health policy website for educators and students with a special background document on reducing medical errors. The educational 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.
QualityHealthCare.org
QualityHealthCare.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.
| Institute of Medicine Reports |
Reports from the committees of the IOM Quality of Care Initiative available online:
| Journal Articles |
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
| State Initiatives |
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
- Texas Healthcare Safety Taskforce
- Washington Patient Safety Coalition
- Wisconsin Hospital Association: Quality and Patient Safety
- Virginians Improving Patient Care and Safety
| Conference Presentations |
Effective Strategies for Improving Patient Safety and Preventing Medical Errors in Infectious Diseases
Reports from the conference, sponsored by the Infectious Diseases Society of America, June 28-30, 2001National Summit on Medical Errors and Patient Safety Research
Audio and video files from the summit, sponsored by the Federal QuIC Task Force, September 11, 2000.
| Consumer and Patient Information |
| Other Resources |
Medscape Resource Center: Patient Safety
Free registration required; some features require payment
