The end of the beginning: the strategic approach to patient safety research
- Centre for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety, Rockville, MD 20852, USA
- Correspondence to: Dr G S Meyer, Director, Centre for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety, 6011 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, Rockville, MD 20852, USA; gmeyer{at}ahrq.gov
Research into patient safety has undergone a period of rapid acceleration since the decision of the US AHRQ to make a specific commitment to fund research into systems for improving patient safety
Patient safety is not a new issue and has been the subject of research internationally for decades. Funding for patient safety in the US has been around for some time and, in fact, work cited in the Institute of Medicine (IOM)'s landmark report1 was funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Supported research has investigated preventable adverse drug events,2 the role of systems failures in the aetiology of medical errors,3 and the effects of the healthcare workforce on safety.4 Other funding in Australia and the UK has advanced our knowledge of patient safety considerably.
The funding of these important studies, however, was not based on any strategic commitment to addressing the patient safety challenge but, instead, the approach of research funders to patient safety had been an opportunistic one. The agencies solicited bright patient safety researchers employing sound methodology to address compelling issues. Funding was awarded on the basis of the ability to compete successfully against a wide range of healthcare issues. As a result, the number of researchers involved, the armamentarium of methodologies, and the scope of the research has been relatively limited.
BACKGROUND
In 1999 the US AHRQ made the decision to take a different, more strategic approach to patient safety research. The Agency's fiscal year 2000 budget included a specific commitment to fund research in patient safety through a modest $2 million investment in research on systems related …
