Patient Safety
The AMA is helping physicians help patients by encouraging physician leadership and involvement in improving patient care. As a national leader in patient safety, the AMA diligently pursues initiatives that best serve the changing needs of America's physicians and patients. By leading and supporting national patient safety efforts, such as awareness programs, national campaigns, confidential error-reporting systems and patient education efforts, the AMA is working diligently to promote a culture of patient safety.
The AMA aims to improve patient safety by providing model programs and tools and advocating for safe clinical work environments for patients, physicians, and the health care team. In its tools, the AMA offers guidance from national experts for implementing safety improvements at the point of care. The AMA strives to offer tools that provide an overview of the issue, instructions for getting started, implementation strategies, steps for organizations and hospitals to take, tips on communication effectiveness, the important role of patients and proven interventions.
Resources
Physician's Guide to Patient Safety Organizations
The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 created a federal voluntary confidential and anonymous safety and quality reporting system. This law protects certain information reporters submit to patient safety organizations—called PSOs—created by the Act. To help physicians better understand how the reporting system works and PSOs, the AMA developed the "Physician's Guide to Patient Safety Organizations" to assist physician participation in their organizations' selection of PSOs and establishing the reporting process reporting. The guide offers practical information on many components of the Act, including how an organization may select a PSO, a glossary of the Act's terms, a process checklist, and a work-flow model.
Patient Safety Organization Participation: A Leadership Checklist
The AMA's Patient Safety leadership checklist is offered as a first step in assessing your organization's readiness to join a PSO. The AMA encourages you to use the checklist as part of an ongoing process to ensure your organization optimizes its participation in the federal safety and quality reporting system. The leadership checklist provides a means to strengthen your system's safety and learning culture, and organization's infrastructure and resources to better meet the Patient Safety Act's goal of providing safer care to your patients.
My Medications App Now Available
With My Medications your patients can store, carry and share their critical medical information (i.e., medications, allergies, emergency contacts, etc.) in one secure place.
My Medications is available for the Apple iPhone®, iPad® and iPod Touch® on the AMA iTunes store.
The AMA offers patient safety information in the following areas:
Important AMA Information Related to Patient Safety
External Resources
- AHRQ Patient Safety Network
- VA National Center for Patient Safety
- National Patient Safety Foundation
- Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation
- Institute for Healthcare Improvement
Email Patient Safety for more information.
