Patient safety: Inward look for a new field

Two reports on patient safety research examine where this new science is at and where it is headed.

Editorial. June 18, 2001.

There is plenty to learn from what already has been revealed about patient safety, and much more is yet to be discovered.

Two recent publications from the AMA-founded National Patient Safety Foundation explore both those aspects of this research. One is an overview of the must-know studies and issues in this new field. The other is a thoughtful assessment of the current state of patient safety research, plus a catalogue of many projects now under way.

The 134-page "Lessons in Patient Safety" is largely drawn from the NPSF's 1,000-plus document Clearinghouse, the world's largest collection of scholarly research and other writings on the topic. The book is a wide-ranging primer for anyone with a professional interest in patient safety. It includes essays on important concepts and ideas in patient safety, as well as citations for key research with useful abstracts that clearly describe the conclusions of the research.

The other NPSF report is "Current Research on Patient Safety in the United States." It describes the current funding climate as well as goals and perceptions that guide research in the field today. The NPSF identified more than a dozen organizations, foundations and agencies that fund research and interviewed officials on key issues. The report also includes a computer database that details many projects now under way. [...]