Researchers
David C. Classen
Bruce Spurlock
Laurence C. Baker (Principal Investigator) - Stanford University
David M. Gaba - Stanford University
Jeffrey J. Geppert - Stanford University
Daniel P. Kessler - Stanford University
Kelly Dunham
Jennie Bowen
Michelle Michalek
Sara J. Singer - Stanford University

As many as half a million preventable injuries and 100,000 preventable deaths occur in hospitals each year, at a cost exceeding $30 billion annually. Most of these injuries and deaths result from errors in the course of inpatient care and could potentially be prevented by more effective institutional programs to promote patient safety. While programs to improve patient safety have begun, effective implementation of these programs is hampered by the paucity of evidence regarding the effectiveness and cost of comprehensive patient safety programs for reducing avoidable injuries. Our project fills this critical gap.

Through a collaboration of healthcare researchers, organizations and a consortium of California hospitals, Developing Best Practices for Patient Safety seeks to improve the national evidence base for measuring and predicting potential patient safety events. Using this database, investigators will describe recent trends in important patient safety practices at most U.S. hospitals, and will describe patient safety practices and "safety cultures" in detail at consortium hospitals. Based on this information, participants aim to develop cost-effective strategies for improving patient safety at their hospitals.

Contact
Laurence Baker

Funding provided by
• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality