ASHRM has identified the following resources on patient safety to assist you in identifying useful information and helpful contacts.
To ensure you are viewing the most up-to-date information on any of the web-based resources, you may want to start at the home page and then progress to the pages with patient safety content.
Please report any broken links and forward suggestions for additional resources to ashrm@aha.org. Commercial web sites and products other than patient safety books and publications will not be considered for inclusion.
National Organizations
Federal (U.S.) Organizations
Regional Organizations/Coalitions
International Organizations/Coalitions
Collaboratives
Advocacy Groups
Publications and Books
National (U.S.) Legislative Activity
National (U.S.) Regulatory Activity
Programs/Initiatives in Pediatric and Adult Hospitals
The following organizations actively identify and report on patient safety-related issues. Please note some may charge or require registration for access, in which case you must contact the organization directly for subscription information.
American Association of Medical Colleges www.aamc.org
American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) www.anesthesiapatientsafety.com
American Hospital Association (AHA) www.aha.org
American Medical Association (AMA) www.ama-assn.org
American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) www.aone.org
American Pharmacists Association www.pharmacyandyou.org
American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) www.asahq.org
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) www.ashp.com
Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) www.apsf.org
Coalition to Prevent Deep-Vein Thrombosis www.preventdvt.org
ECRI www.ecri.org
Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) www.ihi.org
Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) www.ismp.org
Institute of Medicine (IOM) www.iom.edu
Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations www.jcaho.org
Joint Commission International Center for Patient Safety www.jcipatientsafety.org
Kaiser Family Foundation www.kaisernetwork.org
The Leapfrog Group www.leapfroggroup.org
National Coalition on Health Care (NCHC) www.nchc.org
National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) www.ncqa.org
National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE) www.talkaboutrx.org
National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) www.npsf.org
National Quality Forum (NQF) www.qualityforum.org
Partnership for Patient Safety (P4PS) www.p4ps.org
Patient Safety Institute (PSI) www.ptsafety.org
Patient Safety Officer Society (PSOS) www.psos.org
QualityHealthCare.org www.qualityhealthcare.org
Risk Management Foundation (RMF) www.rmf.harvard.edu/patientsafety
US Pharmacopeia (USP) www.usp.org
VA National Center for Patient Safety (NCPS) www.patientsafety.gov
Agency for Healthcare Quality (AHRQ) www.ahrq.gov
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) www.cdc.gov
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) www.cms.gov
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) www.hhs.gov
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) www.va.gov and VA directive on disclosure Disclosure of Adverse Events to Patients (PDF)
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) www.fda.gov
Regional Organizations/ Coalitions
Illinois Hospital Association www.ihatoday.org
Maryland Patient Safety Coalition www.mhcc.state.md.us/patient_safety
Massachusetts Hospital Association (MHA) www.mhalink.org
Michigan Health & Safety Coalition www.mihealthandsafety.org
Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety www.mnpatientsafety.org
Minnesota Hospital and Healthcare Partnership (MHHP)
www.mnhospitals.org
National Academy for State Health Policy www.nashp.org
Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority
www.psa.state.pa.us/psa/site/default.asp
Pittsburgh Regional Healthcare Initiative www.prhi.org
University of Texas Medical Branch www.utmb.edu/patientsafety
Iowa Department of Public Health www.idph.state.ia.us
Washington Patient Safety Coalition www.wapatientsafety.org
Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality
www.wiqualitycollaborative.org
Wisconsin Patient Safety Institute www.wpsi.org
International Organizations/Coalitions
Australian Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) www.apsf.net.au
Joint Commission International Center for Patient Safety www.jcipatientsafety.org
World Health Organization www.who.int (search “patient safety”)
National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and
Prevention (NCC MERP) www.nccmerp.org
Foundations/organizations mentioned in this section were formed from personal experiences with medical error.
Dana Farber Center for Patient Safety www.dfci.harva
Josie King Foundation www.josieking.org
Kenneth B. Schwartz Center www.theschwartzcenter.org
Parents of Infants and Children with Kernicterus (PICK) www.pickonline.org
The Patient Safety Group www.patientsafetygroup.org
Clinical Risk Management: Enhancing Patient Safety, 2nd Ed.; Charles Vincent, Editor (BMJ Books; 2001)
Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science; Atul Gawande, MD (Picador; 2003)
Human Error; James Reason (Cambridge University Press; 1990)
Internal Bleeding: The Truth Behind America's Terrifying Epidemic of Medical Mistakes; Robert Wachter, MD, and Kaveh Shojania, MD (Rugged Land; 2004)
ISMP Quarterly Action Agenda (latest edition): http://www.ismp.org/MSAarticles/A2Q04Action.htm
Patient Safety: Principles and Practice; William Runcieman (BMJ Books; 2004)
The Patient Safety Handbook; Barbara Youngberg and Martin Hatlie (Jones & Bartlett; 2003)
Wall of Silence: The Untold Story of the Medical Mistakes that Kill of Injure Millions of Americans; Rosemary Gibson and Janardan Prasad Singh (Lifeline Press; 2003)
National (U.S.) Legislative Activity
United States House of Representatives www.house.gov
United States Senate www.senate.gov
National (U.S.) Regulatory Activity
Federal Register www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html
Programs/Initiatives in Pediatric and Adult Hospitals
American Academy of Pediatrics www.aap.org/en-us/search/pages/results.aspx?k=Patient%20SAfety
Brigham and Women's Hospital www.brighamandwomens.org
Johns Hopkins University Medical School www.hopkinsmedicine.org/patients/safety
NACHRI www.nachri.org/nachri/news/pr_jama.html
Pathways for Medication Safety www.medpathways.info