Using research to make health care safer.
There is a fine balance that needs to be maintained between research and improvement in safety and quality in health care - when do we need more research and when can we just get on with it? The moral imperative to improve care may have been a distractor, preventing adequate attention to research. Three research areas are proposed as current priorities for patient safety: getting evidence into practice, measurement of safety, and the evaluation of complex interventions. A focus on these areas should ensure that research becomes more central to the process of making health care safer.
Jorm
Christine M
CM
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia. christine.jorm@safetyandquality.gov.au
White
Sarah J
SJ
D001315:Australia; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice; D006801:Humans; D019300:Medical Errors / Q000517:prevention & control; D017751:Safety Management