Helping States Improve Patient Safety
<p>States have the power to play an important role in patient safety. Yet, officials from different states have few opportunities to meet to share innovative strategies. A new report on the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) Web site, <a href="http://www.nashp.org/_docdisp_page.cfm?LID=0CC9DB87-FA3B-40BC-8A841242B… Pennsylvania Learning Exchange: Helping States Improve and Integrate Patient Safety Initiatives</a>, summarizes a Commonwealth Fund-supported "on-site learning exchange" in which NASHP gathered officials from 12 states plus Washington, D.C., to discuss how to improve patient safety policy and practice.<br><br>The Pennsylvania Learning Exchange focused on Pennsylvania's innovative approach to patient safety, including its successful efforts to call statewide attention to the issue of patient safety; build a case for change; translate data into practice and policy; and begin to create a state infrastructure to address the issue. In addition to outlining Pennsylvania's strategy, the NASHP report reviews the genesis and structure of the learning exchange and the take-home lessons from the event, such as the importance of building a business case, integrating patient safety into health reform efforts, and tailoring patient safety plans to your state's unique needs.</p>
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/newsletters/ealerts/2007/dec/helping-states-improve-patient-safety