Improving Health Care Quality and Patient Safety Through Peer-to-Peer Assessment

As reported in a recent article in the American Journal of Medical Quality, peer-to-peer assessment might be a promising approach to reducing patient harm. Commonwealth Fund–supported researchers tested a peer-to-peer assessment between Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, with a team from each hospital visiting the other to evaluate quality and safety and assess how well staff reduced patient harm. The researchers focused specifically on handwashing and central line–associated bloodstream infections.