The application of evidence in real situations helps to embed innovation across systems and sustain care improvement. This collection of project highlight reports shares descriptions of implementation projects and research funded by AHRQ. Topics covered include patient engagement, health information technology, and healthcare facility design.

Maternal health care is rapidly emerging as a high-risk service that is vulnerable to communication, equity, and diagnostic challenges. This report examines the role of disparities in care across the maternal care continuum and strategies to drive diagnostic improvement such as care bundles, midwives, and health information technology. This publication is from a series of programs and resultant publications on improving diagnostic excellence.

Patient safety requires a systems approach to identify problems and arrive at lasting solutions that reduce harm. This document encourages discussion amongst a broad base of stakeholders to address all forms of harm, such as discrimination, inequality, and psychological stress, in addition to physical injury. The resource insists these components be incorporated in work to close quality and safety gaps across the health care system.

This compendium of editorials and opinion pieces discuss “Martha’s Rule,” a new policy in the United Kingdom motivated by the death of a pediatric patient to sepsis and the systemic weaknesses contributing to the adverse outcome. The policy is intended to encourage patients and caregivers to request a second opinion if a patient’s health condition is deteriorating and they feel their concerns are not being taken seriously by the healthcare team. The articles discuss the importance effective communication between clinicians, caregivers, and patients, mitigating adverse impacts of hierarchies, and the role of patient and caregiver engagement in the design of safe healthcare systems.

Patient and family engagement can improve individual health outcomes and may help identify potential safety hazards. This report describes the economic impact of patient engagement, results of pilot data collection to measure patient-reported experiences of safety, and the status of patient engagement in 21 countries.