The AHRQ PSNet Collection comprises an extensive selection of resources relevant to the patient safety community. These resources come in a variety of formats, including literature, research, tools, and Web sites. Resources are identified using the National Library of Medicine’s Medline database, various news and content aggregators, and the expertise of the AHRQ PSNet editorial and technical teams.
Ensuring maternal safety is a patient safety priority. This library reflects a curated selection of PSNet content focused on improving maternal safety. Included resources explore strategies with the potential to improve maternal care delivery and outcomes, such as high reliability, collaborative initiatives, teamwork, and trigger tools.
Durham, NC: Duke Center for Healthcare Safety and Quality; June 2019.
Improving teamwork and communication is a continued focus in the hospital setting. This toolkit is designed to help organizations create a culture that embeds teamwork into daily practice routines. Topics covered include team leadership, learning and continuous improvement, clarifying roles, structured communication, and support for raising concerns.
Boutwell A, Bourgoin A , Maxwell J, et al. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; September 2016. AHRQ Publication No. 16-0047-EF.
This toolkit provides information for hospitals to help reduce preventable readmissions among Medicaid patients. Building on hospital experience with utilizing the materials since 2014, this updated guide explains how to determine root causes for readmissions, evaluate existing interventions, develop a set of improvement strategies, and optimize care transition processes.
Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; December 2013. AHRQ Publication No. 12(14)-0054-EF.
Infants discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit to home are particularly vulnerable to care coordination errors. This four-component toolkit includes materials to help hospitals implement a coach program to educate providers and families about common communication and health concerns that arise during this transition.
This Web site provides resources to help health systems implement the Multi-Center Medication Reconciliation Quality Improvement Study (MARQUIS) medication reconciliation program.
Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; January 2018.
This toolkit provides resources to help augment testing processes in ambulatory care settings, including tools for identifying areas of concern and measuring improvements.
Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; June 2013.
Studies have shown that a surprisingly large proportion of hospitalized patients are not aware of their diagnoses or treatment plan and that their preferences are often not taken into account in advanced care planning. This failure to provide patient-centered care indicates a need for increased patient engagement in safety and quality efforts. This toolkit published by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is designed to help hospitals develop partnerships with patients around improving safety. Developed with input from clinicians and patients, the guide emphasizes four strategies—working with patients as advisors, improving bedside communication, integrating patients and families into shift changes, and using patient input to improve the discharge process. An AHRQ WebM&M perspective by Dr. Saul Weingart discusses the practical challenges of engaging patients in improvement efforts.
Jack B, Paasche-Orlow M, Mitchell S, Forsythe S, Martin J. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; September 2015. AHRQ Publication No. 12(13)-0084.
This toolkit provides information to help hospitals implement Project RED, including how to determine goals at the outset and measure project outcomes after implementation.
Gleason KM, Brake H, Agramonte V, Perfetti C. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2012. AHRQ Publication No.11(12)-0059.
This toolkit, based on lessons learned from facilities that have implemented the Medications at Transitions and Clinical Handoffs (MATCH) initiative, provides strategies to implement and improve medication reconciliation in health care.
This Web site includes information on the Re-Engineered Discharge project (Project RED), which has developed strategies to enhance patient safety by improving the hospital discharge process to reduce readmissions.
This set of materials provides checklists, worksheets, and other aids to help implement a reliable critical test result communication program. A previous AHRQ WebM&M commentary addressed the issue of communication surrounding critical laboratory values.
The author describes the important characteristics of successful patient transition from one care team to another and includes sample forms that support effective hand-off strategies.
Thompson D, Holzmueller C, Hunt D, et al. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf. 2005;31:476-9.
The authors describe a tool to support reliable communication at shift change and promote improved patient safety. The project was supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).