Medical errors remain too common in the delivery of healthcare despite substantial efforts of meany healthcare organizations. Researchers who study organizations that face hazardous and turbulent task conditions, yet demonstrate sustained superior safety performance, attribute their achievement in large part to their culture of safety. Drawing on lessons from these “high reliability organizations” (HROs), policymakers interested in improving health care delivery have called upon health care organizations to strengthen their safety culture to reduce adverse events. Founded in 1999, the PSC is a national collaborative of healthcare researchers, organizations, and 150 public and private hospitals that aims to measure and compare the safety culture of its members and to implement and evaluate approaches for improving safety practices.

Useful Links

The following links navigate to the home pages of participating organizations and other leaders in patient safety:

• Joint Commission
• Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)
• The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP)
• Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ)
• The LeapFrog Group
• IOM Patient Safety Committee

The following links navigate to patient safety-specific pages of key organizations:

• Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ)
• American Hospital Association
• American Society of Health System Pharmacists
• Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation
• Australian Patient Safety Foundation
• Goodman Simulation Center, Stanford University
• Institute for Healthcare Improvement
• Institute for Safe Medication Practices
• National Academy for State Health Policy
• National Patient Safety Agency (UK)
• National Patient Safety Foundation
• Partnership for Patient Safety
• Patient Safety First
• Patient Safety Institute
• Patient Safety Officer Society
• Quality Interagency Coordination Task Force (QuIC)
• VA National Center for Patient Safety
• VA Palo Alto Simulation Center