Patient Safety, Quality Improvement, & Complex Systems
Provides resources for students, clinicians, researchers, & administrators on patient safety, quality improvement, & complex healthcare systems.
- Overview
- Databases
- Reports & More
- Research Data Management This link opens in a new window
- Patient Safety Organizations
- Other Resources
- Tools & Measurement Instruments
- Laws & Public Policy
- NIH Public Access Policy This link opens in a new window
- Research Funding & Grants This link opens in a new window
Articles & Other Resources
Many of these resources also contain fact sheets and other tools.
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To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health SystemConsensus Report from IOM.
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Health IT Patient Safety Action and Surveillance PlanBuilds on recommendations of the IOM report, Health IT and Patient Safety. From the Department of Health & Human Services.
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IHI Open School for Health ProfessionsOffers (mostly) free courses, certificates, & educational tools on patient safety & other aspects of healthcare improvement. From the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.
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Key Facts About Patient Safety - NPSFA concise explanation of what patient safety may include.
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Patient Safety Primers (AHRQ)Guides to key concepts in patient safety. Includes relevant content from both AHRQ PSNet & AHRQ WebM&M.
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VA National Center for Patient SafetyIncludes a Glossary of Patient Safety Terms, various publications & training materials, & a section for the public & students, Patient Safety for Patients.
Fact Sheets & Other Tools
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AHRQ Quality Indicators ModulesIncludes Patient Safety, Inpatient Quality, & Pediatric Quality Indicators. See also this presentation How to Improve Performance on the AHRQ Inpatient Quality and Patient Safety Indicator.
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Explicit and Standardized Prescription Medicine Instructions (AHRQ)Tested instructions for pills that follow the Universal Medication Schedule (U-MS), which simplifies complex medicine regimens by using standard time periods for administration.
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Guide to Patient and Family Engagement in Hospital Quality and Safety (AHRQ)Focuses on four primary strategies for promoting patient/family engagement in hospital safety & quality of care.
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National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) (CDC)Includes Surveillance Reporting for Enrolled Facilities and Data & Reports. From the CDC.
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Quality & Patient Safety - AHRQIncludes the Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP), Patient Safety Measure Tools & Resources, & more. YouTube channel .
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Surveys on Patient Safety Culture Comparative Database ReportsCompare organizations' results to initial results from previous surveys. Use the left navigation bar to choose the organization type (Hospital, Medical Office, or Nursing Home) & select Comparative Database.
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Tools from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)Includes healthcare organization improvement tools, such as protocols and order sets & forms.
Last Updated: Oct 23, 2025 12:11 PM
Subjects: Health Sciences