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The Canadian Patient Safety Institute announced it will contribute $528,804.09 towards seven patient-safety focused research and demonstration projects. The projects were selected for funding through the CPSI’s 2008 Research Competition. The primary goal for CPSI research activity is to develop knowledge about patient safety that can be applied to a variety of settings and circumstances in organizations across Canada. Research funded must have patient safety as a primary focus.
The seven selected research projects will be co-sponsored by numerous healthcare and research organizations across Canada. The total matching contributions, whether in-kind or cash is $628,677.33. Thus, the total contribution towards patient safety research is $1,157,481.40.
“As we move forward on our journey in improving patient safety – I am delighted with the timely and relevant topics of the seven research and demonstration projects that have been selected this year,” said Phil Hassen, CEO of the Canadian Patient Safety Institute. “This research will assist in providing direction for CPSI.”
CPSI’s 2008 Research Competition was very successful, receiving 49 applications, 32 of which were reviewed by an independent
Peer/Merit Review Panel composed of national and international patient safety decision makers and researchers.
The following projects that are eligible for funding are listed below, including the team lead and project title:
Theme 1: Applied Health Services Research Projects
Alan J. Forster (Toronto, Ontario)
Predicting Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea risk and impact
Anne Matlow (Toronto, Ontario)
Incidence and Types of Adverse Events in Children in Large Community Hospitals
Jennifer Percival (Oshawa, Ontario)
Using information and communications technologies to improve patient safety
Theme 2: Demonstration Projects
Esther Fung (Toronto, Ontario)
A Point of Care Medication Bar-Coding System in Operating Rooms for Drug Dispensing, Labeling, and Administration Verification during Anesthesia
Sandra Gabriele (Toronto, Ontario)
Visual Differentiation in Look-alike Medication Names
Michael Gardam (Toronto, Ontario)
Reducing the Transmission of Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium difficile in the Canadian Healthcare System by Enabling Front Line Healthcare Worker Behavioural Change Using Positive Deviance
Janine E. Maitland (Guelph, Ontario)
Assessment of a pre-admission protocol to identify and maximize safety for persons with disruptive high risk behaviours (DHRBs) in long-term care homes.
Applicant teams proposed projects in a variety of healthcare settings including acute care, transitional care, mental health, and emergency care. The seven projects selected were identified as exhibiting the required level of scientific merit and potential benefit to patient safety and the healthcare system. They represent a diverse range of topic areas, including:
- Identification, prevention or mitigation of adverse events arising from diagnostic error, including failure to diagnose, in health care;
- The design and/or implementation of effective human factors interventions to improve patient safety. Human factors is the study of the interrelationships between humans, the tools they use, the environment in which they live and work, and the design of efficient, human centered processes to improve reliability and safety;
- Evaluation or demonstration of mechanisms for improving patient safety during handoffs/transitions between caregivers, teams, providers or organizations;
- Engaging patients and their care givers to improve patient safety;
- Evaluation of outcomes associated with the integration of The Safety Competencies: Enhancing Patient Safety Across the Health Professions; and
- Preventing hospital acquired infection.
The objectives of the CPSI competition are to support research and demonstration projects on patient safety that:
- Involve interdisciplinary and/or multi-jurisdictional teams of researchers and healthcare administrators. Ideally, direct care providers, patients, and personal caregivers will be engaged in the project;
- Demonstrate potential for improvements in patient safety;
- Are readily applied to other health care services, settings or jurisdictions across Canada; and,
- Have a strong emphasis on knowledge transfer going beyond publication in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at scientific conferences.
Congratulations to the seven successful teams!