Figure 3. The status of the research scorecard related to patient safety and quality of care improvement (Text Description)

What Role Might Funders of Health Services Research Play?

Figure 3 is a table-style graphic summarizing the current strength of evidence-based research related to factors that influence patient safety and quality of care improvement in the hospital setting. The strength of research in each of the 10 areas is ranked from 1 star (little research has been conducted) to 5 stars (a great deal of research has been conducted):

• Reduce nosocomial infection (airborne)—five stars
• Reduce nosocomial infection (contact)—four stars
• Reduce medication errors—two stars
• Reduce patient falls—two stars
• Improve quality of communication between the patients and the hospital staff—one star
• Improve quality of communication within all segments of the hospital staff—one star
• Improve quality of communication between the hospital staff and the patients—three stars
• Improve quality of communication between the patients and their families—two stars
• Increase handwashing compliance by the hospital staff—one star
• Improve confidentiality of patient information—three stars

Source: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation ©2004.

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