Agency News and Notes

AHRQ launches new Web-based medical journal with patient safety lessons drawn from actual cases

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality recently launched a monthly peer-reviewed, Web-based medical journal that showcases patient safety lessons drawn from actual cases of medical errors. Called AHRQ WebM&M (Morbidity and Mortality Rounds on the Web), the Web-based journal (www.webmm.ahrq.gov) was developed to educate health care providers about medical errors in a blame-free environment.

In hospitals across the country, clinicians routinely hold morbidity and mortality (M&M) conferences to discuss specific cases that raise issues regarding medical errors and quality improvement. Until now, there has been no comparable national or international forum to discuss and learn from medical errors. AHRQ researchers saw the opportunity to use the Web to host an ongoing national M&M conference aimed at improving patient safety by sharing information from anonymous cases.

The AHRQ WebM&M Web site offers the medical community a unique opportunity to learn about patient safety from the experiences of their colleagues across the country and around the world, and the anonymity safeguards will enable physicians to share their experiences without fear of reprisal. This physician involvement will contribute to the education of other providers about how to prevent medical errors and improve patient safety.

Go to www.webmm.ahrq.gov to find out how you can register, submit a case, earn CME credit, and more.

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