Medical Errors and Patient Safety

AHRQ fact sheets about medical errors and patient safety

Reducing and Preventing Adverse Drug Events To Decrease Hospital Costs

Report summarizes some successful approaches to preventing and detecting adverse drug events (ADEs).

AHRQ Web M&M

Fact sheet describes Web M&M, a peer-reviewed online journal that uses a case-based approach to educate providers and trainees about patient safety.

Impact of Working Conditions on Patient Safety

This fact sheet summarizes AHRQ research initiatives related to how medical errors occur and how they can be addressed in the health care system.

Patient Safety Challenge Grants

Fact sheet describes Patient Safety Challenge Grants awarded by AHRQ to support 13 new practice implementation projects.

30 Safe Practices for Better Health Care

The National Quality Forum, with support from AHRQ, has identified 30 safe practices that evidence shows can work to reduce or prevent adverse events and medical errors.

Patient Safety Research Highlights

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has long been committed to systematically studying patient safety in medical practice, funding more than 100 studies since 2001. Brief descriptions of the tools and findings of the research are presented here.

Problems and Prevention: Chest Tube Insertion

An 11-minute DVD, funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), uses video excerpts of 50 actual chest tube insertion procedures to illustrate problems that can occur.