Improving Patient Safety in the EU Assessing the expected effects of three policy areas for future action

Annalijn Conklin, Anna-Marie Vilamovska, Han de Vries, Evi Hatziandreu
Health and Consumer Protection Commission (DG SANCO)

Available online PDF [148p.] at: http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/2008/RAND_TR596.pdf

This report presents findings of a study in which the authors assess the expected effects of three policy areas for future action towards improving patient safety in the EU-27. Their study was informed by a mixture of methods, including the existing European and international studies and evaluations on patient safety and related initiatives, as well as primary qualitative data based on 32 key informant interviews with identified experts.

The report will allow patient safety experts to understand the extent to which it is possible to provide a clear and compelling account of the expected impacts of
(1) establishing effective reporting and learning systems,
(2) redress mechanisms, and
(3) developing and using knowledge and evidence

Content:

CHAPTER 1 Introduction

CHAPTER 2 Policy Areas for Action to Improve Patient Safety in Europe
2.1 Action Area 1: Establish effective reporting and learning systems
2.2 Action Area 2: Redress mechanisms
2.3 Action Area 3: Developing and using knowledge and evidence

CHAPTER 3 Problem Definition
3.1 Problem framing and drivers
3.2 Stakeholders and key actors
3.3 Problem epidemiology, and health implications
3.3.1 Patient safety in the hospital setting
3.3.2 Patient safety in the primary care setting
3.4 Strategies to improve patient safety
3.4.1 Evidence on cost of systemic interventions
3.4.2 Evidence on economic benefits of systemic interventions

CHAPTER 4 Key Stakeholder Interviews – Methodology and Results
4.1 Overview and research setting
4.1.1 Study sample: The participants
4.1.2 Data collection: Semi-structured in-depth interviews
4.1.3 Data analysis
4.2 Summary of key issues and cross-cutting themes
4.2.1 Emerging issues and themes – Scope of the problem
4.2.2 Emerging issues and themes – Cross-cutting the policy areas
4.2.3 Unique responses
4.3 Taxonomy of EU countries working on patient safety, based on interview data

CHAPTER 5 Qualitative Assessment of Economic and Social Impacts

CHAPTER 6 Quantitative Simulation of Health Impacts
6.1 Status quo: Possible impacts from no policy change
6.1.1 Analysis of inpatient (hospital) data
6.1.2 Analysis of primary care data
6.2 Simulation of health impacts due to policy actions

CHAPTER 7 Discussion and Concluding Remarks
7.1 Brief review of general findings
7.2 In-depth discussion of specific findings
7.3 Concluding comments

REFERENCES

APPENDICES
Appendix A: Event-specific causes of adverse event morbidity, 2003 WHO raw country mortality files
Appendix B: List of interview respondents from the Expert Working Group on Patient Safety
Appendix C: Sample Interview Protocol