The Research Action Programme

for Patient Safety

8th European Health Forum Gastein

5-8 October 2005

Workshop 7, 7 October

Dr. Itziar LarizgoitiaWorld Health Organization

Challenges Research for patient safety is not yet highly

placed in many countries.

Opportunities for using research for sensitization and for solutions development are varied and mostly limited

Duplication of research efforts occur

Strengthened international dialogue and cooperation would facilitate the most efficient use of research efforts worldwide

Aims To contribute to the sensitization of governments

to the need for adopting effective solutions to prevent patient harm through the use of research

To contribute to building the evidence base necessary for the adoption of effective solutions

Emphasis on developing and transitional countries

Fostering research studies in developing and transitional

countries Generic studies attempting to estimate the extent and nature of adverse events

Studies on specific health care interventions: Maternal care Antiretroviral Treatment for HIV/AIDS

That build capacity in collaborating countries

That involve the government and decision-making structures

Research on Maternal Care European-led Consortium, involving 6

African countries, to investigate: the most frequent and important failures/unsafe

practices associated to maternal care understanding the organisational latent failures that

predispose to these unsafe clinical practices. developing scenarios for effective solutions, while

minimising risks

Challenges Methods used in more developed countries

(based primarily on hospital medical record reviews) may not be fully applicable

Need for specific data-collection tools for settings with inadequate clinical information (adopt new methodologies: staff interviews)

Requirements for provision of ongoing supervision and coaching to local teams

Development of local capacity and links to local policy-making

Strategic questions What would it take to eliminate preventive patient harm?

Or, is research targetting the knowledge gaps that are relevant to patients?

And, the know-to-do gaps that are required to the effective adoption of known solutions?

What can we learn from the experience of other industries?

What are the constraints for patient safety research both in developed and developing countries?

How the international dialogue can be strenghtened?

Towards a Global Research Agenda

Need for prioritization of research to best fill the knowledge gaps and also the implementation gaps of known solutions

Effective integration of research with solutions development and solutions implementation

Identification of solutions to best overcome capacity for patient research in developing countries

Identification of solutions to best bridge the gap between research and policy formulation

Strengthening of international platforms for incorporating essential allies in the dialogue towards a global research program

Concluding remarksCritical role in the strengthening of patient

safety agendas in Member States

Strategic program of work to be developed and initiated in partnership with international allies in 2006

Thank you

http://www.who.int/patientsafety/en/