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 printable version
Global Patient Safety Research Priorities
Establishing a set of global research priorities with the support of an international expert working group.
There are many important patient safety issues that deserve research attention
To date there is not enough scientific evidence to understand why adverse events occur, how and to what extent patients are harmed, how these issues could be reduced and the related patient harm minimized. There is an obvious need for priority setting, particularly in transitional and developing countries. Research needs are vast, but resources are scarce.
WHO Patient Safety has set up an international multi-stakeholder working group led by Dr David Bates to identify a set of global priorities for patient safety research. The group worked for a year using a modified Delphi technique to build consensus based on a systematic review of the scientific literature (included in a companion document). The group selected the final lists of priorities based on the severity and frequency of the patient safety issue, magnitude of harm and its distribution, and the impact the issue has on the efficicency of the health system as a whole.
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Topics for priority setting for patient safety research [pdf 61kb]
Operational definitions
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Outcomes from the research priorities working group
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Priority areas
In developing and transitional countries, the top priority area was judged to be the development and testing of locally effective and affordable solutions, followed by cost-effectiveness of risk-reducing strategies. In developed countries, the leading priorities were lack of communication and coordination, and latent organizational failures.
Fifty topics relating to patient safety issues have been identified and selected for prioritization. Research priorities have been ranked separately for developing, transitional and developed countries. In addition, a comprehensive report on current knowledge and gaps in patient safety research has been produced.
This set of priorities represents a useful start, but it is only a beginning. The group expects that countries will be able to use these priorities as a starting place, but that most will want to carry out their own internal prioritization process. A suggested country prioritization process was proposed by the group. Clearly, much more investment in patient safety research is needed, especially in transitional and developing nations.
Combined top research priority areas
- Locally effective & affordable solutions
- Cost-effectiveness of solutions
- Counterfeit & substandard drugs
- Competences, training & skills
- Maternal & newborn care
- Health care-associated infections
- Extent and nature of unsafe care
- Knowledge translation
- Safe injection practices
- Unsafe blood practices
- Communication & coordination
- Safety culture
- Latent organizational failures
- Safety indicators
- Human factors for procedures
- Health information technology & systems
- Role of the patient
- Human factors in devices
- Adverse drug events
More information
Priority-setting process [pdf 339kb]
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List of participants [pdf 319kb]
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