AHRQ Releases First Public Database on Patient Safety Events Submitted by PSOs

AHRQ has released a new Network of Patient Safety Databases (NPSD), the first publicly available online resource that captures nonidentifiable information on patient safety events collected by AHRQ-listed Patient Safety Organizations. Data contained in the congressionally mandated NPSD will be used to produce dashboards and a chartbook for providers and others to learn about patient safety events, including the distribution of incidents, near misses and unsafe conditions, and how to reduce patient safety risks and harms across healthcare settings nationally. Analyses of patient safety events from the NPSD data also will be available to the public through AHRQ’s annual National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report. The operation of the NPSD requires that AHRQ also develop a report to Congress on effective strategies for reducing medical errors and increasing patient safety.