The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) https://www.va.gov selected 10 VA ‘Patient Safety Centers of Inquiry” (PSCI) for funding https://www.patientsafety.va.gov/professionals.centers.asp over the next three years to research and develop innovations to help improve patient safety throughout the VA.
The PSCIs are focused on researching specific areas of patient safety and providing practical tools to improve patient safety at the bedside. PSCIs have improved patient safety by using EHRs and alerts to improve the safety of drug prescribing practices and medication administration.
The 10 centers selected by a review committee from the VA’s National Center for Patient Safety https://www.patientsafety.va.gov include:
- VA Ann Arbor Michigan PSCI will focus on appropriate use of catheters and Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter lines
- The Center for Medication Safety in Aging located at the James J. Peters VA Medical Center will serve as a communications hub for ideas on how to reduce adverse medication effects in older adults and adults with dementia
- The Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Centers’ PSCI in Charleston South Carolina will work to improve outcomes for veterans moving back and forth from VA and non-VA care, specifically focusing on medication safety
- The Michael E. DeBakey Houston VA’s Diagnosis Improvement Safety Center works to prevent diagnostic errors by improving timely follow-up of abnormal test results
- The goal for the Iowa City VA’s Center for Antimicrobial Stewardship and Prevention of Antimicrobial Resistance is to create automated risk adjusted metrics that are adaptable to diverse care settings across the VA’s health system
- The VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System’s PSCI will focus on transitioning elderly veterans and those with complex conditions and study the impact of the transitions on 30 day readmissions and patient satisfaction
- The VA Puget Sound Health Care System supports primary care providers in opioid risk reduction and treatments by identifying and monitoring patients at high risk for adverse opioid events. They also provide guidance on tapering opioid prescriptions and support connections among patients with opioid use disorders
- The PSCI at the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa Florida works to prevent adverse events related to mobility and immobility focusing on preventing injurious falls, safe patient handling, and pressure ulcer prevention
- The Doris Miller VA Medical Center PSCI in Waco Texas is developing practical solutions to help reduce suicide among veterans on receiving VA care
- The White River Junction Vermont VA is testing evidence-based programs to decrease suicide risk following psychiatric discharges of veterans