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The Suncoast Center for Patient Safety was funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in 2001. The focus of this center is Safe Patient Transitions from Institutions to the Home. The Suncoast Center has emphasized policy and practice applications through interfaces with legislative, regulatory and educational/training programs for health care professionals.
In addition to undertaking and disseminating pilot studies related to patient safety and continuity of care for vulnerable patients discharged from hospitals, the Suncoast Center has hosted two Patient Safety Summits. During these Summits, key stakeholders were brought together to glean and disseminate information about the patient safety challenges and opportunities associated with care at home.
The Suncoast Center has also developed existing
research and clinical relationships with other health science centers
to cultivate a "culture of safety" to support medical and nursing
students, residents and fellows, as well as practicing clinicians
in providing safe patient care. The Center has been an active participant
with the other Florida Academic Medical Centers in facilitating the
process of bringing into existance the Florida Patient Safety Corporation,
mandated by acts of the 2003 and 2004 Florida Legislatures.
USF College of Public Health is the parent organization for the Suncoast Center for Patient Safety. The department home for the Suncoast Center for Patient Safety is Environmental and Occupational Health.
Suncoast Center for Patient Safety: Background
In 2001, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) awarded Dr. Wolfson and the University of South Florida approximately $600,000 over 3 years to establish a Developmental Center for Evaluation and Research in Patient Safety.
The focus of this Center is "Safe Patient Transitions from Institutions to the Home". Our overall goal is to successfully plan for and establish a multidisciplinary center for patient safety evaluation and research capable of substantially enhancing the ability of its members to conduct collaborative research that is mutually beneficial, to translate research findings into effective practice, and to disseminate these findings to the larger health care community.
Specifically, our objectives include:
- Conduct pilot studies related to patient safety and continuity of care for vulnerable patients discharged from inpatient hospital stays.
- Build research capacity related to safe patient transition from institutional care to the home.
- Cultivate a "culture of safety" to support clinicians in providing safe patient care, focusing on educational initiatives within academic health centers for physicians, nurses and pharmacists, at the graduate clinical educational level, and within continuing educational programs for practitioners.
- Influence local, state, and national policy related to safe patient transitions.
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