In the first study to comprehensively evaluate research priorities for patient safety in pediatrics, researchers from Memphis, Tenn.-based St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and other children's hospitals outlined 24 research priorities for improving pediatric patient care.
The study, published in Pediatrics, took place within the Solutions for Patient Safety network, which includes more than 130 children's hospitals focused on eliminating patient harm.
The researchers used several methods to collect data from parents, clinicians and hospital leaders. Topics identified as most important for pediatric patient safety included how organizations use high reliability principles, improve their safety culture, communicate about patient care and use early warning systems to prevent and detect patient decline.
"Children, especially those with catastrophic diseases, have unique characteristics that may require different approaches to improve patient safety, and this study sets a research agenda for pediatric patient safety," said James Hoffman, PharmD, St. Jude chief patient safety officer and the study's first author.
The results should help health system leaders and patient safety experts dedicate resources to areas that will improve safety and clinical outcomes in pediatric care, the researchers said.
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