First, Do No Harm Selected as Part of the “Classics” Collection of the AHRQ Patient Safety Network

CHICAGO, July 13, 2005 - Partnership for Patient Safety (p4ps) announced today the designation of First, Do No Harm® Part 1: A Case Study of Systems Failure as part of the “Classics” Collection on the newly launched Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Patient Safety Network website (www.psnet.ahrq.gov). First released in 2000, First, Do No Harm® Part 1: A Case Study of Systems Failure tells the step by step, small failure by small failure story of a system breakdown during the treatment of a healthy obstetrics patient as she moves from a clinic setting through emergency care and surgery. Based on actual facts drawn from the closed malpractice claims files of the Risk Management Foundation of the Harvard Medical Institutions, this 18-minute film is a teaching tool being used by thousands of healthcare organizations in the United States and abroad.

“Users of the First, Do No Harm films continually feedback to us how valuable a tool it has been for them in stimulating discussion and action about patient-centered, systems-based care,” said Martin J. Hatlie, JD, President, p4ps. We’re very gratified to see it recognized to be a classic in this emergent field of safety training.”

The AHRQ Patient Safety Network (PSNet) is a new national web-based resource featuring the latest research, news and essential resources on patient safety in a customizable and highly user-friendly format. The site offers weekly updates of patient safety literature, news, tools and meetings, and a vast set of carefully annotated links to important research and other information on patient safety. To be considered a “Classic,” the AHRQ PSNet editors selected items that were drawn from the peer-reviewed literature and regularly cited as a reference in other literature. The selected items articulate foundational concepts that help readers understand the methods and philosophies of patient safety.

About Partnership for Patient Safety

Partnership for Patient Safety (p4ps) is a patient-centered initiative to advance the reliability of healthcare systems worldwide. The mission of p4ps is to initiate focused partnerships and joint ventures with organizations and individuals that share its core values and objectives of achieving a healthcare system that is authentically patient-centered and systems-based.

#####

Contact:

Martin J. Hatlie, JD, President
Partnership for Patient Safety
(312) 274-9695
mhatlie@p4ps.org