Improving hospital safety by involving families in reporting medical errors
A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial of a Patient Safety Reporting Intervention for Families to Improve Medical Error Detection and Reduce Inequities
This study is all about making hospitals safer by encouraging families to help report any medical mistakes they notice, using a new tool called FACES that makes it easy for them to share their feedback and experiences with the hospital staff.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston Children's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11034079 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This research aims to enhance patient safety in hospitals by actively involving families in the reporting of medical errors. It addresses the limitations of traditional voluntary incident reporting, which often misses critical safety events, especially among vulnerable populations. The study introduces a communication intervention called FACES, which includes a mobile reporting tool for families, educational resources for staff, and a system for sharing family feedback with hospital units. By partnering with families, the research seeks to create a more effective safety reporting system that can lead to improved patient care.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates for this research are families of hospitalized children who can provide insights into safety concerns during their child's care.
Not a fit: Patients who are not hospitalized or whose families are unable to engage in the reporting process may not benefit from this research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could significantly reduce medical errors and improve safety for hospitalized children.
How similar studies have performed: Previous research has shown that involving patients and families in safety reporting can lead to improved detection of medical errors, indicating that this approach has potential for success.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Boston Children's Hospital — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Khan, Alisa — Boston Children's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Khan, Alisa
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.