December 2005: ISMP Canada’s Commitment to Patient Safety Reseach
Earlier this year, ISMP Canada held a strategic planning session involving its board of directors, selected staff members, and external advisors. One of the strategic directions adopted by participants was to increase the organization’s involvement in patient safety research.
On December 2, 2005, the Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI) announced the winners of its first research funding competition. Twenty-eight winners, divided by theme into two groups (Applied Health Services Research Projects and Demonstration Projects), were selected. For full details on the selection process and the list of successful applicants, refer to the CPSI web page (http://www.patientsafetyinstitute.ca).
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices Canada (ISMP Canada) is a coapplicant and research team member in four of the winning proposals:
Theme 1: Applied Health Services Research Projects
- Neil MacKinnon, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS — Development of medication safety indicators
- Karen Weisbaum, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON — Striking a balance: facilitating access to patient safety data while protecting privacy through creation of a national harmonized standard
Theme 2: Demonstration Projects
- Tony Easty, University Health Network, Toronto, ON — Developing and implementing an effective method for independent double checking of high-risk clinical procedures
- Kathryn Momtahan, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa, ON — Using human factors and FMEA methods to evaluate labelling of injectables (ampoules) and the recently developed CSA standards for labelling
