Assessing the Impact of the Patient Safety Improvement Corps (PSIC)

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality proposes to assess the impact of the PSIC training program. This three-week program was designed and implemented by AHRQ and the Veteran's Administration's (VA) National Center for Patient Safety (NCPS) to improve patient safety by training participants in various patient safety concepts, tools, information, and techniques. The PSIC program represents a new approach to training for AHRQ by focusing on disseminating patient safety information and building skill sets to ultimately foster a national network of individuals who support, promote, and speak a common language of patient safety. Participants have included representatives from State health departments, hospitals and health systems, Quality Improvement Organizations, and a very small number of other types of organizations. AHRQ will use an independent contractor to conduct the assessment of the PSIC training program. The goal of the assessment is to determine the extent to which the PSIC concepts, tools, information, and techniques have been used on the job by training participants and successfully disseminated within and beyond the participating organizations, local areas, regions, and states. AHRQ is assessing the PSIC program pursuant to its authority under 42 U.S.C. 299(b) and 42 U.S.C. 299a(a) to evaluate its strategies for improving health care quality.