20 December 2004
Hospital emergency departments and intensive care units will be the focus of Australia's first dedicated patient safety research centre to be based in the Monash University Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine.
Chair of the Australian Council for Safety and Quality in Health Care, Professor Bruce Barraclough, announced Monash as the successful applicant for a $2 million research grant. The money will fund the Centre of Research Excellence in Patient Safety, which involves a range of universities and organisations from across Australia.
The Centre will be located at the Alfred Medical Research and Education Precinct (AMREP) in Melbourne and will investigate major risk areas, including trauma resuscitation, clinical hand over and medication delivery. It will research issues that may compromise patient safety, and develop interventions to improve health care quality in Australian hospitals.
The Principal investigator, Professor John McNeil, said the Centre would "provide an unprecedented critical mass for patient safety research in Australia and stimulate further industry development in this area".
The five-year grant, awarded through a competitive peer review process managed by the National Health and Medical Research Council, will provide first-class patient safety research capabilities.
Funding will support a team of investigators with expertise in health care risk management. An international advisory group including patient safety specialists from the UK and the US is being established.
Professor Barraclough said the Safety and Quality Council was committed to advancing the understanding and awareness of adverse events in the health system.
"This Council initiative is an important investment in the Australian health system which, while it is one of the best in the world, can always be improved," he said.
"This initiative will translate into major advancements in health care safety and quality, and build on other initiatives being undertaken by the Council in the Australian health care sector."
For more information contact Diane Squires, Monash University on 03) 9905 5828 or 0417 603 400, or Tracey Ellis, Safety and Quality Council, on (03) 9276 2354 or 0438 201 972.
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