The American Academy of Family Physicians' Developmental Center for Research and Evaluation in Patient Safety - Primary Care (AAFP DCERPS-PC) was developed to improve the safety and quality of medical care in family medicine and other primary care office settings through research, evaluation, education, and dissemination.
Mission, Goals and Objectives
Mission
Goals
- Patient-focused goal:
- Patients of family physicians will receive safe care that minimizes risk of injury from the medical system. Patients will perceive that they receive safe medical care.
- Physician-focused goal:
- Family physicians will practice a high standard of patient safety.
- Family medicine-focused goal:
- Family physicians' offices will be safe environments for patient care.
- AAFP-focused goal:
- The AAFP DCERPS-PC will be nationally recognized as a center of excellence in patient safety research, evaluation, education, and dissemination.
- External-focused goal:
- The AAFP DCERPS-PC will share its findings with other primary care and patient safety organizations.
Objectives
- Patient-focused objectives:
- Decrease adverse outcomes related to medical errors in family physicians' offices.
- Educate patients in their roles in improving the safety of primary care practice.
- Physician-focused objectives:
- Improve family physicians' knowledge of strategies to improve patient safety.
- Assist family physicians in initiating and adopting strategies to improve patient safety in their offices.
- Family physicians will know about the activities of the Center and use its resources.
- Family medicine-focused objectives:
- Establish and maintain a useful and confidential reporting system to monitor patient safety events in family medicine.
- Understand threats to patient safety in family physician office settings and to monitor changes.
- Develop and test strategies for patient safety improvement in office settings.
- AAFP-focused objectives:
- Conduct funded research in patient safety.
- Maintain a comprehensive library of relevant patient safety literature.
- Produce educational materials to promote safe medical practice in primary care.
- Develop a marketing plan for dissemination of patient safety products to family physicians.
- External-focused objectives:
- Establish regular communication with other organizations with experience or interest in patient safety in primary care.
- Collaborate with other organizations in research, evaluation, and dissemination of safe medical practices.
