James S. Todd Memorial Research Award:
Understanding Medical Errors in Hospital Psychiatry
The recipients are a team from the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice led by Dr. Steven C. Marcus. The researchers will conduct a study of medical errors with an inpatient psychiatric population using methodology based upon the landmark Harvard Medical Practice Study of hospitalized medical patients. The researchers intend to provide the first systematic examination of the incidence, nature and impact of medical errors in hospital psychiatry. In addition, they expect that this will be the first step toward developing prevention strategies and safety measure aimed at reducing medical errors among psychiatric inpatients, a vulnerable patient population.
Patient Safety in After Hours Telephone Medicine
The recipients are a team from the University of Kentucky Department of Family and Community Medicine led by Dr. Shersten Killip. This is a qualitative study of errors and harms that occur when primary care patients call the doctor after hours. Using interviews with patients, the researchers intend to generate the first detailed taxonomy of errors in after-hours telephone medicine, and the first large-scale report of the harms and potential harms from telephone medicine.