QUERI Highlights Implementation and Evaluation Science
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Patient Safety and Quality

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), patient safety is “the absence of preventable harm to a patient during the process of healthcare and reduction of risk of unnecessary harm associated with healthcare to an acceptable minimum.” Two independent studies revealed that VA healthcare is as safe or safer than non-VA care, and VA continues to strive for excellence in quality of care every day. QUERI is deploying and evaluating implementation and quality improvement strategies to enhance patient safety and quality of care for Veterans and their families, in partnership with multi-level stakeholders. QUERI centers focused on this priority area include the following.

Combating Antimicrobial Resistance through Rapid Implementation of Available Guidelines and Evidence (CARRIAGE) QUERI works to improve bio-surveillance, infection, prevention, and antimicrobial stewardship in order to reduce the rates of hospital-acquired infection among Veterans.

• Principal Investigators: Michael Rubin, MD, PhD, MS; Charlesnika Evans, PhD, MPH; and Eli Perencevich, MD, MS
• Partners: National Infectious Diseases Service, MDRO Program Office, Antimicrobial Stewardship Task Force, National Center for Patient Safety, and VISN 23

Cirrhosis Care QUERI is working to develop a data-driven approach to selecting and tailoring implementation strategies while building an intervention to improve cirrhosis care for Veterans.

• Principal Investigator: Shari Rogal, MD, MPH
• Partners: HIV, Hepatitis, and Related Conditions Program Office (HHRC) and the National Hepatic Consortium for Redesigning Care

Dual Use of Medications (DUAL) QUERI will work to improve the safety of medication use for Veterans by integrating non-VA prescriptions into VA medication surveillance efforts.

• Principal Investigator: Walid Gellad, MD

Hospital Acquired Pneumonia Prevention by Engaging Nurses (HAPPEN) QUERI works to reduce the risk of non-ventilator associated hospital-acquired pneumonia with a focus on preventive care and improving patient safety, access, and timeliness of service by reducing the length of a hospital stay.

• Principal Investigator: Shannon Munro, PhD, APRN, BC, NP
• Partners: VHA Innovation Ecosystem, Office of Discovery, Education, and Affiliated Networks (Diffusion of Excellence), VA’s Office of Nursing Services, Office of Dentistry, and Office of Rural Health

Reducing VA Healthcare-Associated Infections through Antibiotic Stewardship (RAISE) QUERI aims to help VA medical facilities improve their antibiotic stewardship practices to reduce C. difficile infection and increase patient safety.

• Principal Investigator: Nasia Safdar, MD, PhD
• Partner: AHRQ-funded trial (FIRST)

VA Implementation of Patient Safety Practices in Community Care (VIPs-CC)) QUERI is evaluating the national implementation of the Patient Safety Guidebook and assessing VA’s progress towards its transformation into a high reliability organization (HRO).

• Principal Investigator: Amy Rosen, PhD
• Partners: VA Office of Community Care and VA’s National Center for Patient Safety

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