Future Directions in Primary Care Research

Quality of Care

In addition, a growing focus of the Agency is on reducing medical errors and improving patient safety. Although actively supporting research into these fields, the Agency also serves as part of the Quality Interagency Task Force (QuIC), a group that brings together Federal agencies working on patient safety and other quality issues.

In response to an Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, To Err Is Human (IOM, 1999), the QuIC issued Doing What Counts for Patient Safety: Federal Actions to Reduce Medical Errors and Their Impact (QuIC, 2000). This report, including more than 100 errors-related activities to be taken by various Federal agencies, was released by former President Clinton in February 2000.

Fulfilling one of the promised actions, AHRQ organized a "National Summit on Medical Errors and Patient Safety Research," held in September 2000. Bringing together a panel of 14 Federal agency and private sector funders to develop a national research agenda, the meeting drew submissions from a variety of organizations and individuals, including nursing organizations, on research needs in this field.