The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is seeking approval from the Office of Management and Budget to test a patient reporting system for health care safety events, according to a notice published in the Federal Register, Health Data Management reports (Goedert, Health Data Management, 9/7).
System Goals
The notice states, "Most reporting systems do not presently accept or elicit reports from patients and their families" (Barr, Modern Healthcare, 9/9).
It adds, "Patient reports could complement and enhance reports from [health care] providers and thus produce a more complete and accurate understanding of the prevalence and characteristics of medical adverse events" (Health Data Management, 9/7).
Testing Details
AHRQ already has funded the development of a prototype patient reporting system. OMB's approval would allow AHRQ to test the prototype's efficacy (Modern Healthcare, 9/9).
According to AHRQ, the data collection process will include development of Web- and telephone-based reporting methods, as well as a follow-up survey of health care providers (Health Data Management, 9/7).