European research project focusing on quality and patient safety in hospitals

A research project focusing on quality and patient safety in hospitals has been offered €3 million from the European Commission's 7th Framework Programme - Health. The Jönköping Academy for Improvement of Health and Welfare is one of six collaborating project partners.

In the project "Quality and safety in European Union hospitals: A research-based guide for im­plementing best practice and a framework for assessing performance" the researcher teams will carry out ten case studies of quality and safety improvement efforts. The findings from the pro­ject will form the basis for two important evidence-based documents to guide European health­care: a quality and safety guide and a framework for assessing quality and safety in hospitals.

"We have limited knowledge, at present, about what works best under different circumstances. Such information is particularly important now that more and more patients seek healthcare across national borders in Europe. This project will give us unique insights and advance existing knowledge due to the opportunities it offers us to compare experiences from several healthcare systems," says Johan Thor, Director of the Jönköping Academy for Improvement of Health and Welfare.

The project is co-ordinated by King's College, London, the UK, and has been offered funding by the European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme for Health. Several prominent European research institutions participate in the project, including the Department of Health Policy & Management, Erasmus University, Rotterdam; the Centre for Patient Safety and Service Quality, Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine, London along with the Jönköping Academy for Improvement of Health and Welfare.

The Jönköping Academy for Improvement of Health and Welfare was founded in the beginning of 2009 jointly by Jönköping University, the County Council of Jönköping and the 13 munici­palities in the county. The Academy aspires to be a national and international forum for re­search and education regarding leadership and improvement of health and welfare.

The primary audiences are decision-makers, researchers, students and practitioners in health and social care. This EU project primarily involves the University and the County Council (due to its hospital focus).

"In order to improve quality and safety in healthcare, we need a tight coupling between theory and practice - the Jönköping Academy for Improvement of Health and Welfare is currently for­med as an important platform for that purpose. The EU project offers a valuable extension of our efforts in a strong international network," observes Dr. Boel Andersson Gäre, Director of Futu­rum, the research unit at the County Council of Jönköping.

"This project demonstrates that matters of quality and safety are gaining in importance within our domain. This strengthens us in our ambition to contribute to health and social care of the future through our research and education where these issues have a given place" says professor Gerd Ahlström, Dean of the School of Health Sciences in Jönköping.