Recent developments in patient safety in primary care

Sandars, John MB ChB(Hons) MSc FRCGP MRCP CertEd

Senior Lecturer in Community Based Education, Medical Education Unit, The University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

John Sandars is on the editorial board of saferhealthcare and is a member of the reference group for the NRLS for Primary Care. He is programme director for a postgraduate certificate in patient safety and clinical risk management at the University of Leeds, which is run in partnership with MPS (Medical Protection Society) Risk Consulting. John Sandars has written modules on medical errors and medication errors for BMJ Learning.

ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE

John Sandars, Senior Lecturer in Community Based Education, Medical Education Unit, The University of Leeds, 20 Hyde Terrace, Leeds LS2 9LN, UK. Tel: +44 (0)113 343 419; fax: +44 (0)113 343 4181; email: [email protected]

Received 5 March 2007

Accepted 13 March 2007

Quality in Primary Care 15(3):p 165-167, 2007.

Patient safety remains a major priority for primary care despite massive financial investment and a plethora of policies and approaches. Recent developments include increased understanding of the frequency and nature of threats to patient safety, interventions to improve prescribing and diagnosis, the implementation of reporting and investigation systems, the active role of patients and an appreciation of the importance of a safety culture. At the same time, future priorities for research and education have been proposed.