Project objectives and results

Please find on this homepage both the objectives and final results of the SIMPATIE project. The next three headings provide you, subsequently, with: the project's aims; the activities of the working groups and parties concerned over the time period 2005-2007; and an introduction about how the information on this website is organized. The final heading - project results and materials - will give you access to the definite products as prepared for the European Programme of Community Action. The various sections on this website are interconnected and will provide you with direct links to organisations, strategies, actions and tools directed at Safety Improvement for Patients in Europe.

The SIMPATIE project

The project aimed to facilitate free movement of people and services by developing EU-wide commonality and transparency in methodology on patient safety in healthcare institutions. It was a multidisciplinary effort.

The objective of the project was to use Europe-wide networks of organizations, experts, professionals and other stakeholders to establish a common European set of vocabulary, indicators, internal and external instruments for improvement of safety in health care. Since in many countries numerous initiatives have been taken, in the project a variety of actions were taken to explore patient safety at the health system, the organisational, and the clinical level.

The project included input from patient representatives and the set will be disseminated to all parties involved.

Context

Patient Safety is recognised internationally as a health quality issue. There is good evidence on the level of harm to citizens and the cost of preventable harm in delivering healthcare. The cost is such, that eventually it is an issue for public health. The project aimed, therefore, to facilitate patient safety as a health quality issue. First by mapping across the then 25 EU and accession states to determine the status of activity and strategic planning on patient safety. A sustainable database was developed and data for benchmarking good practice have ben obtained.

In parallel a working group of experts developed a common vocabulary, as well as outcome indicators and internal and external instruments for improvements in patient safety, based on a framework of the Council of Europe. In this process activities of the WHO and the OECD assisted. Another, third, work stream utilized material from these work groups to develop a consensus approach to health strategy in patient safety. The final work stream concentrated on dissemination of the project's results using established professional, institutional and patient networks.

What to expect?

From a user perspective the format of this homepage demonstrates a central (CORE) section, a left bar (MENU) section, and a right bar (HIGHLIGHTS) section. Each section provides you with different entry points and each was prepared with a varying make-up. Stated differently, the styles are, in this order: product, process, and summary. You will find, for example, the term 'mapping' both in the core, in the menu, and as highlight. Mapping in the core-section will give you access to the whole product of the working package through several layers of menus. Mapping in the menu-section will inform you about all process streams used to arrive at the result. Mapping as a highlight enables you, finally, with an overview of the subject as it shows the major points in summary and bullet format.

CORE-section

The core or middle-section, under the next heading, forms the entry to the final project results and materials. The entry's are in successive order organised top-down as the eight working packages used for project management and each entry will give you access to a next page in standardised form. When you click on 'mapping', for example, you will see title, author's and addresses and a header 'more information' and a header 'organisation of this overview'. The 1st header will bring you to both the final report(s) in pdf-format and to the Table of Content. The table of content forms the nucleus of all subsequent - clickable- menus. The 2nd header will provide you with the same information as under the table of content, but with a different organisation around the 'reporting structure' for the project. Please note that all headings are interconnected and each page contains direct links to the web and places of interest.

MENU-section

The menu or left-section forms the entry to several functions as well as points of access to public materials which were used (process) during the project and can be of use in the nearby future. In terms of 'mapping', you will find several folders with organised materials regarding ongoing patient safety activities in the European Community.

Please note the Search function. Here you can enter attributes to find what you look for on this site.

HIGHLIGHT-section

The highlight or right-section will bring you summaries ('selling points') and is organised top-down according to relevance for either the health system, the organisational, or the clinical level. Here you will find, in terms of 'mapping', a summary prepared by the working package leader and an overview of what results are offered ("what's in for me").

Project results and materials

Please find here materials and results of the Safety Improvement for Patients in Europe project (feb 2005 - feb 2007).

Please note this is the Entry point to all interconnected menus and documents.

For each entry you will see, in successive order:


run-title (underlined and used throughout the website as build),
descriptor (formal wording for the final EC report), and
catch-frase (what are the deliverables all about, in small print).

Project. Project coordination and Management

Project management and coordination; project secretariat and administrative management.

Mapping. Mapping exercise of activities related to patient safety in EU countries

Web based knowledge resource on patient safety activities and practice (20 questions); Overview report; Best practice compendium (web-based, 61 examples).

Recommendation. Promotion of Recommendation on Patient Safety by the Council of Europe (CoE)

Adaptation of Recommendation published by the CoE to form framework for toolbox development; web based discussion forum for feedback on Recommendation.

Indicators. Safety Improvements for Patients in Europe

Set of (24) definitions of terms related to patient safety and framework to illustrate core terms of vocabulary; a set of (42) indicators for use in efforts to improve patient safety; and a brief rating assessment instrument for external application to provisional outputs.

Audit. Improving patient safety through External Auditing

Description of the evolving context within member states (and definition of external evaluation), and of the objectives of external models in terms of patient safety; overview of (8) types of auditing strategies; and tentative classification of various European countries attitudes and specificities regarding external evaluation directed at a series of strategies for European harmonisation of external evaluation.

Improvement. Instruments for improving patient safety in Health Care Organisations

A book has been published containing (16) instruments for improvement of patient safety with a summarized version available on the website.

Strategy. Conference Report: 'Building a Strategy for Patient Safety in Europe'

Consensus conference papers; and strategy framework.

Dissemination. Dissemination of the results to the wider public and parties involved

Dissemination targets as defined in strategy; dissemination plan with consortium; and web-based resource.

More elaborate information on the project and different work packages can be found by clicking on the links above or in the menu (left) or the highlights (right).