July 2024
Research from the Betsy Lehman Center and co-authors at Yale University finds that enhancing patient engagement after an adverse medical event has the potential to reinforce alliances between patients and clinicians.
In the news
Presentations and coverage of recent work by the Center
Adverse events and perceived abandonment: Learning from patients’ accounts of medical mishaps
How to engage with patients who have been harmed and move toward reconciliation
April 2024
Melinda Van Niel, Program Director for Communication, Apology and Resolution (CARe), and co-authors write about communication and resolution programs for the latest issue of Quality Management in Health Care.
Delivery at an inadequate level of maternal care is associated with severe maternal morbidity
March 1, 2024
Betsy Lehman Center researchers publish data that supports implementing levels of maternal care as a strategy to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality.
Godwin K. Osei-Poku awarded Charles E. Gibbs Leadership Prize
December 18, 2023
Godwin Osei-Poku, Associate Director of Research at the Betsy Lehman Center, was awarded the Charles E. Gibbs Leadership Prize for his article on severe maternal morbidity in birthing people with opioid use disorder, published in Women's Health Issues in 2023.
Barbara Fain on health care safety in Massachusetts
November 27, 2023
Barbara Fain, Executive Director of the Betsy Lehman Center, joins the Codcast to discuss ongoing efforts to respond to and reduce medical errors.
Strategies for communication and apology are critical for frontline staff
September 7, 2023
Authors detail strategies to combat the long-ingrained deny-and-defend model of responding to adverse events, highlighting the Betsy Lehman Center's CARe program as a model.
Risk of severe maternal morbidity in birthing people with opioid use disorder
September 2023
Betsy Lehman Center researchers publish data that shows birthing people with opioid use disorder are at an elevated risk of severe maternal morbidity, underscoring the need for improved access to treatment and increased support.
Peer support helps clinicians and staff throughout the state
August 2023
The Betsy Lehman Center's Virtual Peer Support Network is featured in the Quality and Patient Safety Division's newsletter, FIRST Do No Harm, alongside other peer support programs the Center helped develop across the state.
Avoiding medical errors must become a priority
May 23, 2023
The Boston Globe Editorial Board supports funding in the state budget for the Betsy Lehman Center to implement its road map to improve safety in health care.
Hospital injuries to patients and health care workers rose significantly during pandemic
May 17, 2023
Executive director Barbara Fain speaks to the Boston Globe about the pandemic's effect on patient safety and the need for better data statewide.
Hospitals interested in safety surveillance pilot
May 15, 2023
State House News Service highlights a proposed budget amendment that would fund multiple safety initiatives, including a pilot of "automated safety event surveillance" at Massachusetts hospitals.
Support for the Roadmap in CommonWealth
May 11, 2023
With small investment, medical errors can be prevented, says Paul Hattis in an opinion piece for CommonWealth.
The Boston Globe highlights Roadmap to Health Care Safety
April 26, 2023
This article highlights the new Roadmap to Health Care Safety, a statewide strategic plan released on April 26, 2023 at the Massachusetts Health Policy Forum in Boston.
Communication, apology, and resolution: Learning and trends over the last two decades
December 28, 2022
Authors discuss the benefits of Communication, Apology and Resolution (CARe) and explain challenges and lessons learned as they scale the model statewide.
M.E. Malone on creating safer medical care
July 25, 2022
M.E. Malone, Deputy Director of the Betsy Lehman Center, is on the latest episode of We’ve Got Issues, a podcast from Issues Management Group. They discuss the origins of the Center and our sepsis public awareness campaign.
Risk of severe maternal morbidity in birthing people with opioid use disorder
June 6, 2022
Godwin Osei-Poku, Research Analytics Manager at the Betsy Lehman Center, presents a poster at Academy Health's Annual Research Meeting.
Racial and ethnic disparities in patient safety indicators in Massachusetts
June 5, 2022
Julia Prentice, Research Director at the Betsy Lehman Center, presents a poster at Academy Health's Annual Research Meeting.
Differences in patient outcomes after outpatient GI endoscopy across settings
May 27, 2022
Betsy Lehman Center researcher Dr. Meng-Yun Li discusses her article from the June issue of GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.
Safety trade-offs in home care during COVID-19
September 17, 2021
In this study published in the journal Patient Safety, Betsy Lehman Center researchers used focus groups and surveys to learn more about the experiences of home care workers during the pandemic.
Racial and ethnic inequities in severe maternal morbidity in Massachusetts
June 17, 2021
Godwin Osei-Poku, Research Analytics Manager, presents a poster developed in partnership with the Perinatal-Neonatal Quality Improvement Network of Massachusetts (PNQIN) at Academy Health's Annual Research Meeting.
Prioritizing safety in home care during COVID-19: Frontline worker perspectives
June 14, 2021
Ola Szczerepa, Research Analytics Manager, presents a research poster on home care during COVID-19 at Academy Health's Annual Research Meeting.
Speaking of Patient Safety: Turning the Tide on Medical Error
June 1, 2021
Barbara Fain, Executive Director, discusses the history of the Betsy Lehman Center and our current work at the American Medical Writers Association New England chapter meeting.
The Emotional and Organizational Cost of Harm
May 25, 2021
Julia Prentice, Director of Research and Analysis, presents at Working Together to Improve Diagnosis, a virtual conference focused on the impact of diagnostic error on patients, residents, care teams and organizations.
Betsy Lehman Center research in BMJ Quality & Safety top articles of 2020
March 14, 2021
Our research on the association of open communication and the emotional and behavioral impact of medical error on patients and families was selected as a top article of the year.
Hospitals should partner with home health care workers
February 8, 2021
An op-ed in CommonWealth Magazine cites two recents studies from the Betsy Lehman Center on the impact of COVID-19 on Massachusetts home care and home health workers.