In the news
Presentations, research articles and coverage of recent work by the Center
RESEARCH
Maternal risk conditions and outcomes by levels of maternal care
October 2024 | Odds of severe adverse outcomes among women with selected risk conditions were found to be lower for births occurring at higher-level facilities, supporting the benefit of risk-appropriate care. Authors include researchers at the Betsy Lehman Center and the Perinatal-Neonatal Quality Improvement Network of Massachusetts (PNQIN).
RESEARCH
Adverse events and perceived abandonment: Learning from patients’ accounts of medical mishaps
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.
ARTICLE
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.
RESEARCH
The Safe Home Care Intervention Study
Researchers at the UMass Lowell Safe Home Care and Sustainable Hospitals Program published a study on the effectiveness of a safety handbook and video, produced in partnership with the Betsy Lehman Center.
RESEARCH
Delivery at an inadequate level of maternal care is associated with severe maternal morbidity
March 2024 | Betsy Lehman Center researchers publish data that supports implementing levels of maternal care as a strategy to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality.
ANNOUNCEMENT
Godwin K. Osei-Poku awarded Charles E. Gibbs Leadership Prize
December 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.
PRESS
Barbara Fain on health care safety in Massachusetts
November 2023 | Barbara Fain, Executive Director of the Betsy Lehman Center, joins the Codcast to discuss ongoing efforts to respond to and reduce medical errors.
RESEARCH
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.
ARTICLE
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.
PRESS
Avoiding medical errors must become a priority
May 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.
PRESS
Hospital injuries to patients and health care workers rose significantly during pandemic
May 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.
PRESS
Hospitals interested in safety surveillance pilot
May 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.
PRESS
With small investment, medical errors can be prevented
May 2023 | State funding for promising safety improvement work could play crucial role, says Paul Hattis in an opinion piece for CommonWealth.
PRESS
Nearly 30 years after Globe reporter’s shocking accidental chemo overdose, Boston center has plan to reduce medical errors
April 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.
ARTICLE
Communication, apology, and resolution: Learning and trends over the last two decades
December 2022 | Authors discuss the benefits of Communication, Apology and Resolution (CARe) and explain challenges and lessons learned as they scale the model statewide.
VIDEO
Differences in patient outcomes after outpatient GI endoscopy across settings
May 2022 | Betsy Lehman Center researcher Dr. Meng-Yun Li discusses her article from the June issue of GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.
RESEARCH
Safety trade-offs in home care during COVID-19
September 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.
RESEARCH
Betsy Lehman Center research in BMJ Quality & Safety top articles of 2020
March 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.
PRESS
Hospitals should partner with home health care workers
February 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.