Improving Cancer Diagnosis is a joint effort of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the University of Washington Medical Center to identify, support and learn from patients with delayed cancer diagnoses. The new initiative combines expertise in safety and process improvement with approaches used by communication and resolution programs to support patients, learn from their experience and partner with them to make the diagnostic process more effective, especially for patients from marginalized communities.

Improving Cancer Diagnosis is one of 10 Diagnostic Centers of Excellence chosen by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to make lasting, equitable improvements in diagnosis and is co-led by Gordon D. Schiff, M.D., in Boston and Thomas H. Gallagher, M.D., in Seattle. The Betsy Lehman Center is among a number of local and national advisers to the initiative.
Massachusetts' leadership in building and refining a model for Communication, Apology and Resolution (CARe) to help patients who experience medical harm — as well as the organizations that use CARe programs — is chronicled in this month's Journal of Healthcare Management Standards. 
 
“A key takeaway from efforts in this state is that the CARe approach can be used at any health care facility and scaled in a way that is lasting and sustainable," says Melinda Van Niel, Program Director for CARe at the Betsy Lehman Center, who co-authored the article along with members of the Center's CARe advisory group.
Infection control continues to be a top priority this winter. Videos from the Betsy Lehman Center can help workers in home care and congregate care settings correctly don and doff personal protective equipment including a facemask, gloves, gown, head covering, shoe coverings and eye protection. The free videos are available in English, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese and Haitian Creole and can be found on the Center’s website, along with other related materials. Since the initial release, the videos have accumulated thousands of views and continue to be valuable tools for the health care community. 

Upcoming events
February 1
2 p.m.
Home-Use Device Recalls: What You Need to Know to Mitigate Risk and Protect Patients. Manufacturer recalls of home-use medical devices are #1 on ECRI's Top 10 Technology Hazards for 2023. ECRI’s experts will discuss how to reduce this risk in a free webcast. Learn more
March 15 - 16
Pulse Center for Patient Safety Education & Advocacy's Annual Symposium. The Current Landscape of Patient Safety: Where We’ve Been, Where We’re Going is a virtual event led by patient safety experts, including Tejal Gandhi, MD, from Press Ganey, and Jeffrey Cooper, PhD, founder of the Center for Medical Simulation in Boston and co-founder of the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation. Learn more
Patient Safety Beat is published by the Betsy Lehman Center, a Massachusetts state agency that supports providers, patients and policymakers working together to advance the safety and quality of health care.