Preface

Over the past decade, our understanding of patient safety and quality improvement in healthcare has matured, and we have come a long way since the publication of the sentinel Institute of Medicine reports To Err is Human and Crossing the Quality Chasm at the turn of the millennium. The body of literature has grown, books have been published, and careers launched, as numerous healthcare professionals and leaders, researchers and patient advocates have sought to contribute to the quality improvement and patient safety movement.

We are pleased to offer this book, which is one of the first to provide a view of patient safety and quality improvement with a specific focus on the pediatric population. The book addresses important topics in pediatric patient safety and quality improvement from the perspective of scholars, from clinicians who provide front-line care to children, and from the broad, systems-based perspective of national patient safety leaders and leaders in pediatric care.

Included in these pages are examples of scientifically driven principles, best practices and lessons learned from individual providers, and healthcare systems and communities that have researched and applied improvement methods in the setting of pediatric care. We hope this book is helpful to students and educators in the healthcare professions, to pediatric training programs and practicing clinicians, and to leaders of patient safety programs and pediatric care delivery systems. We believe that, by adopting and implementing these best practices, hospitals and healthcare professionals can achieve safer care and make meaningful changes that will support long-lasting improvements in care delivery to the children and families they are privileged to serve.