Quality & Safety
This guide features resources available to Ascension Associates in support of quality and patient safety.
Ascension Libraries Intro Videos (3:30 min) (Generic)
For a wider view of the generic video, click on the full-screen icon in the lower right corner of the video still below.
See Also: Asc WI Library Orientation for Nursing Video (15 min.)
Quality & Safety News & Announcements
Ascension Infection Prevention Community (on Good Day Ascension)
Journals on Quality & Patient Safety
eBooks on Quality & Patient Safety
This page last updated 8 December 2025.
Use this form to request-
Infection Prevention Guidelines
- Health Care–Associated Infections: Best Practices for Prevention
- Guidelines for the prevention of bloodstream infections and other infections associated with the use of intravascular catheters
- SHEA/APIC/IDSA/PIDS multisociety position paper: Raising the bar: necessary resources and structure for effective healthcare facility infection prevention and control programs
- Prevention and Control Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) National Clinical Guideline No. 2
- Suspected sepsis: recognition, diagnosis and early management
-
National Organizations
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
- AHRQ Patient Safety Network (PSNet)
- American College of Medical Quality (AACMQ)
- American Hospital Association (AHA) - Quality and Patient Safety
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
- FDA-MedWatch
- Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)
- Health.gov - Federal Resources for Health Care Quality and Patient Safety
- Joint Commission (formerly Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations)
- Leapfrog Group for Patient Safety
- National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)
- National Patient Safety Foundation
-
Patient Safety
This list, prepared by the Ascension Medical Librarian in Florida is provided for information only. Referral to these sites does not imply the endorsement of Ascension Health of either the organization or their contents, expressed views, programs, or political activities. Further, Ascension does not endorse any commercial products that may be advertised or available from these organizations or on these websites. This list is not meant to be comprehensive; the exclusion of a site does not reflect the quality of that site. Sites and URLs are subject to change without warning. MASH 10 11 2023
AHRQ: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Provides evidence-based information for patients, health care providers, and policymakers.
AHRQ: PSNet - Patient Safety Network
The latest news and resources on patient safety.
AHRQ: Patient Safety Organizations (PSO)
Provides an overview of the PSO program authorized by the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005. Describes the program's purpose and goals, the protections offered, the process of becoming a PSO, and common formats for reporting patient safety events. Included is a directory of federally-listed PSOs.
American Society for Health Care Risk Management (ASHRM)
Promotes effective risk management strategies and leadership through advocacy, education, networking, publications, and recognition. Established in 1980 ASHRM is a professional membership group of the American Hospital Association.
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP): Patient Safety Resource Center
Provides information focused on fostering fail-safe medication use in health systems through the leadership of pharmacists.
Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF)
The APSF's mission is to improve the safety of patients during anesthesia care. The APSF's website includes patient safety resources on COVID-19, podcasts, videos, news, reports, interactions, handoffs, and other resources.
Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality - Johns Hopkins Medicine
Aims to reduce preventable harm to patients, achieve the best patient outcomes, and reduce waste in health care delivery at Johns Hopkins and around the globe. Provides links to news, publications, programs, and training opportunities.
Describes common hospital hazards and provides safety strategies and simple checklists to help families safeguard their loved ones' hospital care.
An initiative of the ABIM Foundation, this website aims to promote conversations between physicians and patients by helping patients choose care that is supported by evidence, not duplicative, free from harm, and necessary.
Consumers Advancing Patient Safety (CAPS)
CAPS is a consumer-led nonprofit organization formed to be a collective voice for individuals, families, and health care providers who wish to prevent harm during health care encounters through partnerships and collaborations. The website has resources on how to manage your medicines and Person and Family Engagement (PFE) metrics.
Includes recommendations for the prevention or remediation of medical device hazards. Searchable by cause of device-related incident, clinical specialty or department, device, or mechanism of injury. Also includes a link to the Medical Device Problem Reporting Form.
FDA Medical Product Safety Network (MedSun)
MedSun collects and shares information on adverse and potentially adverse clinical events and provides medical device and patient safety information. Includes links to the MedSun Newsletter, educational webinars, and resources on reporting medical device problems.
FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program (MedWatch)
Offers info on how to report a problem, receive safety information, and stay informed about issues that when appropriate are published as safety alerts for FDA regulated products such as prescriptions and medical devices. Links to Medical Product Safety Educational Resources for consumers.
HealthIT.gov: Health IT Safety
Discussion and resources concerning the use of EHRs in furthering patient safety. Links to resources, reports, self-assessment guides, and plan documents.
Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI): Patient Safety
IHI's goal is to advance a total systems approach to safety around the world. IHI works with countries, regions, organizations, and individuals to ensure that patients receive the safest most reliable care across the continuum. There are links to online patient safety education, resources, tools, and publications.
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP)
The ISMP website provides medication safety alerts, information on error reporting, safety self-assessment tools, guidelines, and resources. There are also links to a newsletter and information for consumers.
* AW Libraries subscribe to 3 ISMP Newsletters (Acute Care, Nurse Advise, and Ambulatory Care). If you are not already getting the new issues, ask to be added to the list: WiMedLibrary@ascension.org.
The Leapfrog Group is a voluntary program aimed at mobilizing employer purchasing power to improve the safety, quality, and affordability of health care and to encourage transparency and easy access to health care information. the Leapfrog Hospital Survey compares hospitals' performance to national safety benchmarks relevant to consumers.
The National Library of Medicine's consumer health website offers a list of reliable websites dealing with all aspects of patient safety.
Minnesota Department of Health: Patient Safety
Maintains a statewide adverse health care events reporting system that tracks adverse events in Minnesota hospitals and other health care facilities. Provides patient safety resources for consumers, families, and providers.
Missouri Center for Patient Safety
The Center was established by the Missouri State Medical Association and Primaris in response to recommendations from the Governor's Commission for Patient Safety. General resources include annual conference, speakers bureau, tool kits, press kit, web resources, and alert sites.
National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP)
NASHP website includes information (policies, practices, forms, reports, methods, contracts, alerts, and advisories) related to states' reporting systems including links to state patient-safety web pages.
National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCC MERP)
NCC MERP provides Council statements and recommendations on how to reduce medication errors, descriptions of medication errors (including a taxonomy and indices), and information on how to report errors.
Oregon Patient Safety Commission
The Patient Safety Commission is a "semi-independent state agency" created by the Oregon Legislature in 2003 to help reduce the risk of serious adverse events occurring in Oregon's health care system and encouraging a culture of patient safety. The site includes news of interest to Oregon citizens, information on patient safety reporting programs, and resources for patients, families, and health care professionals.
Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare (PSQH)
The PSQH website provides news and information for patient and health care professionals. PSQH provides access to the PSQH magazine from July-Sept 2004 to Current, read blogs, listen to podcasts, papers, reports, and register for webinars.
A coalition of doctors, insurers, patients, lawyers, hospital administrators, and researchers joining together to provide a "middle ground" solution to the medical malpractice crisis using the concepts of empathy and disclosure. The coalition provides teaching and training tools to help organizations implement and develop disclosure programs.
World Health Organization: Patient Safety
Addresses the issue of patient safety from a global perspective, providing resources that are applicable to countries worldwide. The site provides news, information, education and training tools, change implementation techniques, patient engagement materials, and information on global safety campaigns.