Imperial’s Patient Safety Translational Research Centre within IGHI to host third & final NASEM Committee on Improving Quality of Healthcare Globally

The NASEM Committee, which is hosted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, is focused on improving the delivery of quality healthcare now and in the future, especially within low resource settings. It is composed of global leaders in healthcare quality and co-chaired by Donald Berwick and Sania Nishtar.

The Committee has been set up to meet three times in different locations across the world with a different focus for each meeting. The third and final meeting of the Committee will be held on 14^th March at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington and will be hosted by Imperial’s Patient Safety Translational Research Centre within the Institute of Global Health Innovation.  The focus of the meeting will be on the future of healthcare quality and the goal will be to help the commissioners develop recommendations for their report based on where we see health systems going in the future.

During the meeting, PSTRC and IGHI experts will be facilitating breakout sessions for the Committee on topics including behavioural insights, human factors, digital applications, advanced analytics, artificial intelligence and partnering with patients and carers. 

Principal Research Fellow in Human Factors at Imperial, Dr Peter Buckle, has also written a paper for the Committee and will be giving a keynote speech during the meeting called “Human factors in healthcare”

The public meeting will then be followed by a two-day private meeting of the Committee on 15^th- 16^th March.

Professor the Lord Ara Darzi, Director of the PSTRC and IGHI said “We are delighted to be working with the NASEM Committee on the very important topic of patient safety.  It is vital now more than ever that we strive to improve the quality of healthcare around the world now and for future generations”. 

"Quality of care and the related problem of medical error, deserve more attention worldwide, particularly as they relate to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), one of which is to bring about universal health coverage (UHC) and so we look forward to working with Imperial and Lord Darzi on this very important issue”. Donald Berwick Chair of the NASEM Committee

“Increasingly, quality of care has been identified as "the constraining factor" holding back better health in poor communities” said Committee Chair Donald Berwick, “yet it appears to be a serious obstacle to improving health among the world's poorest and most marginalised people. Quality of care and the related problem of medical error, deserve more attention worldwide, particularly as they relate to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), one of which is to bring about universal health coverage (UHC) and so we look forward to working with Imperial and Lord Darzi on this very important issue”. 

For more information about the work of the PSTRC, visit their website.