Infusion Therapy Links
Click on a category below to view some helpful links pertaining to Infusion Therapy
The Joint Commission Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ) Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Center for Patient Safety (NCPS) VA National Center for Patient Safety Patient Safety Reporting System – PSRS American Pain Society (APS) Oley Foundation American Academy of Pain Management (AAPM) American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) American Pain Society (APS) American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Association for Vascular Access (AVA) Infusion Nurses Society (INS) National Home Infusion Association (NHIA) Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ) American Hospital Association (AHA) American Medical Association (AMA) Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) Florida Hospital Association (FHA): Quality & Safety Georgia Hospital Association (GHA): Partnership for Health & Accountability Illinois Health & Hospital Association (IHA): Quality & Safety Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) Kentucky Medical Association – Patient Safety Task Force Leapfrog Group Maryland/DC Patient Safety Coalition Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety (MAPS) Ohio Patient Safety Institute (OPSI) Patient Assistance Patient Safety Reporting System (PSRS) Partnership for Patient Safety (P4PS) Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority (PSA) South Carolina Hospital Association Texas Center for Quality & Patient Safety US Pharmacopoeia (USP) Veteran’s Administration (VA) – National Center for Patient Safety Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association: Quality & Patient Safety Washington Patient Safety Coalition Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA): Quality & Patient SafetyACCREDITING ORGANIZATIONS
A voluntary, non-governmental organization that establishes standards for the operation of hospitals and nursing homes.GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
This is a public health agency under the department of Health and Human Services. This site covers AHRQ’s involvement with patient safety through links to press releases, important documents, speeches, statements and hearings. Links are also provided to fact sheets and information about the Quality Interagency Coordination Task Force.
Governmental agency designed to promote health and quality of life by preventing and controlling the spread of disease through legislation and regulation
Founded in 1887, the National Institutes of Health today is one of the world’s foremost medical research centers, and the Federal focal point for medical research in the United States. The NIH, comprising 27 separate Institutes and Centers, is one of eight health agencies of the Public Health Service which, in turn, is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The NCPS represents a unified and cohesive patient safety effort. The program is unique in health care. It focuses on prevention rather than punishment by applying human factors analysis and the safety research of high-reliability organizations. This process is targeted at identifying and eliminating system vulnerabilities.
The VA National Center for Patient Safety was established in 1999 to develop and nurture a culture of safety throughout the Veterans Health Administration. Our goal is the nationwide reduction and prevention of inadvertent harm to patients as a result of their care.
The Patient Safety Reporting System (PSRS) is a voluntary, confidential, non-punitive reporting system available to collaborate with both private and federal medical facilities.PATIENT SUPPORT RESOURCES
APS is a multidisciplinary organization of basic and clinical scientists, practicing clinicians, policy analysts, and others. Their mission is to advance pain-related research, education, treatment and professional practice.
The Oley Foundation offers support for patients (and their families) who receive home intravenous nutrition.PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES
An association for pain management professionals and pain patients that provides a variety of resources and information.
A professional society of community, regional, Red Cross blood centers, hospital based blood banks, and transfusion services providing information and support.
APS is a multidisciplinary organization of basic and clinical scientists, practicing clinicians, policy analysts, and others. Their mission is to advance pain-related research, education, treatment and professional practice.
An organization representing pharmacists working in a variety of healthcare systems.
AVA is a multidisciplinary organization composed of clinicians, educators, regulators and manufacturers from the medical field of Vascular and is the premier professional organization for those individuals in Vascular Access who are leading the thoughts and actions of others in the field.
INS is a national nonprofit organization founded in 1973 by a small group of nurses who strongly believed in the specialty and those who work in it needed a voice. For more than 40 years, INS has been committed to bringing innovative new resources and opportunities to a wide range of healthcare professionals who are involved with the specialty practice of infusion therapy. We are dedicated to advancing the delivery of quality therapy to patients, enhancing the specialty through stringent standards of practice and professional ethics, and promoting research and education in the infusion nursing practice.
Founded in 1991, NHIA is the leading organization representing companies that provide medically necessary infusion therapies to patients in alternate sites, as well as the manufacturers, suppliers, and service companies that support the field. NHIA provides education, information, advocacy, and resources for the industry so the patients they serve can lead healthy, independent lives.
An organization providing information about cancer and treatment to healthcare providers, patients, and their families.REGULATORY AGENCIES
Part of the Department of Health and Human Services dedicated to ensuring the quality of healthcare through monitoring and regulation of medical products.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s agency to regulate and promote safety in the workplace.HEALTHCARE SAFETY RESOURCES
This is a public health agency under the department of Health and Human Services. This site covers AHRQ’s involvement with patient safety through links to press releases, important documents, speeches, statements and hearings. Links are also provided to fact sheets and information about the Quality Interagency Coordination Task Force.
This site offers information on AHA’s initiatives, and focuses on medication safety and safety culture. Resources include links to successful practices, reporting information, the Strategies for Leadership series in PDF format, and links to major reports. Also see American Organization of Nurse Executives.
An overlooked resource is the AMA’s Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs (CEJA) Reports and the corresponding annual publication of the AMA’s Code of Medical Ethics.
This web site, devoted solely to patient safety, provides a video library, newsletters, research grants, links to other patient safety web sites, safety questions and answers, and a suggested protocol for adverse events.
Founded in 1927, the Florida Hospital Association is the leading voice for health care in the State of Florida. Over the past 14 years, the Florida Hospital Association has launched various quality improvement collaboratives and initiatives to support a goal set by the FHA Board of Trustees to “move the needle” on how Florida ranks in quality performance compared to other states.
The GHA Partnership for Health and Accountability (PHA) recognizes patient safety as its top priority and describes the elements that support a culture of safety in health care organizations, including a pervasive commitment to patient safety, open communication, a blame-free environment, and safety designs that prevent future errors. PHA supports health equity and social determinants of health by providing education and resources to hospitals. PHA strengthens collaboration among providers, community members, and other stakeholders by providing education and data-driven tools to facilitate improvement.
The Illinois Health and Hospital Association is dedicated to advocating for Illinois’ more than 200 hospitals and nearly 40 health systems as they serve patients and communities throughout the state. IHA’s Institute for Innovations in Care and Quality is advancing person-centered healthcare in Illinois through evidence-based quality and safety initiatives and innovative programs that can measurably strengthen quality healthcare.
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement aims to advance a total systems approach to safety, grounded in evidence and the science and methods of improvement, to ensure that every person receives safe, reliable, effective, and equitable care.
This site has excellent resources for hospitals and consumers, including alerts/fact sheets, surveys, articles, action agendas, events, and information on ISMP-Canada and ISMP-Spain.
The KMA Patient Safety Task Force has developed products for use by the medical community and by patients, for example, methods physician practices can use to track test results ordered in the practice and flyers for patients on the same subject. Links to downloadable and other patient safety resources are included.
Contains information on the Leapfrog Group’s approach, as well as information and fact sheets on three initiatives, including computer physician order entry, evidence-based hospital referral, and ICU physician staffing. Also includes tool kit for purchasers, and links to other patient safety and healthcare Web sites.
The Maryland Patient Safety Center is recognized as a national leader in patient safety. As a Center of patient safety innovations, we convene providers of care to accelerate our understanding and implement evidence-based solutions for preventing avoidable harm.
The Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors is a public-private partnership whose mission is to improve patient safety and eliminate medical errors in Massachusetts.
Information on MAPS initiatives, as well as organizational and culture change tools. Includes an extensive list of printed and web-based resources.
OPSI was founded by the Ohio Hospital Association, the Ohio State Medical Association and the Ohio Osteopathic Association. Through this collaboration and common effort, OPSI works with hospitals and health care workers to improve health care outcomes in Ohio. Its mission is to be the leader and catalyst in developing and transforming health care into a reliable and safe delivery system.
PatientAssistance.com is a free resource designed to help connect patients who can’t afford their prescription medications with patient assistance programs. We believe that medication should be affordable for all Americans, including low-income families and the uninsured, and our database features over 1000 programs that help make that possible.
The Patient Safety Reporting System (PSRS) is a non-punitive, confidential, and voluntary program which collects and analyzes safety reports submitted by healthcare personnel. It is an external, independent system administered by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and is available to collaborate with both private and federal medical facilities. Staff in all sectors of medical systems can voluntarily report any close calls, events or concerns they have which involve patient safety.
This site promotes the organization’s patient-centered approach for improving healthcare. It provides information about the Partnership symposia (past and present), call for abstracts, products for sale (including the video “First, Do No Harm”), and news and reports.
PSA is an independent state agency that collects reports of patient safety events from Pennsylvania healthcare facilities. Pennsylvania is the only state that requires healthcare facilities to report all incidents of harm (serious events) or potential for harm (incidents).
SCHA’s medication safety toolkit is on this site, and features tools such as the Universal Medication Form and a brochure for patients “What You Need to Know about Your Medicine.”
The Texas Center for Quality & Patient Safety is an affiliate of the Texas Hospital Association’s nonprofit foundation. Established in 2010, the center is bringing together Texas hospitals, state and national experts and evidence-based health care practices in an effort to improve the quality of care at the bedside and reduce costs.
This site offers information on USP’s standards and activities. In addition, USP operates two medication error reporting, tracking, and analysis programs including the Medication Errors Reporting (MER) Program and the MedMARx Program. MedMARx is an Internet-accessible database for hospitals to report and track medication errors anonymously.
The National Center for Patient Safety (NCPS) promotes best practices for safe patient care and optimal patient care utilization throughout the organization.
The VHHA Center for Healthcare Excellence was launched in January 2015 as an initiative to improve the safety and quality of health care in Virginia by assisting members in achieving top-tier performance in quality, safety and service.
The WPSC is a program of the Foundation for Health Care Quality that acts as a neutral hub uniting a diverse range of healthcare stakeholders to achieve common patient safety goals.
WHA is committed to providing information that enables our member hospitals and health systems to provide accessible, affordable health care in their communities. Consumers can also learn more about a variety of topics as they engage in health care for themselves and their families.