The Patient Safety Adoption Framework: A Practical Framework to Bridge the Know-Do Gap.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare quality improvement
• Patient safety research
• Implementation science

Background:

• Many effective patient safety initiatives are not adopted in practice, leading to a significant 'know-do gap'.
• This gap represents the difference between healthcare knowledge and its application in clinical settings.
• Addressing this gap is crucial for improving patient outcomes and healthcare system performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a comprehensive framework aimed at enhancing the adoption and implementation of patient safety initiatives.
• To provide healthcare organizations with a structured approach to overcome barriers in implementing evidence-based practices.
• To create a practical tool that facilitates the translation of knowledge into improved patient safety.

Main Methods:

• A literature review and qualitative interviews with patient safety leaders identified key barriers and facilitators.
• Inductive thematic analysis was employed to derive themes for framework development.
• A consensus-building approach with experts and patient advisors co-created the framework and a supporting guidance tool, followed by utility testing.

Main Results:

• The Patient Safety Adoption Framework comprises 5 domains: leadership, culture and context, process, meaningful measurement, and person-centeredness.
• Six subdomains further detail these areas, including prioritization, accountability, governance, co-creation, high reliability, engagement, and measurement.
• The accompanying guidance tool and framework demonstrated high acceptability, feasibility, and utility in testing.

Conclusions:

• The Patient Safety Adoption Framework offers essential components for successful adoption and implementation of safety initiatives.
• It serves as a roadmap for healthcare organizations aiming to effectively close the 'know-do gap'.
• The framework and tool provide practical support for improving patient safety practices.