Learning from Errors in Ambulatory Pediatrics Study (LEAP)

Protocol Overview

Pilot 1:

1) Five PROS practices will be asked to participate in developing and pilot-testing the reporting tool. Eligible practices must have Internet access so that they can complete the web-based reporting form.

2) Participating practices will be asked to complete a one-page form at a secure password-protected Internet site each time a practitioner in that practice experiences an error or near-miss while caring for a patient. We anticipate that it will take approximately 5 minutes or less for a practitioner to report an error using the web-based tool.

3) Practices will be instructed to use the tool to report all near-misses and errors that occur in a one-month period.

4) If the pilot test suggests that revisions are needed, we will revise the tool and conduct an additional one-month test.

Pilot 2:

1) Ten PROS practices will be asked to participate. Eligible practices must have Internet access so that they can complete the web-based reporting form.

2) Participating practices will be asked to complete a one-page form at a secure password-protected Internet site each time a practitioner in that practice experiences an error or near-miss while caring for a patient. We anticipate that it will take approximately 5 minutes or less for a practitioner to report an error using the web-based tool.

3) The duration of the main study phase will be 3 months.

IMPORTANT NOTE: There are strong protections against the involuntary disclosure of study participants identity and disclosure of their patient management decisions, conveyed through statute 42 U.S.C. 259a-(1c), the statute creating the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. This statute states that information obtained under a grant by this organization cannot be used for any purpose other than the purpose for which it was supplied, and that the person supplying the information cannot be identified unless they choose to be identified. To further maintain this confidentiality, the results of this study will be reported in aggregate so that it will not be possible to identify individual practices.