Guide for Developing a Community-Based Patient Safety Advisory Council
Appendix A. Project Goals and Objectives
Before they meet regularly, patient advisory councils need to establish project goals. Examples of project goals and objectives for small and large patient advisory councils follow.
A. Scope for a small project that involves patients on the project team
Goal: Revise patient education materials that are provided to patients with congestive heart failure when they are discharged from the hospital.
Objectives:
- Obtain patient input on and recommendations for the patient education materials.
- Conduct three meetings with at least five patients participating.
- Revise current materials by incorporating the patients' recommendations.
- Prepare and print materials.
Timeframe: 4 months
Budget: $300 to include cost of meetings, patient support, and printing costs. Funding provided by Department of Patient Education.
B. Scope for a larger project that includes the establishment of a patient advisory council
Goal: Establish a patient-provider partnership council in a community setting that will develop interventions to improve medication safety.
Objectives:
- Create a patient safety council with patient and provider representatives from hospitals, outpatient clinics, and retail pharmacies within a community.
- Develop strategies to improve medication list accuracy in outpatient medical records at the clinics.
- Implement medication safety strategies that could be used by patients in the community and by providers in the clinics.
- Measure medication list accuracy in outpatient medical records in the clinics.
- Measure the impact of the project on the satisfaction and engagement of patients, providers, council members, and the community.
- Disseminate information on the patient safety council and their activities.
Timeframe: 2 years
Budget: $500,000. Funding provided by a grant with organizational support.
