CAHQS

The “Center for the Advancement of Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety” (CAHQS) is dedicated to initiating multidisciplinary collaborations that improve patient safety and quality of care. Based at the Faculty of Communication Sciences of the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), CAHQS provides global expertise in strategic research, implementation of interventions, and translational impact.

Objectives

We initiate strategic research teams and collaborations that calibrate quality- and safety-relevant knowledge from the fields of communication science and healthcare by theoretical integration, data-sharing, and data generation. We identify how both disciplines can jointly contribute measurable improvements to areas of medical practice where harmful human error is common, such as diagnosis, medication, team interactions, whistleblowing, handoffs, and disclosure.

Research Priorities

1. Quality care

Our research assesses the role of interpersonal communication processes in the provision of high quality healthcare. We investigate the extent to which communication science theory can contribute to improved quality measures.

2. MEDICATION SAFETY

Insufficient shared understanding between care participants frequently leads to misuse, overuse, and non-indicated use of medications. Our research investigates how safe communication can enhance medication safety, particularly with respect to sound-alike and look-alike medications, with a core focus on interprofessional teamwork and digitized care solutions.

3. ERROR PREVENTION

Our research examines communication processes that commonly contribute to preventable adverse events. We evaluate the extent to which a communication science perspective can contribute to enhanced guidelines for safer care.

4. ERROR DISCLOSURE

We assess ways in which communication science theory can enhance best practice guidelines for competent error disclosures. Our aim is to develop an evidence-based, transdisciplinary definition of competent error disclosure that takes into account all stakeholders' perspectives, including perceptual variations between patients and providers.

Science Communication

We see it as our responsibility to share our research activities and findings with the general public to inform, raise awareness, and educate. We do this by serving patients, healthcare professionals, healthcare institutions and organizations with our competencies and informed support. Among other activities, we conducted a public podium discussion to raise awareness about the importance and implications of patient safety for the general public.

A video recording of the podium discussion can be viewed here:

We also serve the following institutions and organizations with our expertise:

• World Health Organization (WHO)

• Global Center for the Advancement of Communication Science in Healthcare (ISCOME)

• World Patient Safety Movement Foundation

• U.S. National Certification Board for Alzheimer & Aging Care (NCBAC)

• U.S. Osteopathic Communication Assessment and Training (OCAT)

• Aktionsbündnis Patientensicherheit (APS)

• Ärztekammer Berlin (ÄKB)

• Swiss Health Ministry (BAG)

• Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC)