Members wanted for mental health and patient safety group
Tuesday December 4, 2007
The Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) and Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI) have jointly identified a significant gap in the current understanding of patient safety in the mental health sector.

A coordinated and collaborative approach to exploring and addressing the need for new knowledge in this field has therefore been undertaken.

To assist the CPSI and OHA undertake this work, a pan-Canadian advisory group will be formed to assist with overseeing the planning of and participation in the mental health and patient safety roundtable event, which will be held in Toronto in September 2008.

Anyone interested, including researchers and policy makers in the areas of mental health and patient safety, is invited to apply to become a member of the Mental Health and Patient Safety Advisory Committee and help shed some light on patient safety issues in the mental health sector.

Through literature reviews, stakeholder interviews and an invitational roundtable, the Mental Health and Patient Safety Advisory Committee plans to fill that knowledge gap and produce a draft manuscript of their findings for publication in 2009.

Committee members are expected to be active participants in contributing ideas and feedback at meetings in addition to reviewing and providing feedback on documents. Members are also expected to assist in the selection of researchers and to develop a backgrounder to inform the roundtable proceedings.

The following criteria will be used to assess committee member applications:

• Research interest or experience in mental health or patient safety
• Decision making experience in patient safety or mental health
• Potential contribution to the advisory committee. For example, if the individual possesses qualities which would spark group integration and productivity
• Individuals should have sufficient time to participate in committee activities and experience working in teams

Applications will be reviewed by a panel made up of staff from CPSI and OHA. Telephone interviews may be required. The deadline for submissions is Dec. 14. Committee members will be announced in early January.

For more information on the Mental Health and Patient Safety Advisory Committee, please feel free to contact Cyrelle Muskat, consultant, patient safety and clinical best practice at the OHA at 416-205-1316 or cmuskat@oha.com or click here.