Early Discussion and Resolution 2021 Annual Report: The Path Forward
In December 2021, we presented a report on Oregon’s innovative Early Discussion and Resolution (EDR) program: Early Discussion and Resolution: The Path Forward on behalf of the Task Force on Resolution of Adverse Healthcare Incidents.
In the report, the Task Force looks at how far we’ve come with transparency following patient harm in Oregon and what we’ve learned along the way. The Task Force also shares some of the goals for the program going forward and next steps as we work to accomplish those goals to ensure EDR continues to advance a culture of safety in Oregon.
What We’ve Learned
In the seven years that the EDR program has been available to Oregonians, patients, families, and healthcare professionals have submitted 294 Requests for Conversation about harm events that occurred in settings across the healthcare continuum, with hospitals as the most frequent setting. Requests have come from patients and providers all over the state because adverse events can, and do, happen anywhere.
In this time, the Task Force learned several important lessons that are crucial to their work going forward.
Lesson 1: Better information is needed to understand if the program is equitable.
Lesson 2: There are opportunities to revise initial assumptions and inform strategic decisions about program operations.
Lesson 3: There are opportunities to improve our data collection processes.
Lesson 4: There is limited awareness of EDR by eligible participants.
Where We’re Headed
The report also shares goals for the Oregon Patient Safety Commission, as administrator of the EDR program, and the next steps to accomplish these goals:
Prioritize health equity
Continue to learn and improve EDR in collaboration with interested parties
Evaluate the EDR data collection process
Develop a strategic communication plan to increase awareness about EDR