Johns Hopkins offers free online course in patient safety

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BALTIMORE, April 29 (UPI) -- Johns Hopkins educators in Baltimore say students, lifelong learners or anyone interested in patient safety can get a thorough overview via an online course.

The Science of Safety in Healthcare will be offered June 3-30 by patient safety experts Cheryl Dennison-Himmelfarb of the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing and Dr. Peter Pronovost of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing has opened registration for its first-ever massive open, online course, designed for delivery through Coursera as a free offering.

Dennison-Himmelfarb and Pronovost said they would explore topics in the science of safety, patient safety culture, patient-centered care, teamwork and how to develop improvement plans. Space is unlimited, but time is not, and those interested should register as soon as possible, Johns Hopkins officials said.

Dennison-Himmelfarb is an expert on improving cardiovascular care for high-risk, underserved populations, and her current research includes developing and testing an innovative online decision support system to improve the quality of clinical care among heart-failure patients.

Pronovost, internationally known for his work in patient safety, is director of the Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality at Johns Hopkins, senior vice president for patient safety and quality for Hopkins Medicine, and author of "Safe Patients, Smart Hospitals: How One Doctor's Checklist Can Help Us Change Health Care From the Inside Out."