“Until about five years ago, there was remarkably little evidence to inform decisions about patient safety, despite the incredibly high stakes,” said Robert Wachter, M.D., an associate chairman of the University of California, San Francisco Department of Medicine and leader of the team that developed PSNet for AHRQ. “Now, in large part due to AHRQ-supported efforts, the challenge has shifted from making decisions with an insufficient amount of information to managing a growing but unorganized treasure trove of data and tools.”

The site’s database of journal articles and clinical recommendations, as well as a handful of links to relevant Web pages and audiovisual materials, is searchable by topic, target audiences such as physicians, policymakers and educators and type of health care facility. The site posts new sources each week and also contains a collection of “classic” papers in patient safety and medical errors.

Site visitors can sign up for a weekly e-mail newsletter or create their own PSNet page that automatically collects new content on specific topics such as drug interactions or hospital management strategies.

To browse the new site, go to http://psnet.ahrq.gov/.