What type of information do Patient Safety Organizations (PSOs) primarily gather?

Patient Safety Organizations (PSOs) primarily gather data related to patient safety incidents and practices. Their main objective is to improve the safety and quality of healthcare delivery by collecting and analyzing reporting data. This data includes information about errors, near misses, adverse events, and other safety-related incidents that occur within healthcare settings. By compiling and analyzing this data, PSOs can identify trends and areas needing improvement, develop best practices, and share learnings among healthcare providers to foster a culture of safety.

This focus on patient safety data distinguishes PSOs from other types of organizations that might collect information in different areas, such as financial data on healthcare expenditures or clinical data on treatment outcomes. While these areas are also important in the broader context of healthcare quality and efficiency, they are not the primary focus of PSOs. Similarly, marketing data on hospital advertising effectiveness does not pertain to patient safety and is outside the scope of what PSOs typically handle. Thus, the emphasis on gathering data surrounding patient safety incidents and practices underscores the critical role PSOs play in enhancing patient care quality and safety.