Data for safety: Turning lessons learned into actionable knowledge

The concept of Data for Safety originated in 2006 when ASHRM’s Board of Directors identified the challenge facing risk management in using the myriad sources of data available to “tell the stories” and make the case for patient safety initiatives. At the heart of this discussion was the recognition that risk management professionals know a lot about risks and opportunities in their organizations but they need the framework to mine their data, link their findings to organizational efforts to improve safety, and deploy their knowledge on behalf of the organization. They need to make their knowledge “actionable.”