Bio: Gareth Parry, a 2003-04 Commonwealth Fund Harkness Fellow in Health Care Policy, is a reader in health services research at the Medical Care Research Unit, University of Sheffield. He is currently director of the NHS Paediatric Intensive Care Audit Network for the Department of Health and director of the Review Body for Interventional Procedures for the National Institute for Clinical Excellence. His recent work has included leading an examination of the use of league tables of neonatal intensive care performance and a national evaluation of the organization, staffing and delivery of neonatal intensive care provision in the United Kingdom; leading the development and assessment of risk adjustment methods in neonatal, pediatric and adult intensive care on behalf of the Medical Research Council. He has specific interests in the application of risk adjustment methods to address health policy issues in quality of care and patient safety; and whether resulting health policy initiatives will gain wide acceptance and sustainability by the relevant health care providers.
Placement: Harvard University
Mentors: Marie McCormick, M.D., Sc.D.; Donald Goldmann, M.D.
Project: Patient Safety Attitudes of Residents and Fellows
Description: Parry's objectives were to measure the patient safety attitudes of trainee physicians at an academic pediatric center, and to explore the views of clinical leaders on the patient safety attitudes of trainee physicians. A survey was administered in January 2004 at an academic pediatric center of all clinical staff, including physician trainees. It included questions on safety climate, teamwork, communication, and, for physician trainees, support following an adverse event.