Published monthly, The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety is a peer-reviewed publication dedicated to providing health professionals with the information they need to promote the quality and safety of health care. The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety invites original manuscripts on the development, adaptation, and/or implementation of innovative thinking, strategies, and practices in improving quality and safety in health care. Case studies, program or project reports, reports of new methodologies or new applications of methodologies, research studies on the effectiveness of improvement interventions, and commentaries on issues and practices are all considered.

In addition to feature articles—full-length descriptions of quality and safety programs, methods, or strategies, including the rationale, planning, implementation, evaluation, and lessons learned, the Journal also offers shorter articles in departments such as Interviews, Field Notes, Tool Tutorials, Rapid Response Systems, and Case Studies in Brief.

Click here to view a sample article from The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety.

Click here to view the two articles and the editorial in Rapid Response Systems: The Stories (June 2010 issue).

Editorial: A Mandatory System of Care or an Optional Extra for Bedside Clinical Staff?
Michael D. Buist, M.B., Ch.B., M.D.; William Shearer, M.B., M.Ed.
Two articles in this issue describe different approaches to implementing a rapid response system—one approach involving a wide-ranging marketing plan, the other entailing a policy change to make activation mandatory.

Evolution of a Rapid Response System from Voluntary to Mandatory Activation
Catherine M. Jones, M.D., M.S.; Anthony J. Bleyer, M.D.; Becky Petree, R.N.
A policy requiring rapid response activation for all patients who met physiologic instability criteria, which was initiated four years after the rapid response system’s inception, significantly increased the number of rapid response calls and was associated with a reduction in cardiorespiratory arrests outside of critical care areas.

An Implementation Strategy for a Multicenter Pediatric Rapid Response System in Ontario
Anna-Theresa Lobos, M.D.; Jonathan Costello, M.B., M.R.C.P.I., M.B.A.; Jonathan Gilleland, M.D.; Rose Gaiteiro, R.N., M.S.N.; Afrothite Kotsakis, M.D., on behalf of the Ontario Pediatric Critical Care Response Team Collaborative
A rapid response system using a medical emergency team was implemented across four pediatric hospitals in Ontario, Canada, in a social marketing approach.

To access Editorial Advisory Board and Author Guidelines, please click here or see "About" section (at right).