Podcast explores racial bias in safety reporting, maternal health

A recent Take 5 podcast from the Joint Commission examined a study which found racial bias in data collected by voluntary patient safety reporting systems. Many health systems use the systems to enable care team members to report unsafe conditions, near misses or serious safety events they witness. The podcast featured Angela D. Thomas, DrPH, vice president of health care delivery research at MedStar Health in Washington, D.C. Thomas also serves as executive lead for the D.C. Safe Babies Safe Moms initiative. During the podcast, she also talked about the disparities in maternal and infant mortality leading to the creation of the initiative. (Joint Commission Online article, 11/3/21)