Editor’s Notebook: Introduction

I am honored to be the new editor of Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare. In this, my first letter to the readers, I would like to reassure you that our mission remains to provide “news, science, and research” to people in all areas of the patient safety movement—and, in fact, for everyone interested in improving patient safety and quality in healthcare.

PSQH will continue to publish articles written by you, our readers and experts in the patient safety and quality healthcare field. I encourage you to continue to submit articles that are timely, relevant, and informative. As we grow our editorial staff, we will also reach out to healthcare journalists to provide in-depth analyses of trends and innovations in the patient safety field.

I hope you’ll enjoy this issue, which touches on subjects ranging from patient engagement in the article “‘Customer Engagement’ at the Forefront in Alaska” to this month’s cover story, “Exploring Post-Discharge Spaces Designed to Eliminate Gaps in Care,” which explores the steps some hospitals are taking to arm their patients with the information and resources they need and, ultimately, reducing readmission rates.

I would like to express my gratitude to Susan Carr for her tenure as editor-in-chief of PSQH. Susan has been responsible for shaping PSQH into the outstanding publication it is today. She provided valuable advice and assistance and also graciously co-edited this issue with me. She also wrote one of this month’s feature articles, “Victim Advocate Serves the Community at Cleveland Clinic.” I am very appreciative of all of Susan’s hard work on behalf of PSQH and wish her all the best.

I have been in publishing for the last 16 years, primarily as an editor for nursing books. A year and a half ago, I joined BLR Healthcare and immersed myself in the world of patient safety and quality. I look forward to learning more about patient safety, working closely with you, and growing the publication further. This is an exciting time in patient safety with the growing acceptance of patient engagement, new innovations in technology, and the initiative for zero patient harm. I look forward to seeing how this culture of change evolves over the next few years with all of you.

I would love your feedback about this issue as well as PSQH in general. I invite you to reach out to me with questions or comments, and if you have ideas or topics that you would like to see covered in upcoming issues, please contact me at mclarke@blr.com.

Michelle Clarke

Editor, mclarke@blr.com