Patient Safety Learning Laboratories (2019): Pursuing Safety in Diagnosis and Treatment at the Intersection of Design, Systems Engineering, and Health Services Research (R18) | RFA HS 19 001

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is this grant opportunity?

This is an AHRQ discretionary R18 funding opportunity titled "Patient Safety Learning Laboratories (2019): Pursuing Safety in Diagnosis and Treatment at the Intersection of Design, Systems Engineering, and Health Services Research." The funding opportunity number is RFA-HS-19-001 and the CFDA number is 93.226.

What is the main purpose of the program?

The program funds the creation and use of Patient Safety Learning Laboratories: real-world sites and multi-organization networks where transdisciplinary teams work together to reduce serious harm and high costs linked to problems in diagnosis and treatment.

What is a Patient Safety Learning Laboratory in this program?

A Patient Safety Learning Laboratory is described as a real-world site or a multi-organization network designed to bring together transdisciplinary teams to identify, design, prototype, integrate, and evaluate practical solutions that improve the safety of diagnosis and treatment in real care delivery environments.

What kinds of patient safety problems is the program trying to address?

The focus is on problems in diagnosis and treatment that lead to serious harm and high costs. Rather than targeting small, isolated fixes, the program emphasizes addressing clusters of closely related threats that routinely undermine diagnostic accuracy or safe treatment, particularly those associated with a large patient safety burden.

Does the program encourage isolated, small-scale interventions?

No. The opportunity specifically emphasizes moving beyond small, isolated fixes and instead tackling clusters of connected diagnostic or treatment safety threats that collectively drive harm and cost.

What makes this funding opportunity different from more traditional patient safety projects?

A defining feature is its explicit reliance on systems engineering methods and design-oriented problem solving, combined with a learning laboratory model meant to push beyond professional silos. The goal is to produce practical, implementable solutions that improve how care is actually delivered, not just stand-alone demonstrations.

What disciplines or roles are expected to be involved on project teams?

Applicants are expected to bring together people who do not typically share the same workflow or vocabulary. Examples listed include clinicians, human factors experts, systems engineers, informaticians, designers, and health services researchers.

What methods and approaches does AHRQ expect teams to use?

The program expects use of systems engineering methods and design-oriented approaches common in other safety-critical industries. Examples include structured brainstorming, rapid prototyping, and iterative refinement.

What is meant by "design-oriented problem solving" in this program?

Based on the description, it refers to generating innovative concepts, building prototypes quickly, and improving them through repeated develop-test-revise cycles, with the aim of producing practical solutions that can be implemented in real-world care delivery.

What is meant by "systems engineering methods" in this program?

The opportunity frames systems engineering as an approach for coordinated redesign of processes, tools, technologies, and organizational routines, and for integrating solutions into a coherent working system that can operate in practice.

What is the expected development pathway for solutions under this grant?

The pathway is staged and iterative: (1) identify priority diagnostic or treatment safety threats that are connected and collectively drive harm and cost; (2) generate innovative design concepts; (3) rapidly build prototypes; (4) run cycles of develop-test-revise; (5) integrate the prototype(s) into a working system; (6) continue improvement after integration; and (7) evaluate the resulting system in a realistic environment.

Are prototypes expected to remain as stand-alone demonstrations?

No. The opportunity states that prototypes are not intended to remain stand-alone demonstrations; they are expected to be integrated into a working system that includes processes, roles, technologies, and supports that can operate in practice.

What does "integrated into a working system" mean here?

The opportunity describes a working system as a coherent set of processes, roles, technologies, and supports that can operate in practice. Integration means embedding the solution into real operational workflows and organizational routines rather than leaving it as a disconnected tool or pilot.

How are projects expected to test or evaluate what they build?

After integration and additional improvement, the program expects evaluation of the resulting system in a realistic environment, such as a high-fidelity simulation or a clinical setting, to assess whether it improves safety outcomes under real-world conditions.

Where can evaluation take place?

The opportunity gives examples of realistic environments including high-fidelity simulation or a clinical setting.

What outcomes is the program trying to improve?

Projects are expected to measurably improve the safety of diagnosis and treatment, particularly where the stakes are highest and where connected threats drive serious harm and high costs.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad across public and private sectors. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments); public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses.

Are there additional applicant types specifically highlighted as eligible?

Yes. The announcement highlights Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and eligible federal government agencies.

Can a non-U.S. (foreign) organization apply?

No. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations and foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply.

Can the non-U.S. component of a U.S. organization apply?

No. Non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply.

Are learning laboratory activities expected to be based in the United States?

Yes. The opportunity draws a firm boundary around non-U.S. participation as the applicant organization and indicates that funded learning laboratories and their operational components are expected to be U.S.-based.

What is the funding mechanism or activity code?

The opportunity is an R18 grant, described as a discretionary grant opportunity.

What is the funding opportunity number (FOA number)?

The funding opportunity number is RFA-HS-19-001.

What is the CFDA number listed for this opportunity?

The CFDA number listed is 93.226.

When was this opportunity created?

The opportunity was created on 2019-01-31.

What was the original application closing date?

The original application closing date was 2019-03-31.

Is an award ceiling provided in the information available here?

No. The provided source fields do not include an award ceiling.

Is the expected number of awards provided in the information available here?

No. The provided source fields do not include the expected number of awards.

What is the program trying to change about how safety improvements are developed?

The program is designed to push beyond traditional professional silos and encourage coordinated redesign across multiple elements of care delivery (processes, tools, technologies, and organizational routines). It emphasizes rapid prototyping and iterative improvement to arrive at solutions that can be implemented and evaluated in realistic environments.

Does the program emphasize real-world implementation?

Yes. The learning laboratory model is explicitly framed around practical, implementable solutions and integrating prototypes into operational working systems, followed by evaluation under realistic conditions.