National Research Workshop on Patient Safety, Risk Management and Medicolegal Aspects of Clinical Practice in Oncology Care for Specialist Registrars in Ireland.

Cancer care involves many healthcare professionals, multiple hospitals, and high-risk medications. This means that cancer care is complex, and because of this, there is a risk of avoidable harm through things such as communication problems and system failures. Irish research demonstrates that cancer doctors are concerned about patient safety and error-prevention measures. Research indicates that many doctors feel that learning from previous mistakes does not always happen effectively, and they want to know more about these areas. The target audience is doctors specialising in medical oncology who care for patients with cancer across Ireland.

This one-day workshop will bring together cancer doctors, health researchers, and patient representatives to improve patient safety by informing decision-making and influencing behaviour.

This will be achieved by:

• Dissemination of findings from Irish patient safety and medicolegal research, including the HRB’s recent analysis of clinical negligence claims.
• Promotion of practical, evidence-based patient safety improvement practices and risk mitigation strategies.
• Identification of clinically-relevant, research-informed solutions to the challenges in Irish cancer care.
• The workshop will include short presentations on research findings, predominantly from Ireland, to provide a national perspective. It will have interactive panel discussions and case-based sessions. Patients will be involved in shaping the programme and contributing to discussions. This will bridge the gap between what research demonstrates, how doctors practice in clinical settings day-to-day and how patients experience healthcare.

This event is important because patient safety improvements protect patients, support doctors, and ensure that cancer care delivery in Ireland is informed by research and data. The workshop will identify future research priorities and practical improvements in care by bringing together research and real-world experience.

An openly accessible summary report and set of recommendations are among the proposed outputs from the event. They will be available online in line with the HRB Open Access policy.