The Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation Announces New Patient Safety Grant Opportunity

Rosemont, Ill. - The Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF), in partnership with the American Society of Anesthesiologists® (ASA®), the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER), the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF), the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) and the Cigna Foundation, encourages proposals supporting high quality research using perioperative surgical home models of care as they relate to patient safety in orthopaedics.

This grant is aimed at supporting transformative discoveries that will advance breakthroughs in orthopaedic perioperative safety. The grant partners invite applications that identify and mitigate risks. New and junior investigators who have demonstrated sustained interest in research and excellence in their training are encouraged to apply. 

“The safety of our patients is uppermost in every orthopaedic surgeon’s mind. This research is a natural extension of OREF’s mission to improve the practice of orthopaedics through research,” stated David G. Lewallen, MD, OREF president.

Areas of research focus include the following, although other quality and safety priorities in the perioperative care of orthopaedic surgical patients will be considered:

-Culture of Safety 
-Team Communication
-Effective Communication with Patients
-Appropriateness of Test and Treatments
-Decreased Surgeon-to-Surgeon Variation

Other possible research topics may include lowering the perioperative risks of joint arthroplasty patients preoperatively identified as high readmission risks in major categories including: 

-Smoking 
-Morbid Obesity
-Poor Diabetic Control 
-Malnourishment

The grant provides $135,000 over a 2-year period. Applications must be received no later than March 14, 2017. Visit the OREF website for more information. 


About the American Society of Anesthesiologists
Founded in 1905, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is an educational, research and scientific society with more than 52,000 members organized to raise and maintain the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology. ASA is committed to ensuring physician anesthesiologists evaluate and supervise the medical care of patients before, during and after surgery to provide the highest quality and safest care every patient deserves.