Systems-Based Approaches to Improve Patient Safety by Improving Healthcare Worker Safety and Well-Being (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) | PA 24 093

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 24 093

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is funding research projects that use systems-based, organization-level strategies to improve patient safety by first improving healthcare worker safety and well-being. The core idea behind this opportunity is that patient safety efforts cannot reach their full potential if the people delivering care are experiencing preventable hazards, excessive workload, burnout, psychological distress, injuries, or other workplace conditions that undermine performance and resilience. AHRQ is using this program to help "reinvigorate" the patient safety movement by bringing in new perspectives and practical, real-world insights from healthcare professionals and the organizations that support them. The mechanism is an R01 research project grant, with clinical trials allowed but not required (Clinical Trial Optional), which gives applicants flexibility to propose observational, implementation, or interventional studies depending on what best fits their aims.

This funding opportunity is listed as PA 24 093 under CFDA 93.226, with the activity area in health research. It supports discretionary grant funding and is designed to encourage projects that look beyond individual behavior change and instead focus on the broader system: workflows, staffing models, organizational culture, leadership practices, safety climate, physical environment, technology and usability, reporting and learning systems, training approaches, and policies that shape day-to-day working conditions. In practice, proposals should connect improvements in worker safety and well-being to measurable improvements in patient safety outcomes, such as fewer adverse events, better quality of care, reduced errors, improved communication and teamwork, and stronger organizational learning. The emphasis is on system-level approaches, meaning interventions or strategies that can be implemented, sustained, and scaled within healthcare settings rather than one-off or purely educational efforts that do not change the underlying conditions.

AHRQ indicates an award ceiling of $500,000, signaling that proposed budgets are expected to fit within that upper limit. The opportunity is open over a long period, with an original closing date shown as January 19, 2029, which typically means the announcement may support multiple receipt dates or cycles across several years (applicants should still verify the specific application due dates and submission windows in the full NOFO). The listing does not specify the expected number of awards in the provided excerpt.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations that can conduct health services research or implementation studies. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; Native American tribal governments (federally recognized); Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments); public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), excluding institutions of higher education in those categories); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other entities as allowed. The opportunity also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, the announcement is clear that non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations) are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible, which means the work and the applying organization must be based in the United States and its eligible jurisdictions.

Overall, this NOFO is aimed at generating practical evidence on how healthcare organizations can redesign systems to protect and support the workforce in ways that translate into safer care for patients. Competitive applications will typically present a clear theory of change linking workplace conditions to patient safety, identify system-level levers that can realistically be changed, define measurable outcomes for both worker well-being/safety and patient safety, and describe an approach that can be implemented and evaluated in real healthcare environments with attention to sustainability and spread.

• The Agency for Health Care Research and Quality in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Systems-Based Approaches to Improve Patient Safety by Improving Healthcare Worker Safety and Well-Being (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.226.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-12-05.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2029-01-19.
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for PA 24 093

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