Background: Central to the development of a sound evidence base for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) interventions is the need for valid, reliable and relevant outcome measures to assess whether the interventions work. We assessed the specific needs for a database that would cover a wide range of outcomes measures for CAM research and considered a framework for such a database.

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This paper provides healthcare managers and policymakers with insight into the public's perceptions of preventable medical error and may facilitate the development of strategies to improve patient safety, public confidence and public satisfaction with the healthcare system.

Because cancer care is presently developing into a complicated network of interventions delivered at different times and places with different intentions, there is a need to consider whether the current research approaches in clinical cancer care adequately cover the ongoing treatment choices and combinations. Researchers in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) are proposing whole systems research as an additional research approach for modern systems of care, whether they include complementary and alternative medicine or not. The current status of whole systems research methodology development is mainly theoretical. Necessary components of the methodology include focus on interventions, context, process, outcomes, and philosophy. Further development should be based on observational studies using both qualitative and quantitative approaches, often combined. Only when modern healthseeking systems of treatment behaviors are thoroughly understood should fine-tuning of hypothesis-testing research methods be continued.

The Health Quality Council of Alberta (HQCA) is charged with reporting to Albertans on the quality, safety and performance of the healthcare system. In 2004, the HQCA conducted a telephone survey (response rate: 55%) of 1,500 adult Albertans to assess their perceptions of and personal experiences with preventable medical errors (PMEs). A total of 559 (37.3%) respondents reported that they or a family member had ever experienced a PME. The most common PMEs were related to clinical performance (n=128), medication (n=123), diagnosis (n=121) and communication (n=73). Through this research, patients have provided an orientation to interventions to improve patient care and prevent medical errors.