Consumers Advancing Patient Safety (CAPS) is a consumer-led nonprofit organization formed to be a collective voice for individuals, families and healers who wish to prevent harm in healthcare encounters through partnership and collaboration. CAPS is committed to exploring and contributing the wisdom and experience that consumers can offer to patient safety research, education of both consumers and providers, reporting of bad outcomes and near misses, development and implementation of solutions that can prevent harm, and policy making that will help create healthcare systems that are safe, compassionate and just.

While we champion the experience and collective voice of consumers who have experienced system failure, we embrace as partners those dedicated professionals and organizations who share our vision, mission and goals.  Our working relationships with each other and with the healthcare community will be guided and governed by the CAPS Statement of Principles, Values and Beliefs.  Our hope for the future is embedded in effective, appreciative collaboration among people and organizations committed to making a difference.

CAPS members are worldwide change agents:

• with courage, passion, motivations and values similar to CAPS;
• have experience with healthcare succeeding and/or failing;
• have experienced medical errors, adverse outcomes or near misses for themselves or loved ones; and
• are prepared to partner to assure patient safety and a system of just resolution of patient safety problems.

CAPS serves as a conduit for the consumer perspective to our partners, including healthcare professionals, researchers, hospitals and other healthcare service organizations, government agencies, accreditors, educators and others in the global community of people and organizations deeply committed to patient safety.  We are committed to growing consumer input and participation in shaping the future of healthcare to ensure a safe journey.