Media Advisory

April 19, 2006

 

Patient Safety Challenges and Solutions
Focus of May Meetings

8th Annual NPSF Patient Safety Congress and
PAHO Regional Patients for Patient Safety Workshop
to Convene in San Francisco

North Adams, April 19, 2006 - Developing and sharing initiatives and strategies for improving patient safety are the focus of two major meetings being held at the San Francisco Marriott during the second week of May. The 8th Annual National Patient Safety Foundation Congress begins on May 10 and a consumer workshop convened by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO) is scheduled to begin on May 8.

“The collaboration between NPSF and WHO/PAHO further advances our mutual patient safety agenda which calls for complete stakeholder engagement with an emphasis on patient and family-centered initiatives,” said Diane C. Pinakiewicz, NPSF President. “The integration of the WHO/PAHO workshop into NPSF’s well-established annual Congress is an exciting opportunity to accelerate the work we are doing to improve patient safety. Our Congress draws participants from around the world and across the stakeholder groups to share learning and practice that can be implemented to move patient safety forward. We welcome the addition of the WHO/PAHO consumer champions to this important event and applaud the work they are doing in this field.”

The National Patient Safety Foundation is an independent not-for-profit organization that has been diligently pursuing one mission since its founding in 1997 – the reduction of medical errors and the improvement of the safety of our health care system. NPSF was instrumental in the early work on patient safety and continues today as a vehicle for the creation and dissemination of new knowledge in the field. As a constant, steadfast voice responsible for raising awareness and maintaining continued engagement on the issue, the Foundation is often referred to as The Conscience of Patient Safety and always keeps the voice of the patient and family central to its mission.

NPSF’s annual Congress is the preeminent meeting in the field of patient safety and is preceded by a Leadership Day that focuses on the importance of effective leadership in this work.  This year, WHO/PAHO champions will join the Leadership Day participants at the conclusion of the curriculum to discuss how to effectively incorporate patients and families into the leadership agenda.  They will then participate in the two days of educational sessions that comprise the Congress.

The PAHO Regional Patients for Patients Safety Workshop is being held from May 8 through May 10.  The consumer workshop initiates the rollout in North and South America of the Patients for Patient Safety initiative, one of six work streams of the WHO World Alliance for Patient Safety (World Alliance). 

The PAHO Regional Patients for Patient Safety Workshop will bring together patients, families and consumers from Costa Rica, Peru, Dominican Republic, Chile, Mexico, Argentina, the United States and Canada to share and collect knowledge from the rich experiences of these consumers and focus on the specific challenges that face patients, health professionals and policy makers in the Pan American region.  This first regional workshop will build upon the success and work of the first WHO Patients for Patient Safety Workshop held in London in November 2005.

“For the first time, patients’ groups and champions from throughout the Americas will join forces through the World Alliance to work in conjunction with organizations like the National Patient Safety Foundation to step up efforts to improve the safety of care for all patients,” said Susan E. Sheridan, MIM, MBA, Program Lead of the Patients for Patient Safety action area of the WHO World Alliance and Co-founder and President, Consumers Advancing Patient Safety (CAPS). “This collaborative effort marks a milestone in an intensive and growing global focus to involve consumers as, forward-looking, creative partners in all efforts to improve the safety of care.”

“Through the Workshop, consumer champions will gain strengthened knowledge of patient safety issues and the work of the WHO World Alliance,” said Sheridan. “They also have the opportunity to build relationships with PAHO and, through the NPSF Congress, key patient safety experts.”

“We are excited about this unique collaboration and the opportunity to accelerate the important work of all those involved in the mission to improve the safety of patients worldwide,” said NPSF’s Pinakiewicz.

About the National Patient Safety Foundation
The National Patient Safety Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving patient safety and reducing medical errors through leadership, research support, and education. It is an unprecedented partnership of health care practitioners, institutional providers, health product providers, health product manufacturers, researchers, legal advisors, patient/consumer advocates, regulator, and policy makers committed to making health care safer for patients and making patient safety a national priority. NPSF was founded in 1996 by the American Medical Association, CNA HealthPro, and 3M, with significant support from the Schering-Plough Corporation.
http://www.npsf.org/

About Patients for Patient Safety
Patients for Patient Safety is one of the six action areas of the WHO World Alliance for Patient Safety and is designed to ensure that the perspectives of patients and families, consumers and citizens—whichever term resonates best—in both developed and developing countries is a central reference point in shaping the important work of the Alliance.
http://www.who.int/patientsafety/en/

About the Pan American Health Organization
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is an international public health agency with 100 years of experience in working to improve health and living standards of the countries of the Americas. It serves as the specialized organization for health of the Inter-American System and as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization.  PAHO also enjoys international recognition as part of the United Nations system.
http://www.paho.org/

About Consumers Advancing Patient Safety
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 envisions a partnership between consumers and providers to create global healthcare systems that are safe, compassionate, and just.
http://patientsafety.org/