[two_third] Safe patient hand-offs are a critical moment in time for everyone involved in the care of patients. The call to action inspired by the IOM White Paper, “To Err is Human,” emphasized the need to develop standardized methodologies that promote consistent communication amongst health care providers across the care continuum. As I reflect on…

[two_third] One of the sessions I attended at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s conference in early December really got me thinking. I enjoy it when I’m challenged on assumptions or my usual approach to doing things, and am given something new to think about. I registered for this session because, perhaps like many of us…

I think it is fair to say that the majority of us who work in the patient safety arena know what is happening in terms of patient care events. For example, those leaders who attend safety committee meetings know the fall rate, pressure ulcer prevalence data, and number of medication errors reported. In addition, if…

[two_third] I think it is fair to say that the majority of us who work in the patient safety arena know what is happening in terms of patient care events. For example, those leaders who attend safety committee meetings know the fall rate, pressure ulcer prevalence data, and number of medication errors reported. In addition,…

[two_third]Last week I attended the NPSF Congress for the second time and once again had significant dissonance: it’s exciting and heartening to see so many people gathered together to learn about patient safety, and to know that the Washington safety community is so advanced and innovative – and so distressing to see a conference full…

It is pretty clear that the leaders of our organizations are in on the latest healthcare issues, such as the electronic healthcare record and meaningful use, healthcare reform, reimbursement issues and accountable care organizations. There are usually meetings daily that cover those key issues that will impact the future of hospitals in the state. Have…

Each year the National Patient Safety Foundation designates a “National Patient Safety Awareness Week.” For those of us who work in safety and are devoted to or consumed with the topic, it may seem unnecessary or redundant – if this is our professional life, why focus on it for a week when we already do…