BOSTON, Feb. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the American Society of Professionals in Patient Safety (ASPPS), based at the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF), officially launched as the first and only individual membership program for the patient safety field.  The announcement was made today by Diane C. Pinakiewicz, President of both ASPPS and NPSF.  A groundbreaking new program established to advance patient safety as a unique and vital health care discipline, the ASPPS was created to build an engaged, focused community of individuals committed to accelerating the delivery of safe patient care.  The ASPPS makes its debut today with 175 inaugural members.

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"Ensuring patient safety has never been a more important priority for our health care system," says Pinakiewicz.  "Today, we are proud to announce the establishment of the first organization for professionals in patient safety.  For too long, the patient safety field has lacked needed cohesion and lines of communication. Today, we are taking the next step toward establishing the consistency in safety practices and tools that will help health care professionals keep patients safe."

The ASPPS also announces plans to establish a certification program designed to elevate the patient safety profession through patient safety competencies.  Using criteria determined through clinical research and review of best practices, Certification for Professionals in Patient Safety (CPPS) will enable health care professionals to implement strategies to reduce medical errors. Taken together with membership in the ASPPS, this certification program will provide a level of professional development for patient safety practitioners that has not previously existed.

"No meaningful advances can be made in standardizing patient safety practices until professionals can share best practices and knowledge that lead to measurable results.  With today's announcement of the certification program, we are setting a benchmark that will save lives," says Dr. Lucian L. Leape, chair of the Lucian Leape Institute at NPSF.

Membership in the ASPPS is open to professionals whose primary responsibility is patient safety, in addition to others across health care disciplines – including but not limited to medical students, providers, risk and quality leaders, patient safety advocates and all those committed to safe patient care.  The American Society of Professionals in Patient Safety's multi-disciplinary membership reflects a commitment to teamwork as a pre-condition for patient safety, critical work for which all health care professionals share responsibility.

Individual ASPPS membership is the newest addition to NPSF's portfolio, which includes continuing education credits through the Professional Learning Series, Annual Patient Safety Congress, and other high-value programs.

The indispensable resource for individuals and organizations committed to improving the safety of patients, The National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) has been pursuing one mission since its founding in 1997 – to improve the safety of care provided to patients. As a central voice for patient safety, NPSF is committed to a collaborative, inclusive, multi-stakeholder approach in all that it does. NPSF is an independent, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. To learn more about the work of the National Patient Safety Foundation and how you can join ASPPS, please visit: www.npsf.org.

SOURCE American Society of Professionals in Patient Safety (ASPPS)