ECRI Institute Participates in AAMI 2011 Conference and Expo--June 25-27, 2011

Experts share insight on issues identified on ECRI Institute's Top 10 Health Technology Hazards

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa., June 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- ECRI Institute®, a nonprofit healthcare organization that researches the best approaches to improving patient care, will be presenting and exhibiting at the AAMI 2011 Conference and Expo in San Antonio, TX, from June 25-27, 2011. New this year, and being highlighted at the ECRI Institute booth, are topic-specific online resource centers which will help healthcare organizations get ongoing, up-to-date information on hot medical technology issues, including product recalls and FDA actions.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110112/DC29081LOGO)

Also featured will be a new self-assessment tool to help hospitals measure their risks against ECRI Institute's 4th annual list of Top 10 Health Technology Hazards—technology hazards that warrant the greatest attention in 2011, along with recommendations for alleviating risks.

"If a hospital or health system needs help prioritizing its technology-related patient safety efforts, our Top 10 list is a good place to start," says James P. Keller, Jr., Vice President, Health Technology Evaluation and Safety, ECRI Institute.

ECRI Institute experts will also present at several educational sessions during the conference, providing expertise and recommendations regarding topics included in the 2011 Top 10 list. Presentations will provide some surprising statistics, as well as proven ways to improve hospital and patient safety. ECRI Institute speakers will include:

• James P. Keller, MS, Vice President of Health Technology Evaluation and Safety, presenting "Perspectives From Hospitals' Early Efforts with Medical Device Interoperability" on Saturday, June 25, and "Addressing Alarm Management Issues" on Sunday, June 26
• Jason Launders, MSc, Medical Physicist and Senior Project Officer, Health Devices Group, presenting "A Review of CT Dose-Reduction Technologies "on Monday, June 27
• Erin Sparnon, MEng, Senior Project Engineer, Health Devices Group, presenting "Findings from the AAMI/FDA Infusion Device Summit: What's Next? "on Monday, June 27

During the conference, AAMI will honor ECRI Institute's Barbara Majchrowski, MSc, PEng, Senior Project Engineer, Health Devices Group, as winner of AAMI's outstanding Management and Technology Paper of 2010 for her manuscript, "Medical Software's Increasing Impact on Healthcare and Technology Management." The paper was published in the January/February 2010 edition of BI&T (Biomedical Instrumentation & Technology), AAMI's peer-reviewed journal.

Attendees of the AAMI 2011 Conference and Expo can visit ECRI Institute representatives and technology experts at booth #324, June 25-27. There will be opportunities to learn more about ECRI Institute, its products and services, and discuss a wide range of topics, including the Top 10 Health Technology Hazards of 2011.

To learn more about ECRI Institute's annual list of technology hazards, to subscribe to the free e-newsletter, Health Technology e-Source, or for information about membership in the Health Devices System, contact ECRI Institute by mail at 5200 Butler Pike, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462-1298, USA; by telephone at (610) 825-6000, ext. 5891; by e-mail at [email protected]; or by fax at (610) 834-1275. Contact ECRI Institute's European office at [email protected]; ECRI Institute's Asia-Pacific office at [email protected]; and ECRI Institute's Middle Eastern office at [email protected].

About ECRI Institute
ECRI Institute (www.ecri.org), a nonprofit organization, brings the discipline of applied scientific research to discover which medical procedures, devices, drugs, and processes are best to enable improved patient care. As a pioneer in this science, ECRI Institute marries experience and independence with the objectivity of evidence-based research.  ECRI Institute is designated as a World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Patient Safety, Risk Management, and Healthcare Technology and an Evidence-based Practice Center by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. ECRI Institute PSO, listed as a federally certified Patient Safety Organization by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, strives to achieve the highest levels of safety and quality in healthcare by collecting and analyzing patient safety information and sharing lessons learned and best practices. Find ECRI Institute on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ECRIInstitute) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/ECRI_Institute).

SOURCE ECRI Institute