Patient safety leaders share latest information, resources at one-day New England summit May 22

ALISO VIEJO, Calif., April 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Top-tier patient safety authorities will share the latest evidence-based information and resources related to one of the most significant challenges in today's healthcare environment during the Patient Safety Summit in Boston.

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) presents the one-day summit Wednesday, May 22, from 8:45 a.m. to 4 p.m., in collaboration with the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF), Boston. All Patient Safety Summit sessions will be held at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

The summit will be held in conjunction with AACN's National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition, an annual event that has become the world's largest educational conference and trade show for nurses who care for high acuity and critically ill patients and their families. This year's conference will be held May 18-23.

NPSF Interim President Patricia McGaffigan, RN, MS, will serve as moderator for this interactive program. Session topics are:

• Alarm Fatigue, presented by Marjorie Funk, RN, PhD, FAHA, FAAN, Yale University School of Nursing, New Haven, Conn.
• Infusion Systems and their role in medication administration errors, presented by Nathaniel Sims, MD, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.
• Health Information Technology and Electronic Health Records, presented by Virginia "Ginny" Davis, RN, EdD, CPHQ, Catholic Health Care East, Newtown Square, Pa., and Karen Zimmer, MD, MPH, FAAP, ECRI Institute, Plymouth Meeting, Pa.

Lucian Leape, MD, is an internationally recognized early leader of the patient safety movement who chairs the Lucian Leape Institute at NPSF. He will discuss the inextricable link between workplace safety and patient safety during the summit's keynote from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m., titled "The Elephant in the Room: A Culture of Disrespect," which is based on NPSF's landmark report, "Through the Eyes of the Workforce: Creating Joy, Meaning, and Safer Health Care."

"Unless caregivers are given the protection, respect and support they need, they are more likely to make errors, fail to follow safe practices and not work well in teams," Leape said. "Similarly, efficiency and effectiveness cannot be achieved unless every member of the workforce is part of the problem-solving team."

The NPSF report examines the current state of the healthcare workplace, highlights vulnerabilities common in healthcare organizations, discusses the costs of inaction and outlines what a healthy and safe workplace would look like. It concludes with seven recommendations for actions that organizations should pursue to effect real change.

Healthcare leaders credit Leape for inspiring the patient safety movement with publication of his seminal article "Error in Medicine" in JAMA: the Journal of the Ameri­can Medical Association in 1994. He was a member of the Institute of Medicine's Quality of Care in America Committee, which published "To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System" in 1999 and "Crossing the Quality Chasm" in 2001.

An open forum with the speakers and use of audience response technology will complement the topic-specific presentations as a broader conversation on patient safety. The program schedule also includes time for participants to explore the 400-plus exhibits at NTI's Critical Care Exposition.

Those planning to attend the Patient Safety Summit must first register for NTI at www.aacn.org/nti. With special one-day registration fees — $210 for AACN members and $260 for nonmembers — health professionals from nearby locations can easily attend for the day. Due to limited seating, reservations for the summit are required at www.aacn.org/ntinetwork.

About the National Patient Safety Foundation: 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, 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, visit www.npsf.org.

About the National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition: Established in 1974, AACN's National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition (NTI) represents the world's largest educational conference and trade show for nurses who care for acutely and critically ill patients and their families. Bedside nurses, nurse educators, nurse managers, clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners attend NTI.

About the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses: Founded in 1969 and based in Aliso Viejo, Calif., the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) is the largest specialty nursing organization in the world. AACN joins together the interests of more than 500,000 acute and critical care nurses and claims more than 235 chapters worldwide. The organization's vision is to create a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution.

American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, 101 Columbia, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656-4109;
Phone: (949) 362-2000; Fax: (949) 362-2020

www.aacn.org; facebook.com/aacnface; facebook.com/ntiface; twitter.com/aacnme

SOURCE American Association of Critical-Care Nurses