NPSF in the News
Dialogue on Patient Safety and Cancer
On Nov 26, 2012 | CommentsThe National Patient Safety Foundation was invited to participate in a recent Congressional briefing about patient safety and cancer care. Jointly sponsored by Rep. Ron Barber (D-AZ) and Ventana Medical Systems, the briefing, entitled “A Dialogue on Patient Safety and Cancer,” was designed to inform Congress and the public about particular patient safety issues in the cancer care arena.
Cancer services cover a wide range of activities, from health promotion and screenings to diagnosis, surgery, medical or radiotherapy, palliative care, and disease management. Likewise, the safety risks and opportunities for error are broad and far-reaching in consequence, and include adverse drug interactions, patient misidentification and cross-contamination of laboratory specimens. The risk of error grows with the introduction of new therapies and the advance of personalized medicine.
In written comments to his colleagues prior to the meeting, Rep. Barber said, “As Congress continues to address health issues, a concise overview of some of the key issues, challenges, and solutions related to cancer and patient safety should help guide the institution’s analysis, debate, and action.”
Patricia McGaffigan, RN, MS, interim president of NPSF, represented the Foundation’s commitment to supporting health systems in their efforts to improve safety in cancer care. She also recounted personal experience with the health care system that served to illustrate some of the very issues under discussion.
Joining Ms. McGaffigan on the expert panel were Mara Aspinall, president and CEO, Ventana Medical Systems, Inc., and global head, Roche Tissue Diagnostics; Maurie Markman, MD, senior vice president of clinical affairs and national director of medical oncology, Cancer Treatment Centers of America; and Eric Walk, MD, FCAP, senior vice president, medical and scientific affairs, Ventana Medical Systems.
Ms. McGaffigan also answered questions informally after the session. View the video below.
Part I
Part II
Building a Better CPOE System Via MEDMARX Data
On Aug 15, 2012 | Comments
Pharmacy Practice News
August 2012 | Volume 30
A research project, funded by a National Patient Safety Foundation Research Grant, sheds new light on the types of errors that can occur with computerized physician order entry. This article summarizes finding of Gordon Schiff, MD, principal investigator.
Read the article from Pharmacy Practice News.
Patient Safety Is Everyone’s Work
On Apr 17, 2012 | CommentsPatient Safety & Quality Healthcare | March/April 2012
NPSF President Diane C. Pinakiewicz, MBA, was recently interviewed by Susan Carr, editor of PSQH, to discuss NPSF activities, board certification in patient safety, patient engagement, and other topics relative to the state of patient safety. Read the full interview on the PSQH website or download a PDF version.
FDA Mulls Expanding Patients’ Access to Certain Drugs
On Mar 23, 2012 | CommentsU.S. News & World Report | March 23, 2012
Will patients soon be able to purchase medication over the counter that used to require a prescription? Read the full story on the U.S.News & World Report site.
Transforming Concepts: Patient Safety
On Oct 01, 2011 | CommentsAsian Hospital & Healthcare Management, October 2011
The Institute of Medicine’s 1999 report, To Err Is Human, sparked efforts to improve patient safety in the US. Recent data suggest, however, that adverse events persist. The Lucian Leape Institute at NPSF has outlined concepts that have the potential to transform the way healthcare is practised and delivered, and lead to safer care. More…
Same message, different tone on health care costs
On Sep 23, 2011 | CommentsBoston Globe, September 23, 2011
At separate events this week, Dr. Atul Gawande and Jack Connors, two of the most powerful people in Boston’s medical community, each spoke about the intersection of health care quality and the nation’s health cost crisis.
While their central message was similar — both said solutions will come from within the medical community, not from politicians — the two struck notably different tones. More…
Putting Patient Safety First
On Sep 01, 2011 | CommentsMedical Dealer, September 1, 2011
Despite detailed guidelines and recommendations by the Joint Commission, CDC and the WHO, patient safety risks during surgery have not significantly diminished in the last few years. The chief OR nurse can be an excellent advocate for patient safety, however a team effort is needed for conditions to improve considerably. More…
Aging Gracefully?Patient Safety Advocates Call for Ongoing Skills Assessments for Older Physicians
On Sep 01, 2011 | CommentsAnnals of Emergency Medicine, September 2011
In an era focused on quality measures, it has become common to compare medicine with aviation. The air industry’s practices, from checklists during procedures to training exercises for entire teams, seem to offer lessons for medical institutions still struggling with errors and health care–associated infections.
Some patient advocates are asking whether medicine—and especially emergency medicine, a specialty that, like flying, runs on adrenaline and relies on quick decisionmaking—should adopt another aviation practice: a mandatory retirement age. More…
How to Fundamentally Improve Performance (Without Harming Patients)
On Aug 16, 2011 | CommentsHospitals & Health Networks, August 16, 2011
Clinical competency requires lots of practice. Learning on a live patient however, is not without its risks. For that reason, many hospitals and schools are beginning to use medical simulation as an advanced training tool, finding that it offers many opportunities for learning without compromising the quality of patient care. More…
Hey, Doc, Are You Listening?
On Jul 08, 2011 | CommentsChicago Tribune, LA Times, July 8, 2011
Effective medical care depends on more than just the competency of the staff. For patients to be at their healthiest—and safest—good communication with providers is key. More…
