BOSTON, April 7, 2011 — The National Patient Safety Foundation has endorsed the the spring edition of Horizons magazine, published by the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI), which will focus on the problems surrounding medical alarm systems and what can be done to improve their safe and effective use. The magazine will provide in-depth, practical articles and research focusing on alarm hazards.

While medical alarm systems warn of danger by alerting caregivers to critical information, they can malfunction or be turned off, ignored, or unheard, earning a top spot on lists of the most frequent and serious problems seen with devices.

Horizons will include articles on alarms standards and risk management standards, alarms hazards and recommendations, the design of effective alarm sounds, the use of mobile devices to improve alarm sounds, and several other topics.

NPSF is one of seven national healthcare organizations participating in this capacity. Others include:

• ECRI Institute
• The American College of Clinical Engineering
• The Infusion Nurses Society
• The Institute for Safe Medication Practices
• The Association of Surgical Technologists, and
• The Healthcare Technology Foundation

“This broad-based collaboration with seven significant organizations underscores our decision to tackle a tough problem in healthcare,” said AAMI President Mary Logan.

The spring issue of the award-winning Horizons publication will be distributed to 10,000 medical technology professionals, including to all AAMI members and attendees at AAMI’s Annual Conference & Expo, which will be held June 25-27 in San Antonio, TX.

For more information about Horizons, click here.

Founded in 1967, AAMI (the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation) represents more than 6,000 medical equipment professionals.

Contact: Patricia McTiernan
pmctiernan@npsf.org
617.391.9922