3M’s $1 million Grant to the National Patient Safety Foundation Will Help Find Ways to Reduce Medical Errors

February 28, 1997  — “Any error that injures a patient will always be one error too many,” stated Nancy W. Dickey, MD, Chair of the American Medical Association’s Board of Trustees as she accepted a $1 million grant from 3M on behalf of The National Patient Safety Foundation.

“It’s a tragedy when a medical error occurs — a tragedy for the patients, families, and the physicians, nurses, hospitals and health care providers involved. We’ve got to be able to do more than say ‘we’re sorry,’” said Dr. Dickey. “There may be ways to reduce the possibility of medical error and patient injury even further. We owe it to our patients to try.”

“3M has a long tradition of being in the forefront of efforts to promote and improve public health and safety for individuals, families and communities,” explained 3M Chairman of the Board and CEO L.D. DeSimone. “We are delighted to be a founding sponsor of the National Patient Safety Foundation, and we are excited about working closely with the National Patient Safety Foundation to contribute to its health care safety research and education initiatives.”

The National Patient Safety Foundation will fund research into ways to reduce avoidable error and target the interaction between human beings and the complex health care management systems that can result in patient injury when they break down. “By anticipating the types of systems breakdowns that could allow mistakes to happen, and by devising and implementing solutions to the problems we identify, we believe the Foundation can produce a measurable reduction in patient injuries,” explained Dr. Dickey.

“We look forward to working in collaboration with industry leaders such as 3M who share our vision and commitment to improving safety for the patients of the future,” Dr. Dickey said. Mr. DeSimone echoed those sentiments, adding that “3M has always been committed to helping its employees live happier and healthier lives. Our alliance with the American Medical Association and the National Patient Safety Foundation will help 3M contribute to better health for even more Americans and individuals and communities worldwide.”