Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority takes effort to promote patient safety in healthcare facilities

The Authority will promote key components for increased patient safety in healthcare facilities during Patient Safety Awareness Week March 7-13

In an effort to raise awareness of patient safety issues, the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority will encourage healthcare facilities to continue to report events and read Pennsylvania Patient Safety Advisories, while also encouraging patients and consumers to participate in their healthcare as much as possible during Patient Safety Awareness Week (March 7-13).

This year's theme for the week is "Let's Talk! Healthy Conversations for Safer Healthcare." It coincides with the Authority's efforts to promote more conversations in regard to reporting events and working together to prevent them in healthcare facilities.

"I think everyone recognizes patient safety is a daily issue; however Patient Safety Awareness Week provides an opportunity for all of us in healthcare to take stock of the great strides we've made in the past year, build upon those accomplishments, and find new ways to provide better care for our patients," Fran Charney, director of educational programs said. "This year, the Authority wants to make sure all healthcare workers understand how important reporting is to patient safety and have the necessary conversations to prevent medical errors."

This week, the Authority sent posters to all hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers (ASFs) in Pennsylvania. One poster titled "Why Reporting Matters," is directly related to reporting Serious Events and Incidents. The poster encourages healthcare workers to report patient safety events and read Pennsylvania Patient Safety Advisories to learn how they can make process changes and improve patient safety in their facilities. Patient Safety Officers (PSOs) are encouraged to display the posters in clinical staff areas so conversations can continue between PSOs and clinical staff about patient safety issues that need to be reported.

"As we all know, it's easy to get caught up in the daily grind of work and your tasks for the day," Charney said. "These posters will remind healthcare workers how important their jobs are and how important reporting ultimately is to provide the best patient care."

A second poster encourages patients and consumers to participate in their healthcare by reading the consumer tips developed by the Authority. Consumer tips are based upon real issues happening in Pennsylvania's healthcare facilities and provide patients and families with information on how they can help prevent medical errors. The consumer tips poster is accompanied by a mountable card holder and take-away cards with information on how patients and families can find consumer tips online. PSOs are encouraged to display the consumer tips poster and take-away cards in their waiting rooms.

"We know, through our data, how important patients and consumers are in helping to prevent medical errors so we encourage them to participate as much as possible in their healthcare," Charney said. "It is imperative for patients to form a partnership with their healthcare providers; without that partnership, patient safety can be jeopardized."

The Authority has also unveiled its new consumer web page. The new page makes it easier for patients and family members to find important information needed for them to participate fully in their healthcare. Along with the Authority's consumer tips and brochures, the site provides a page with information from other state agencies that allows for consumers to compare healthcare facilities and healthcare providers.

To view the new consumer tips web page, go to the Authority's Web site at www.patientsafetyauthority.org and click on "Patients and Consumers." To view the posters given to the healthcare facilities to raise patient safety awareness, go to the consumer's web page and click on "Brochures."