National Patient Safety Foundation Announces United for Patient Safety Campaign

BOSTON, Feb. 4, 2016 -- The National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF), a central voice for health care safety since 1997, today announced United for Patient Safety, a campaign designed to spark dialogue and promote action to improve the safety of the health care system for patients and the workforce.

This year, Patient Safety Awareness Week, March 13-19, 2016, will be observed as a highlight of the campaign, seeking to instill the message that "every day is patient safety day."

Those taking part in the campaign can visit the website UnitedforPatientSafety.org to honor a loved one affected by medical error, download educational materials, post pictures, share their plans for Patient Safety Awareness Week, and more.

Citing the recent NPSF report, Free from Harm: Accelerating Patient Safety Improvement Fifteen Years after To Err Is Human, Tejal K. Gandhi, MD, MPH, CPPS, president and chief executive officer of NPSF, said, "We have seen some improvement in patient safety, but 1 in 10 patients still experiences a hospital-acquired complication, and many more harms occur in outpatient settings, where most care is provided, so there is still much work to be done."

The Free from Harm report makes eight recommendations for achieving total systems safety and a culture of safety in health care. Health care leaders and professionals participating in the campaign are being asked to read the report, hold a discussion in their organization about the recommendations, and work to increase the safety of the care they provide by implementing the recommended tactics in the report.

Patients, families, and consumers are encouraged to take part in the campaign by pledging to be active members of their health care teams by participating in care decisions and asking questions.

More information about the campaign and how to take part is available at UnitedinPatientSafety.org.

About the National Patient Safety Foundation

The National Patient Safety Foundation's vision is to create a world where patients and those who care for them are free from harm. A central voice for patient safety since 1997, NPSF partners with patients and families, the health care community, and key stakeholders to advance patient safety and health care workforce safety and disseminate strategies to prevent harm. NPSF is an independent, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. To learn more about the Foundation's work, visit www.npsf.org.

A photo accompanying this release is available at:

http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=38784

CONTACT: Sara Reardon Valentin
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