The National Patient Safety Foundation Will Host A Twitter Chat On The Need To Address Patient Safety Across The Care Continuum

BOSTON, March 8, 2016 -- In conjunction with Patient Safety Awareness Week (March 13-19), the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) will host a Twitter chat titled "Patient Safety in All Settings." It will take place on Tuesday, March 15, from 2:00 to 3:00 pm (ET). Participants can join the chat by using the hashtag #PSAW16chat.

The need to address patient safety across the care continuum is a major recommendation of the report "Free from Harm", published by NPSF in December. While most patient safety research over the past 15 years has focused on hospital settings, most health care in the United States is delivered outside of hospitals – in doctors' offices, clinics, ambulatory surgery centers, retail pharmacies, dialysis centers, and other settings. More than 1 billion outpatient visits occur annually in the United States, compared with 35 million hospital admissions.

According to studies cited in "Free from Harm," more than half of annual paid medical malpractice claims were for events in the outpatient setting, and two-thirds involved major injury or death. Yet too little is known about the epidemiology of medical errors and adverse events in outpatient settings, and outpatient facilities often lack the infrastructure of hospitals, such as reporting mechanisms and dedicated personnel to focus on safety.

The Twitter chat will focus on safety issues that are common to all settings. It will include participants from the federal government, patient safety organizations, patient advocacy groups, and health care providers, among others, including the following:

• AAMI (Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, @aami_connect)
• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (@AHRQNews)
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (@CDCgov)
• National Patient Safety Foundation (@theNPSF)
• The Joint Commission (@TJCommission)

Participants will be encouraged to share tips about what patients should be aware of, as well as resources, strategies, and articles for patients and professionals who want to try to improve safety across the continuum of care. Topic areas will include: medication errors and adverse events; communication and care transitions; diagnostic errors, and infections.
Additional information on the Twitter chat is available here. More information on Patient Safety Awareness Week is available here.

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.

CONTACT: Patricia McTiernan
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         617-391-9922