HARRISBURG: The Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority is marking Patient Safety Awareness Week (March 2-8) by promoting its consumer tips sheets, derived from data received from healthcare facilities through the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System (PA-PSRS).
“The Patient Safety Authority understands its role of educating healthcare facilities to prevent medical errors,” Dr. Ana Pujols-McKee, chair of the Patient Safety Authority Board of Directors said. “However, when we can, we like to educate the public as well so they can actively participate in their healthcare. The more involved the patient is in his or her healthcare, the less likely an error is to occur.”
The consumer tips sheets cover a variety of topics that include: medication errors, falls, infections, color-coded wristbands and the importance of knowing your medical history. A packet of the consumer tips sheets were sent this week to the Pennsylvania State Legislature for distribution in their district offices. All of the consumer tips sheets can be found on the Authority’s website under “Tips for Consumers" at www.patientsafetyauthority.
Also under “Tips for Consumers” patients and their loved ones can go to several links that contain information specifically for the public such as complaint hotlines if a patient has had a negative experience in the healthcare system.
The Authority has also distributed the “Speak Up”™ brochure developed by the Joint Commission that also encourages the patient to take a more active role. Several legislators and other healthcare facilities and organizations have used the brochure to make their publics more aware of what they can do to prevent medical errors.
“The Authority has seen cases where an error was prevented because a patient questioned their healthcare professional,” McKee said. “It can be difficult for a patient to question their doctor or nurse but it is encouraged because they’re only human and mistakes can happen.”
Patient Safety Awareness Week is a national observance sponsored by the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) as an education and awareness-building campaign for improving patient safety at the local level. The theme for this year’s commemoration is “Patient Safety – A Road Taken Together.” NPSF has made available literature, videos, handouts and other materials to assist healthcare institutions and professionals in encouraging patients to become more actively involved in their healthcare.
BACKGROUND
The Patient Safety Authority is an independent agency created by Act 13 of 2002, the Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error (“Mcare”) Act, to help reduce and eliminate medical errors by identifying problems and recommending solutions that promote patient safety. Under the Act, all Pennsylvania-licensed hospitals, ambulatory surgical facilities, birthing centers and certain abortion facilities are required to report what the Act defines as “Serious Events” and “Incidents” to the Authority. More than 500 healthcare facilities are subject to Act 13 reporting requirements.
More than 650,000 reports have been submitted through the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System (PA-PSRS) since the program was initiated in June 2004. Approximately 96 percent of these reports are Incidents or “near misses.” Based on these reports, the Authority issues quarterly Patient Safety Advisories to give facilities guidance on steps they can take to reduce and prevent patient harm. Occasionally, if reports are submitted that demand immediate attention, a Supplementary Advisory focusing on that one particular topic will be issued. The public cannot submit reports through PA-PSRS.
For more information on the Patient Safety Authority or the Patient Safety Advisories visit the Authority’s website at www.patientsafetyauthority.org.
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