The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has organized two online events for Patient Safety Awareness Week (PSAW), March 13–19, in collaboration with the National Patient Safety Foundation.
The first event is a Twitter chat on safety issues in health care settings that will take place on March 15, from 2–3 pm ET. Medication and diagnostic errors, infections, and care transitions are among the topics that will be discussed. Participants will be encouraged to share resources, strategies, and articles for patients and professionals who want to improve safety.
The second PSAW event is a free webinar, titled “Patient Safety is a Public Health Issue,” on March 17 at 1 pm ET. During the one-hour session, health care experts will discuss efforts being made to tackle patient safety issues on a national level.
Meanwhile, CDC has released its March Vital Signs report, which focuses on antibiotic resistance prevention and reducing health care–associated infections (HAIs). In conjunction with this month’s Vital Signs, CDC is launching a web application featuring interactive data on HAIs caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The atlas contains four years of data from more than 4,000 health care facilities.
America’s Essential Hospitals and its members have a long-standing commitment to improving patient safety and preventing HAIs. As part of its research and quality improvement work, the association participated in a federal patient safety initiative that averted more than 4,000 harm events and saved more than $40 million.
