ECRI and ISMP honor World Patient Safety Day in Washington, D.C.
ECRI, the most trusted voice in healthcare, and its affiliate the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), a vital force for preventing medication errors, are proud to join the World Health Organization and healthcare leaders around the globe in celebrating World Patient Safety Day (WPSD): Tuesday, September 17, 2024. This year, the WPSD theme is “Improving diagnosis for patient safety,” highlighting the critical importance of correct and timely diagnosis in ensuring patient safety and improving health outcomes.
ECRI leaders are meeting with a number of lawmakers, policy leaders, government agencies, and embassy leaders on Capitol Hill to discuss making healthcare safer globally. In honor of World Patient Safety Day, ECRI and ISMP are participating in numerous other research initiatives, partnerships and events in Washington D.C.
Diagnostic Safety Research
In conjunction with the 2024 theme of diagnostic safety, ECRI released findings from a new data analysis regarding common errors in the diagnostic process. The ECRI and ISMP PSO found that issues processing medical tests, delays in referrals, and miscommunication among healthcare staff are key drivers of diagnostic errors. ECRI's data analysis found that most errors (nearly 70 percent) occurred during the testing process – including when healthcare staff are ordering, collecting, processing, obtaining results, or communicating results. ECRI provided its healthcare partners with specific strategies to mitigate risks associated with diagnostic error and establish protocols to improve diagnostic safety with a systems-based framework. Learn more about ECRI’s findings on diagnostic safety.
Resources to Improve Diagnostic Safety
For World Patient Safety Day 2024, ECRI is providing a wealth of free and shareable patient safety resources to reduce the risks and harm to patients worldwide. These resources address the complexity of preventing diagnostic error; diagnostic excellence in dementia care; delayed identification and treatment of sepsis; navigating the complexity of dementia diagnosis; and cognitive biases and diagnostic error. Visit the ECRI Blog to access these free resources.
Partnership with Project PIVOT
Project PIVOT is an initiative led by Patients for Patient Safety US (PFPS US) to improve patient safety, diagnostic accuracy, and equity in healthcare by advancing the implementation of patient-centered PREs and PROs (Patient Reported Experience and Patient Reported Outcomes). The project will identify what outcomes and experiences matter most to patients by engaging diverse communities of patients and patient and consumer organizations to collaborate with national and international experts. ECRI and ISMP have signed on to join Project PIVOT and will participate in the kickoff meetings in D.C. alongside government agencies, Johns Hopkins University, Harvard Medical School, and others. Together, we will provide input to identify and prioritize PREs and PROs related to safety, diagnostic accuracy, and equity. Learn more about Project PIVOT.
ECRI Leaders Join PFPS Events
PFPS US is a patient-led, US-based non-profit organization that serves as the U.S. branch of the Patients for Patient Safety program of the World Health Organization (WHO). PFPS US is hosting a series of events to mark WPSD including a march down Pennsylvania Avenue to the U.S. Capitol to raise awareness; a remembrance ceremony on the Capitol Lawn honoring patients whose lives were lost due to preventable harm; and a Leadership Briefing at the Bloomberg Center to hear from national leaders about ongoing efforts to improve patient safety. Several ECRI leaders will join these PFPS events and march in solidarity with partners and fellow safety advocates.
Supporting Patient Voices
PFPS strives to help at least 150 patients travel to D.C. to join WPSD events. To support these efforts to intentionally capture more input from patients and involve them in advocacy on Capitol Hill, ECRI sponsored two patients and family members to join in WPSD events through PFPS.
Contact
For more information, contact Yvonne Rhodes, ECRI Associate Director of Strategic Communications, at YRhodes@ECRI.org
About ECRI
ECRI is an independent, nonprofit organization improving the safety, quality, and cost-effectiveness of care across all healthcare settings. With a focus on technology evaluation and safety, ECRI is trusted by healthcare leaders and agencies worldwide. ECRI is designated an Evidence-based Practice Center by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. ECRI and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices PSO is a federally certified Patient Safety Organization as designated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In 2020, ECRI acquired ISMP to create one of the largest healthcare quality and safety institutions in the world. Visit www.ecri.org.
About ISMP
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) is the only 501c (3) nonprofit organization devoted entirely to preventing medication errors. ISMP is known and respected as the gold standard for medication safety information. For more than 30 years, it also has served as a vital force for progress. ISMP’s advocacy work alone has resulted in numerous necessary changes in clinical practice, public policy, and drug labeling and packaging. ISMP runs the only national voluntary practitioner medication error reporting program, publishes newsletters with real-time error information read and trusted throughout the global healthcare community, and offers a wide range of unique educational programs, tools, and guidelines.