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Patient Focus Behind Awareness Campaign--March 2009
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Patient safety and strengthening the relationship between the patient and health care provider are the goals of Patient Safety Awareness Week and the newly released Universal Patient Compact: Principles for Partnership.
The National Patient Safety Foundation’s (NPSF) annual Patient Safety Awareness Week (PSAW) is under way (March 8-14). This year’s theme is “A Prescription for Patient Safety: One Partnership, One Team.”
PSAW is designed to engage staff, patients, and the community by emphasizing the critical need for partnership and participation in the push for a safer health care system. Hospitals and health care organizations are encouraged to plan events to promote patient safety within their own organizations.
In conjunction with PSAW, the foundation introduced the Universal Patient Compact: Principles for Partnership. The development of the principles by NPSF stems from a roundtable discussion at the 2007 McKesson Nursing Leadership Congress. The goal of the principles is to create a clear understanding between the patient and the entire health care team about how they will work together.
“The Compact moves the patient voice to where it needs to be—central to and integrated within the health care team—rather than outside it,” commented Diane Pinakiewicz, president of NPSF. “True partnering and strengthened relationships are the keys to delivering safe and high-quality care. We are optimistic and confident that the innovative and inclusive Universal Patient Compact will encourage adoption of this essential principle across health care.”
For additional information on the Universal Patient Compact: Principles for Partnership and PSAW, visit www.npsf.org.
For other articles in this issue, see:
Officials Promote Responsible Antibiotic Use
Rx Information for Patients: Too Much, Not Enough, or Just Plain Inconsistent?
