Patient Safety Awareness Week is March 4-10, 2012

Patient Safety Awareness Week will take place March 4-10, 2012. The National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) is the founding sponsor of Patient Safety Awareness Week and has led the event since 2002.

This years theme highlights the need for everyone to understand the importance of patient safety and to recognize the range of efforts being made to improve health safety in the U.S. and worldwide. Moreover, the campaign seeks to make patients, providers, and the public aware of the ways they can participate in these efforts and partner to improve patient safety. While efforts of the past decade have brought improvements, recent studies indicate that much work remains to be doneand can be done most effectively through the involvement of all parties.

Be Aware for Safe Care emphasizes the fact that safety issues impact everyone. The more we work together to promote patient safety, the more we all benefit from a safe healthcare system, says Diane C. Pinakiewicz, MBA, president of the National Patient Safety Foundation. NPSF encourages creative collaboration among provider groups, patient advocates, and other community organizations to help patients and consumers understand how they can participate to be part of the solution.

The campaign is in alignment with the national Partnership for Patients, a groundbreaking initiative launched earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to improve care and reduce costs, in part by reducing all causes of harm in healthcare.

Patient Safety Awareness Week is recognized internationally. Each year, NPSF produces educational resources for providers, patients, and communities who wish to take part. For more information on Patient Safety Awareness Week visit www.npsf.org

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