Patient Safety Awareness Week [March 14 – 20, 2021] is observed to acknowledge the need to improve care safety throughout the healthcare system and to celebrate efforts to improve care.
Preventing harm in health care is a public health concern. Everyone interacts with the health care system at some point in life and we all have a role to play in advancing safe health care. Medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States. The World Health Organization estimates that healthcare errors impact one in every 10 patients globally. Some studies suggest that as many as 400,000 deaths occur in the United States each year as a result of errors or preventable harm. Not every case of harm results in death, yet they can cause long-term impact on the patient’s physical health, emotional health, financial well-being or family relationships.
Properly engaging patients, caregivers, and providers, integrating quality improvement practices and collecting and interpreting data are critical to supporting patient safety initiatives. Toolkits and guides are available to help:
- Download your FREE 2021 Patient Safety Awareness Week Toolkit. You’ll also receive an email with an option to download the Toolkit pieces at any time.
- Visit the the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Patient Safety Awareness page for more information on their Patient Safety Awareness Week Campaign.
Raise awareness about Patient Safety Awareness Week on social media by sharing tools and resources. Use hashtags such as #patientsaftey, #patientsafetyawareness and #PSAW21.
General Patient Safety Education and Background Resources:
- AHRQ National Action Plans List
- Center for Patient Safety
- CDC Patient Safety Atlas
- CDC Safe Healthcare Blog
- CDC Antibiotic and Antimicrobial Resistance Web page
- CDC C.diff Web page
- Agency for Health Research and Quality (AHRQ) Patient Safety and Quality Improvement
- National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) 2021 Patient Safety Component Manual
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Antibiotic Resistance & Patient Safety Portal
A sincere appreciation to our healthcare partners across the region for your dedication and commitment to quality improvement and improving patient care. Every day is Patient Safety Day and we thank you! Visit our Web site to learn more about our efforts to ensure safer patient care.