On World Patient Safety Day, Case is Made for a National Patient Safety Authority

Karen Feinstein presents at the Unite for Safe Care virtual event on September 17.

On this year's World Patient Safety Day (Sept. 17), Karen Wolk Feinstein, PhD made the case for action on medical error in front of a global audience during the Unite for Safe Care virtual event (which involved 6,821 participants) and in Modern Healthcare. Dr. Feinstein reminded audiences that the U.S. fails to use its extraordinary technology and information system capabilities to keep its patients and healthcare workers safe, as medical error leads to over 250,000 deaths and countless harms each year. For over two decades, the Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF) and the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative (PRHI) have worked to address this crisis, which has needed urgent attention for decades, now more than ever. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the many flaws in our health system, revealing that it is not fail safe for patient and worker safety.

This knowledge should be a springboard for new, creative, powerful interventions, and we propose a National Patient Safety Authority (NPSA) as the solution. Now is the time for a united effort to address medical error. We already have the resources, expertise, and potential – we just need to leverage our connections and come together to address this national, ongoing crisis.

To learn more about the proposed NPSA, read Karen's op-ed in Modern Healthcare here (subscription required) and view Karen's comments during the Unite for Safe Care virtual event here.

Our commitment never ends with a single day's events. PRHI will continue pushing forward with efforts to establish the NPSA, and we call you to join us. Please consider joining the Health Activist Network here https://www.healthactivistnetwork.org/ to become more involved with this effort.