Plan staff activities for National Patient Safety Awareness Week

March 12–18 marks the start of the 2017 National Patient Safety Awareness Week (PSAW). The week is organized by the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) to increase awareness on patient safety issues. The event is aimed at educating and engaging healthcare professionals and the general public through web events, social media, educational programs, and materials.

“The campaign emphasizes that everyone participating in the healthcare system has a role to play in keeping patients safe and free from harm,” said Tejal K. Gandhi, MD, MPH, CPPS, president and CEO of NPSF, in a press release. “Patient Safety Awareness Week is an important annual focus of the campaign and we hope to have record numbers of participants this year.”

While PSAW has been going on for several years, in 2016 it was made part of the NPSF’s United for Patient Safety campaign. Sara Valentin, NPSF assistant vice president of event management and strategy, says the purpose of the campaign is to spread the idea that “every day is patient safety day,” rather than just one week. However, PSAW still has a crucial role in spreading the news and edifying people on quality care and safety.

 “Over the years, we feel the week has been very successful in engaging healthcare organizations and their teams in patient safety,” Valentin says. “We are making additional efforts to further engage the public and educate people about patient safety. Since the launch of the new [NPSF] site, we have seen an increase in traffic, and we think that translates into a raising of awareness.”

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