Circulation 36,825 • Volume 18, No. 3 • Fall 2003

NPSF Report Spurs Patient-Focused Agenda

The recently issued National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) 2002 Annual Report highlights the NPSF’s emphasis on involving patients and families in patient safety, recognizing that patients are essential partners in reducing medical errors. In addition to the active Patient and Family Advisory Council, NPSF launched the "Stand Up for Patient Safety" campaign to bring together leading hospitals and health systems committed to developing a hospital-driven, patient-focused safety agenda Ð all supporting the NPSF’s mission: Improve the Safety of Patients.

This year’s NPSF Annual Patient Safety Congress was the largest ever, with over 1000 participants. It was an energizing event with Health & Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson and Former ALCOA CEO and Secretary of the Treasury Paul O’Neill as two of the keynote speakers. The sessions were superb, covering a broad range of topics. The 2004 Congress is scheduled for May 3-6, in Boston. The NPSF will also convene its Second Annual Integrity and Accountability in Clinical Research Conference in Washington, DC, November 4-6, 2003.

NPSF was founded in 1996 through the generosity of the 3M Corporation, the American Medical Association, CNA HealthPro, and Schering-Plough Corporation. Based on the model of the APSF, the NPSF has provided annual patient safety research grants and most recently was joined by the Commonwealth Fund and the Donaghue Foundation to promote patient safety research. The NPSF provides resources for patients and healthcare professionals, including the global Patientsafety-L listserv discussion forum, fact sheets, brochures, and other educational material, an extensive searchable bibliography of patient safety literature, and an online Patient Safety Store that offers books, videos, and brochures from multiple sources to the patient safety community.

The NPSF website at www.npsf.org provides links to other sources of information on patient safety. The 2002 Annual Report is available to download in pdf format at www.npsf.org/download/2002annualreport.pdf. Or call 312-464-4848 and request that a copy be mailed to you.

The NPSF is now offering an opportunity for individuals to support patient safety through a membership program. You can become a member for a minimal donation of $25 and receive the NPSF’s quarterly newsletter Focus on Patient Safety. The NPSF is a force for change, focused on reducing medical errors through leadership and innovative programs designed to create a culture of safety. You can join forces now with those of your colleagues to improve the safety of patients. To learn more about this program and to sign up as a member, visit www.npsf.org and click on "Become a Member of NPSF."

The APSF’s Drs. Ellison C. Pierce, Jr. and Jeffrey B. Cooper have served on the NPSF Board of Directors since the organization’s inception. Dr. Cooper founded and chairs the NPSF Research Program.