The Patient Safety Authority is an independent state agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania charged with taking steps to prevent medical errors.
(4)
Operating as usual
06/04/2021
June is Pride Month: Hear some of the LGBTQ voices we heard at the 2019 Philadelphia Trans Wellness Conference that reveal ongoing challenges in providing a safe, inclusive healthcare experience for all patients, and learn some ways to create a more welcoming environment at your facility. https://patientsafetyj.com/index.php/patientsaf/article/view/safe-care-lgbtq
June is Pride Month: Hear some of the LGBTQ voices we heard at the 2019 Philadelphia Trans Wellness Conference that reveal ongoing challenges in providing a safe, inclusive healthcare experience for all patients, and learn some ways to create a more welcoming environment at your facility. https://patientsafetyj.com/index.php/patientsaf/article/view/safe-care-lgbtq
06/03/2021
Attention all current and recent PharmD students and faculty: have your manuscript published in an upcoming special issue of PATIENT SAFETY dedicated to academic pharmacy! Email [email protected] now for more info and submit your manuscript by June 30, 2021, to be considered for our special edition celebrating National Pharmacist Day on Jan. 12, 2022.
PATIENT SAFETY has won four national and international awards for excellence in only its second year of publication—including most recently one of NAGC’s 2021 Blue Pencil & Gold Screen awards. Our journal has more than 45,000 readers in all 50 states and 164 countries. Learn more: https://patientsafetyj.com/index.php/patientsaf/announcement/view/9
Attention all current and recent PharmD students and faculty: have your manuscript published in an upcoming special issue of PATIENT SAFETY dedicated to academic pharmacy! Email [email protected] now for more info and submit your manuscript by June 30, 2021, to be considered for our special edition celebrating National Pharmacist Day on Jan. 12, 2022.
PATIENT SAFETY has won four national and international awards for excellence in only its second year of publication—including most recently one of NAGC’s 2021 Blue Pencil & Gold Screen awards. Our journal has more than 45,000 readers in all 50 states and 164 countries. Learn more: https://patientsafetyj.com/index.php/patientsaf/announcement/view/9
06/02/2021
Good news! Our journal, PATIENT SAFETY, just won the 2021 Blue Pencil & Gold Screen Award for Most Improved Publication! Selected annually by the National Association of Government Communicators (NAGC), these international awards recognize “superior government communication products and those who produce them.”
This is our journal’s fourth award in only its second year of publication—and there’s never been a better time to submit your work! We’re always looking for original research articles, commentaries, data analyses, quality improvement studies, and other manuscripts that advance patient safety.
We also are currently inviting PharmD students and faculty to submit their manuscripts by June 30, 2021, for a special issue dedicated to academic pharmacy. Email [email protected] for more information.
Good news! Our journal, PATIENT SAFETY, just won the 2021 Blue Pencil & Gold Screen Award for Most Improved Publication! Selected annually by the National Association of Government Communicators (NAGC), these international awards recognize “superior government communication products and those who produce them.”
This is our journal’s fourth award in only its second year of publication—and there’s never been a better time to submit your work! We’re always looking for original research articles, commentaries, data analyses, quality improvement studies, and other manuscripts that advance patient safety.
We also are currently inviting PharmD students and faculty to submit their manuscripts by June 30, 2021, for a special issue dedicated to academic pharmacy. Email [email protected] for more information.
06/01/2021
Mark your calendar for National Time Out Day on June 9! A time-out is when the surgical/procedural team pauses to confirm the correct patient, procedure, and site—a powerful tool in preventing wrong-patient, wrong-procedure, and wrong-site surgery. On this awareness day, we will share resources and articles to help you and your team recommit to safe surgery and inform patients about this important safety practice.
Mark your calendar for National Time Out Day on June 9! A time-out is when the surgical/procedural team pauses to confirm the correct patient, procedure, and site—a powerful tool in preventing wrong-patient, wrong-procedure, and wrong-site surgery. On this awareness day, we will share resources and articles to help you and your team recommit to safe surgery and inform patients about this important safety practice.
05/31/2021
As our nation takes a day to remember and honor those who served, we wish everyone a happy and safe Memorial Day.
As our nation takes a day to remember and honor those who served, we wish everyone a happy and safe Memorial Day.
05/28/2021
Did you know medication errors can happen to pets too? Learn more in this month's "What You Need to Know" newsletter, which also explains why some coronavirus variants are more contagious than others, discusses ways to navigate post-pandemic life, imagines the nursing homes of tomorrow, and much more:http://patientsafety.pa.gov/newsletter/Documents/May%202021%20Newsletter.pdf
Did you know medication errors can happen to pets too? Learn more in this month's "What You Need to Know" newsletter, which also explains why some coronavirus variants are more contagious than others, discusses ways to navigate post-pandemic life, imagines the nursing homes of tomorrow, and much more:http://patientsafety.pa.gov/newsletter/Documents/May%202021%20Newsletter.pdf
Celiac disease is a hereditary autoimmune disease in which a person cannot eat gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley) because it will damage their small intestine. During National Celiac Disease Awareness Month learn more: https://celiac.org/about-celiac-disease/what-is-celiac-disease/.
Celiac disease is a hereditary autoimmune disease in which a person cannot eat gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley) because it will damage their small intestine. During National Celiac Disease Awareness Month learn more: https://celiac.org/about-celiac-disease/what-is-celiac-disease/.
APIC - Infection Prevention and You is sharing the inspiring stories of infection preventionists, highlighting their personal experiences during the pandemic. Our own Terri Lee Roberts, PSA senior infection preventionist, relates how she continued working hard to keep patients and healthcare workers safe, all while caring for others closer to home: her two young grandchildren. Read more at https://apic.org/ip-stories/.
This year has shown the world the invaluable work that infection preventionists put into our communities, and APIC wants to recognize YOU. These stories were shared by our members, and the collection continues to grow! If you want to have your experience featured, submit your video, picture, and/or....
05/24/2021
Knowing the signs and symptoms of preeclampsia can keep you and your baby healthy—it could even save your life! During Preeclampsia Awareness Month learn the facts on how to keep you and your baby healthy during pregnancy: https://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/pregnancy.htm #preeclampsia
Knowing the signs and symptoms of preeclampsia can keep you and your baby healthy—it could even save your life! During Preeclampsia Awareness Month learn the facts on how to keep you and your baby healthy during pregnancy: https://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/pregnancy.htm #preeclampsia
05/21/2021
Millions of Americans are living with viral hepatitis, but many do not know they are infected. For Hepatitis Awareness Month in May, learn the ABCs of viral hepatitis and what you can do to protect yourself. https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/awareness/HepatitisABCs.htm
Millions of Americans are living with viral hepatitis, but many do not know they are infected. For Hepatitis Awareness Month in May, learn the ABCs of viral hepatitis and what you can do to protect yourself. https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/awareness/HepatitisABCs.htm
05/20/2021
May is Mental Health Awareness Month: The pandemic has been hard on all of us, both physically and mentally. If you’ve been feeling anxious or depressed, you are not alone. It’s important not to dismiss or hide these struggles—even from ourselves—and discuss them so we can begin to heal. This week on her blog, Regina Hoffman shares how she copes with stress and some simple self-care techniques you can try today: http://patientsafety.pa.gov/blog/Pages/05202021.aspx.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month: The pandemic has been hard on all of us, both physically and mentally. If you’ve been feeling anxious or depressed, you are not alone. It’s important not to dismiss or hide these struggles—even from ourselves—and discuss them so we can begin to heal. This week on her blog, Regina Hoffman shares how she copes with stress and some simple self-care techniques you can try today: http://patientsafety.pa.gov/blog/Pages/05202021.aspx.
In a recent PSA webinar, Isabel DeOliveira, regional compliance assistance specialist at the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (USDOL-OSHA), describes the most common OSHA citations and how COVID-19 has influenced changes in citations, compares all industry citations to healthcare citations, and identifies resources to help facilities comply with the regulation.
Gwenna Laithland’s husband insisted that vaccines were dangerous. She didn’t argue, and their baby girl went unvaccinated—until the age of 2, when she got really sick and had a medical emergency. Frightened that her daughter might have whooping cough, a disease preventable with early childhood vaccination, Gwenna began to doubt her beliefs and went in search of more information about vaccines in the right places. Read more at https://patientsafetyj.com/index.php/patientsaf/article/view/vaccine-divide/interview-laithland.
05/17/2021
This is National Stroke Awareness Month. When it comes to stroke, every minute counts. To recognize the symptoms of stroke and help patients get the treatments they need to survive and reduce brain damage, remember the acronym F.A.S.T.: Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulties, and Time to call emergency services. Learn more at https://www.cdc.gov/stroke/signs_symptoms.htm.
This is National Stroke Awareness Month. When it comes to stroke, every minute counts. To recognize the symptoms of stroke and help patients get the treatments they need to survive and reduce brain damage, remember the acronym F.A.S.T.: Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulties, and Time to call emergency services. Learn more at https://www.cdc.gov/stroke/signs_symptoms.htm.
Call for papers: We’re inviting PharmD students and faculty to submit their manuscripts by June 30, 2021.
A panel of guest editors—pharmacy experts from across the United States—will select their favorites. The winners will be published on National Pharmacist Day (January 12, 2022) in a special issue of PATIENT SAFETY dedicated to academic pharmacy.
Calling all future pharmacists—the future starts now! 2021-05-03 We’re inviting PharmD students and faculty to submit their manuscripts by June 30. A panel of guest editors—pharmacy experts from across the United States—will select their favorites. The winners will be published on National P...
05/13/2021
Healthcare professionals, we invite you to join us for a 𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆-𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑪𝑫𝑪 𝑪𝑶𝑪𝑨 𝑪𝒂𝒍𝒍 where CDC presenters will discuss what you, as clinicians, need to know about Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine use in adolescents in the 12-to-15-year-old age group. Topics will include the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, vaccine recommendations, and clinical guidance for using the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in this age group.
Moms often are pressured to breastfeed their babies, but what if they have difficulty breastfeeding? You can find anything online, and breast milk is no exception. In this week’s blog, Regina Hoffman explains why informal sharing of breast milk may pose health risks, and that some widely accepted best practices for baby care, such as “rooming-in” may not be best at all times. http://patientsafety.pa.gov/blog/Pages/05132021.aspx
Moms often are pressured to breastfeed their babies, but what if they have difficulty breastfeeding? You can find anything online, and breast milk is no exception. In this week’s blog, Regina Hoffman explains why informal sharing of breast milk may pose health risks, and that some widely accepted best practices for baby care, such as “rooming-in” may not be best at all times. http://patientsafety.pa.gov/blog/Pages/05132021.aspx
The patient is always at the center of discussions about patient safety. But patients shouldn’t only be talked about—they also need to participate in the conversation. They and their families have opportunities to be engaged in their own care: to share information, ask questions, and express their opinions. And if there aren’t opportunities to have a voice, patients can and should make their own and keep pushing to play an active role in their treatment.
Patient advocate Lisa Rodebaugh, Patient Safety Authority (PSA) Executive Director Regina Hoffman, and PSA Director of Engagement Caitlyn Allen all have their say in why it’s important for patients to speak up, and for healthcare providers to be open and ready to listen: https://patientsafetyj.com/index.php/patientsaf/article/view/win-patients-speak-up
The patient is always at the center of discussions about patient safety. But patients shouldn’t only be talked about—they also need to participate in the conversation. They and their families have opportunities to be engaged in their own care: to share information, ask questions, and express their opinions. And if there aren’t opportunities to have a voice, patients can and should make their own and keep pushing to play an active role in their treatment.
Patient advocate Lisa Rodebaugh, Patient Safety Authority (PSA) Executive Director Regina Hoffman, and PSA Director of Engagement Caitlyn Allen all have their say in why it’s important for patients to speak up, and for healthcare providers to be open and ready to listen: https://patientsafetyj.com/index.php/patientsaf/article/view/win-patients-speak-up
Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System - PA-PSRS
Alerts
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Patient Safety Authority posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Contact The Business
Send a message to Patient Safety Authority:
Videos
OSHA Common COVID-19 Citations and Revised Guidance
Our Best Shot: Interview With Gwenna Laithland
I AM Patient Safety 2021 Long-Term Care Award Winner
I AM Patient Safety 2021 Focus on the Patient Award Winner
I AM Patient Safety 2021 Nationwide Warriors Award Winner
I AM Patient Safety 2021 Transparency and Safety in Healthcare Award Winner
I AM Patient Safety 2021 Executive Director's Choice Award Winner
Announcement of the I AM Patient Safety 2021 Winners
#KnockOutTheFluPA With the Philadelphia Phillies!
Developing a National Action Plan for Patient Safety (Part 4)
#KnockOutTheFluPA With the Philadelphia Phillies!
Telemetry Monitoring in PA — Eliminating Dead Batteries & End-of-Life Alarms
Developing a National Action Plan for Patient Safety (Part 3)
Telemetry Monitoring in PA — Ensuring Continuous Monitoring Through a Hospital Visit
Telemetry Monitoring in PA — Alarm Fatigue: A Clinical Emergency Waiting to Happen
Developing a National Action Plan for Patient Safety (Part 2)
Telemetry Monitoring in PA — Introduction
Telemetry Monitoring in Pennsylvania (Trailer)
How to Improve Patient Safety Throughout the Coordination of Care for the Surgical Patient
#KnockOutTheFluPA
Developing a National Action Plan for Patient Safety (Part 1)
Leading with Technology During the Social Isolation of COVID-19
Maternal Morbidity & Mortality: Together We Will Make a Difference
Warning on Hand Sanitizer Products Containing Methanol
Healthcare-Acquired Pneumonia in Long-Term Care
Preventing Elder Su***de as an End-of-Life Outcome: What Providers Should Know
Happy for the Frazzled in Healthcare
Burnout, Depression & COVID-19
SaraKay Smullens and Dr. Stanton Smullens will answer your questions about COVID-19 and the toll it has taken on our mental health, and how you can help yourself or a loved one get through these unprecedented times.
In this webinar from May 14, 2020, Carol VanZile, LCSW, director of behavioral health regulatory compliance accreditation at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital, identifies environmental risks of su***de and safety in hospitals, measures to mitigate ligature risk, and ways to increase staff confidence in treating behavioral health patients.
The Pennsylvania legislature established the Patient Safety Authority in 2002 to provide statewide guidance and support to protect the 47 million patients who entrust Pennsylvania healthcare facilities with their lives each year. Seventeen years later, the Authority still is the only independent state agency of its kind in the United States.
The Authority’s vision is “safe healthcare for all patients,” which it strives to achieve by collecting and analyzing patient safety information, developing solutions to patient safety issues, and sharing this information through education and collaboration.
Pennsylvania Act 13 of 2002, the Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error (MCARE) Act, requires all state hospitals, ambulatory surgical facilities, birthing centers, and certain abortion facilities to report all incidents of harm, real or potential, to the Authority via the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System (PA-PSRS), a confidential, online system—the largest event reporting database in the United States and one of the largest in the world.
The Authority analyzes and evaluates all reports submitted to PA-PSRS and makes recommendations for changes in healthcare practices and procedures which may improve patient safety in Pennsylvania facilities. The Authority's role is nonpunitive and is distinguished from the role of other state agencies involved in licensing healthcare facilities or individual providers.
The Authority operates from the Patient Safety Trust Fund, a dedicated Pennsylvania Treasury account, which is administered by the Authority and is independent of the Commonwealth General Fund. Patient Safety is fully supported by this fund.
Since you are the Patient Safety Authority for Pennsylvania:
Will your department make medical malpractice a criminal offense?
Will you be compiling a database of medical practitioners (doctors, nurses, physician assistants, hospitals) who have settled medical malpractice suits, how many, and the details of the cases?
Congrats to Regina Hoffman for being on Becker's list of 50 safety experts to know!
"Regina Hoffman, RN. Executive Director of Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority (Harrisburg). Ms. Hoffman became executive director of the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority, an independent state agency, in 2016. She is responsible for increasing event reporting through the agency's patient safety reporting system and improving safety at 1,300 healthcare institutions across Pennsylvania. During her tenure, the agency has educated more than 34,500 professionals via conferences, webinars and on-site health facility trainings. She serves as editor-in-chief of Patient Safety, the organization's open-access, peer-reviewed journal, and as the subcommittee co-chair on learning systems for the Institute for Healthcare Improvement/Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's National Steering Committee on Patient Safety."
“The motivations behind the nursing facilities in each sector likely play a role in the quality of care and qualifications of the staff working there — especially when one considers mission driven work versus the goals of profit driven work.”
Read Article Here:
