IRVINE, CALIF. -- At the Patient Safety Movement Foundation’s annual Mid-Year Event on January 26, patient safety experts from around the world participated in the creation of an action plan to eliminate preventable patient and healthcare worker harm. The Patient Safety Leadership Association was inaugurated by the Patient Safety Movement Foundation to respond to the need for a targeted forum for chief quality and patient safety officers and patient safety activists. The forum is a global executive network designed to champion the critical work of chief quality and patient safety officers within the healthcare system, supporting their efforts to implement evidence-based solutions and new technologies proven to save patient lives.

The Patient Safety Leadership Association is expected to play a key role in furthering the action plan set forth at the Mid-Year Event. The plan’s action items include:

· Seeking unwavering commitment from hospital governance boards and senior executives to champion a culture of patient safety within their institutions, while implementing a rigorous review process.
· Actively involving patients and their families in crucial healthcare decisions in a manner that recognizes their invaluable perspectives and the critical roles they have to play in their own care.
· Urging hospital leadership to foster a climate that prioritizes the well-being of healthcare employees and ensures a workplace that empowers, supports, and nurtures their resilience in the face of challenges.
· Embracing the transformative potential of artificial intelligence to improve diagnostic accuracy and healthcare decision-making in response to recent data showing that misdiagnosis is a major contributor to medical errors.
· Elevating the standard of safety for treating sick children, particularly during hospitalization, while increasing parent engagement.

The Patient Safety Leadership Association’s formation as a much-needed resource for advancing patient safety globally was strongly endorsed at the Mid-Year Event. The initiative empowers its members to discuss sensitive adverse events and to seek advice from world-renowned patient safety leaders, clinicians, and researchers. The knowledge thus gained can in turn be shared to the entire medical community via workshops, webinars, and symposia to develop transformative healthcare solutions.

“We now have the tools and know-how to make healthcare safe and, more importantly, the will to achieve it!” stated Dr. Michael Ramsay, Chief Executive Officer for the Patient Safety Movement Foundation.