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New Web-based education aims to change staff attitudes

Patient Safety Monitor Alert, January 21, 2005

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In an effort to relay the importance of patient safety to healthcare workers, the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) has launched an interactive Web-based education module, according to an American Medical News article.

The NPSF Web site includes modules for physicians, nurses, and patients on topics such as medication safety, disclosure of errors, learning from errors, pediatric care, medical device safety, and anesthesia.

The program conveys the following messages: errors are "imbedded" in healthcare systems; a system of checks, balances, and openness is needed to prevent harm; and that a culture of blame drives errors underground, said William R. Hendee, PhD, senior associate dean and vice president of the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

"We're all human, and we all make mistakes, so what we need to do is design systems that recognize this and reduce the risk of error," said Hendee, a founding board member of the NPSF. "Healthcare is delivered by people, and people are prone to making errors."

The Web site is funded by a $782,588 grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

To read the American Medical News article, click here.

To visit the National Patient Safety Foundation Web site, click here.

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