High-reliability industries and organizations are very familiar with the term situational awareness (SA). SA is a foundational concept, and its importance in operational decision-making at the front line is recognized and categorically supported by leadership. In healthcare, save for pockets of very safe and reliable care delivery, this is generally not the case.

Diagnostic errors are the top patient safety issue of the moment, according to ECRI Institute’s latest ranking of top 10 patient safety concerns for healthcare organizations.

Launched in 2002, the patient safety awards program has highlighted achievement in patient safety and quality in the name of the late John M. Eisenberg, MD, MBA, former administration of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

We are pleased to invite you to participate in a brief survey that examines patient safety and quality improvement. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey by clicking on the link below. Your confidential answers will be reported in aggregate and not tied directly to you or your organization.

The goal of the week is to “have a visible and focused discussion on patient safety,” Gandhi says. “We promote tools that organizations and patients can be using throughout the year.”

Up to 17 percent of all hospitalizations are affected by one or more adverse events and around 15% of hospital expenditure is attributable to addressing them.