Let’s talk patient safety in today’s environment. Experts offer their take during National Patient Safety Awareness Week

Putting a spotlight on patient safety is the annual focus of National Patient Safety Awareness Week 2022. And that begins by prioritizing clinician safety to ensure the safety of the patients they care for.

Medtronic and our healthcare society partners recognize National Patient Safety Awareness Week’s commitment to raising awareness around maintaining safe healthcare workplaces. Especially at a time when the healthcare community is being tested by staffing shortages, inadequate resources, and lack of equipment.

Nurse staffing shortages continue to be one of the greatest challenges healthcare settings face and can have significant implications on patient safety. Sentinel events (a patient safety event that results in death, permanent harm, or severe temporary harm) climbed to 569 in the first six months of 2021 compared to 437 for the first six months of 2020, according to a Joint Commission report. ¹

Research indicates that nurse-driven quality indicators, including value, survival after an in-hospital cardiac arrest, nurse satisfaction, and patient satisfaction, improved with lower nurse-to-patient ratios. ¹

The role Medtronic plays in patient safety

In line with our promise to make meaningful differences for patients and healthcare professionals alike, we know supporting and protecting clinicians is one of the most central ways they can deliver safe care for patients. Our Patient Monitoring and Respiratory Interventions portfolios prioritize patient and clinician safety with products designed to help clinicians stay connected to their patients, improve their workflow, and reduce their exposure risk.

But clinician and patient safety doesn’t just inspire the design of our devices.  It inspires our people, too.

Frank Chan

President

Patient Monitoring at Medtronic

“Through our technologies and meaningful collaborations, our solutions enable clinicians to prevent complications and improve patient outcomes. But we won’t stop there. As we recognize National Patient Safety Awareness Week, we continue to prioritize safety improvements for all patients and those who care for them throughout the healthcare system.”

Ariel Mactavish

President

Respiratory Interventions at Medtronic

“Patient safety is paramount to everything we do. The global pandemic amplified the need to also prioritize clinician safety. We are proud that many of our respiratory interventions solutions, such as ventilator remote control, ventilator filtration, and video laryngoscopy can help protect our caregivers so they can focus on caring for their patients.”

Sam Ajizian

Vice President

Clinical Research & Medical Science at Medtronic

“Clinicians are overloaded with administrative tasks that pull them away from their patients, which contributes to clinician job dissatisfaction and burnout. By providing solutions that improve workflow, we can lessen the administrative burden of care and keep clinicians at the bedside doing what they love.”

Patty Mullen Reilly

CRNA, CPPS

Manager Corporate Partnerships, Medtronic

Member, Board of Directors, Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation

“I have always been a clinician who believed that patients should feel safe when in the hospital, and what that means to me is there shall be no harm. I have been lucky to be on the forefront of all the work in patient safety because of my work with Medtronic and the commitment of Medtronic in supporting patient safety. We have done this since 1986 through our society support and commitment to clinicians and patients.”

Kacey Scott

OR Sales Specialist

Patient Monitoring at Medtronic

“Patient safety is taking care of the ‘whole patient’ — both physically and mentally. Using patient monitoring technology helps ensure physicians and nurses are meeting their patients’ needs and preventing injury and harm. Those safety measures are used to protect the body and brain in the hospital and after the patient is discharged.”

Matt Ybarra

Monitoring Clinical Account Specialist

Patient Monitoring at Medtronic

"The last two years have challenged our healthcare providers. They leave their loved ones day and night to care for each patient while providing a high standard of clinical safety through an evidence-based approach. Regardless of workloads and assignments, they find the strength and courage to place patient safety at the forefront. During this National Patient Safety Awareness Week, we honor all healthcare providers who have been challenged by staffing shortages, inadequate resources, and lack of equipment, but stayed committed to ensuring patient safety stays top of mind.”

Ray Martin

OR Specialist

Patient Monitoring at Medtronic

“Healthcare is becoming more and more of a technology-dependent model. Things like effective data collection and predictive algorithms are very necessary to improve patient safety throughout the patient care continuum. Our patient monitoring products enhance patient safety by providing real-time, evidence-based indications of respiratory and oxygen perfusion status respectively. This overall benefit supports every healthcare provider by ensuring overall patient safety and comfort.”

Jamie Hallahan

Monitoring Clinical Account Specialist

Patient Monitoring at Medtronic

“Patient safety means having safe staffing ratios and arming clinicians with the proper tools and technology to keep patients safe. This means embracing new systems or adopting reliable technologies to enhance patient monitoring, prevent adverse events, and get patients home sooner.”

What patient safety means to you in 2022

The perspectives we have on clinician and patient safety aren’t ours alone. Solving complex and challenging conditions to improve the safety of the healthcare system takes bold thinking beyond our walls and collaboration with partners who can inspire action. Hear our society partners’ views on what constitutes patient safety.

Randall M. Clark

M.D., FASA

President, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA)

“Anesthesiology has been and continues to be the leading medical specialty addressing the issue of patient safety. It was the first medical specialty to champion patient safety as a specific focus. Whether it’s during a surgical crisis, providing pain management, or serving on the front lines of a pandemic, anesthesiologists are made for the critical moments in health care. As stewards of patient safety, anesthesiologists know how important patient-centered, team-based anesthesia care is for patients to receive high quality and safe medical care.”

Daniel J. Cole

MD

President, Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF)

“During National Patient Safety Week, we take this opportunity to recognize Medtronic for their 36-year history in supporting our vision "that no one shall be harmed by anesthesia care"

Dr. Dina Velocci

DNP, CRNA, APRN

President, American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA)

“For Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs), patient safety is at the forefront of our work, from the preoperative period through surgery, and until the patient is discharged from post-anesthesia care. No other profession has a more hands-on understanding of how health care is delivered from start to finish. CRNAs know what works, what does not, and what needs to be done to improve our nation’s healthcare system.”

Dr. Summer Bryant

DNP, RN, CENP, CMSRN

President, Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN)

“During National Patient Safety Awareness Week, it’s important to acknowledge all of the work nurses do to make health care safe for patients, despite significant challenges in today's healthcare environment. We must continue to make safe health care for patients a priority. But we must also make the care environment safe for the caregivers. It’s also about enhancing each patient’s knowledge and involvement in their own health so they can ensure their safety in the healthcare environment.”

Douglas S. Laher

MBA, CAE, CMP, RRT, FAARC

Chief Operating Officer, American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC)

“While respiratory therapists play a critical role in patient safety all year long, it’s during National Patient Safety Awareness Week that we recognize their heroic actions in keeping patients safe in all care settings. We are proud of the role respiratory therapists play in our fight against medical errors and preventable death. Their contributions during the pandemic — the world’s greatest healthcare crisis of the last century — define what it means to be a respiratory therapist. It’s a healthcare professional that renders the best care possible under the safest of circumstances.”

Keeping a pulse on patient safety

We’re working to advance patient safety in many ways. During National Patient Safety Awareness Week and every day after. But this week, we’re making it front and center.

Join us for insights and best practices to solve the unmet needs of patient safety by tuning into our patient safety awareness webinar series. To access to this free, clinician-led series, visit: https://www.medtronic.com/covidien/en-us/clinical-education/catalog/webinar-wednesdays.html

1. Bean M., Masson G. The less-discussed consequence of healthcare's labor shortage. Becker’s Hospital Review website. https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/patient-safety-outcomes/the-less-discussed-consequence-of-healthcare-s-labor-shortage.html. Accessed Oct. 4, 2021.

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