PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA—ECRI, the most trusted voice in healthcare, and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), a vital force for preventing medication errors, are proud to join the World Health Organization and healthcare leaders around the globe in celebrating World Patient Safety Day, September 17, 2022. This year’s campaign focuses on medication safety with the slogan, “Medication without Harm.”

“Unsafe medication practices and medication errors are a leading cause of avoidable harm in healthcare globally,” says Marcus Schabacker, MD, PhD, president and CEO of ECRI. “As we raise awareness of the potential for medication errors to occur, we invite healthcare leaders to join us in taking important steps to make care safer for patients around the world.”

The World Health Organization is calling on stakeholders to prioritize and take early action in key areas associated with significant patient harm due to medication errors and focus on the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on medication safety.

According to ISMP, many medication-related safety challenges still exist across the globe, including the need for more national reporting and learning systems, the lack of medication safety officers in some healthcare organizations, and mix-ups involving the COVID vaccines.

“We applaud WHO for drawing attention to medication safety with this year’s theme. There needs to be a greater global focus on reducing the risk of medication errors,” says ISMP President Rita K. Jew, PharmD, MBA, BCPPS, FASHP. “We all have a role to play in proactively addressing longstanding and emerging issues to better safeguard our patients. ISMP offers tools and resources to empower the healthcare community to take action.”

In support of this year’s theme, ECRI and ISMP developed a World Patient Safety Day 2022 Resource Center with free and shareable resources to support global awareness of the high burden of medication-related harm due to medication errors and unsafe practices. Resources include guidelines and recommendations for practitioners and safety tips for consumers.

To learn more about ECRI and ISMP’s World Patient Safety Day resources or for information about membership, visit www.ecri.org, or contact ECRI at 610-825-6000 or clientservices@ecri.org.

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• NEWS On September 17, #WorldPatientSafetyDay2022, ECRI & ISMP join global leaders in advocating for #medication without harm

About ECRI

ECRI is an independent, nonprofit organization improving the safety, quality, and cost-effectiveness of care across all healthcare settings. With a focus on technology evaluation and safety, ECRI is respected and trusted by healthcare leaders and agencies worldwide.

For more than fifty years, ECRI has built its reputation on integrity and disciplined rigor, with an unwavering commitment to independence and strict conflict-of-interest rules. ECRI is the only organization worldwide to conduct independent medical device evaluations, with labs located in North America and Asia Pacific. ECRI is designated an Evidence-based Practice Center by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. ECRI and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices PSO is a federally certified Patient Safety Organization as designated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) formally became an ECRI affiliate in 2020.

Visit www.ecri.org and follow @ECRI_Org.

About the Institute for Safe Medication Practices

The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) is the nation’s first 501c (3) nonprofit organization devoted entirely to preventing medication errors. ISMP is known and respected for its medication safety information. For more than 25 years, it also has served as a vital force for progress. ISMP’s advocacy work alone has resulted in numerous necessary changes in clinical practice, public policy, and drug labeling and packaging. Among its many initiatives, ISMP runs the only national voluntary practitioner medication error reporting program, publishes newsletters with real-time error information read and trusted throughout the global healthcare community, and offers a wide range of unique educational programs, tools, and guidelines.

In 2020, ISMP formally affiliated with ECRI to create one of the largest healthcare quality and safety entities in the world, and ECRI and the ISMP PSO is a federally certified patient safety organization by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. As an independent watchdog organization, ISMP receives no advertising revenue and depends entirely on charitable donations, educational grants, newsletter subscriptions, and volunteer efforts to pursue its life-saving work.

Visit www.ismp.org and follow @ismp_org.

For more information, contact:
Laurie Menyo, Director of Strategic Communications
610.825.6000 ext. 5310
lmenyo@ecri.org