Newswise — The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) joins the Healthcare Technology Safety Institute (HTSI) and other leading healthcare organizations to present a series of free webinars on managing clinical alarms.
The seven-part Alarm Systems Management Webinar Series focuses on preparing multidisciplinary healthcare teams to comply with The Joint Commission’s new National Patient Safety Goal on alarm management, which requires hospitals to take specific actions related to alarm safety by 2014.
HTSI is an initiative of the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) Foundation, Arlington, Va.
AACN’s participation in the webinar series follows its recent development of three unique alarm management tools and further expands its leadership role in addressing this important patient safety issue.
The HTSI webinar series opens Sept. 25 with an overview session outlining the complexity of issues related to alarm systems and the specific requirements of The Joint Commission’s goal. Sessions continue through April 2014. Organizations and individuals can learn more and register online at AAMI’s website, http://www.aami.org/meetings/webinars.
HTSI collaborated with AACN, The Joint Commission, ECRI Institute, American Hospital Association, VA National Center for Patient Safety, American College of Clinical Engineering, Healthcare Technology Foundation and the National Patient Safety Foundation to produce the webinars. Additionally, several corporations provided commercial grants to underwrite the cost so the webinars can be free of charge.
“Alarms designed to alert clinicians to changes in their patients’ conditions have become a continual barrage of noise that poses a significant threat to patient safety,” said AACN Senior Director Ramón Lavandero, RN, MA, MSN, FAAN. “As the only nursing organization among these industry partners, AACN brings a unique perspective to resolving the challenges of managing alarm systems.”
The HTSI webinar series complements these AACN alarm management solution tools launched this year:• NTI ActionPak: Strategies for Managing Alarm Fatigue, a members-only clinical toolkit that builds on learning from the AACN 2013 National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition (NTI) to help simplify sharing and implementation of new practices on alarm management.• AACN Practice Alert: Alarm Management, which summarizes expected nursing practice related to managing clinical alarms, based on the latest available evidence.• AACN Critical Care Webinar Series: Managing Alarm Fatigue – New Approaches and Best Practices, a 30-minute presentation by noted clinical experts on alarm safety that is now available free for on-demand viewing.
About the Healthcare Technology Safety Institute: AAMI Foundation’s Healthcare Technology Safety Institute (HTSI) is a community of leaders throughout the healthcare system focused on a common vision, “No patient will be harmed by medical technology.” Its mission is “to engage the entire healthcare community in multidisciplinary safety initiatives that strengthen the development, management, and use of technology for improved patient outcomes.” At the core of the AAMI Foundation’s and HTSI’s philosophy is the belief that building consensus among healthcare stakeholders around the world can lead to the resolution of the most challenging and difficult issues facing the healthcare technology field. Technology issues cannot be solved today by any single person, organization, or government working alone. Therefore, HTSI seeks ways to foster interaction among all healthcare stakeholders to find solutions to safer technology.
About the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses: Founded in 1969 and based in Aliso Viejo, Calif., the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) is the largest specialty nursing organization in the world. AACN joins together the interests of more than 500,000 acute and critical care nurses and claims more than 235 chapters worldwide. The organization’s vision is to create a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution. www.aacn.org; facebook.com/aacnface; twitter.com/aacnme
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