Newswise — Healthcare is a shared effort between healthcare providers and patients. “United for Patient Safety,” this year’s theme for National Patient Safety Foundation’s (NPSF’s) Patient Safety Awareness Week, March 13-19, 2016, focuses on the patient’s role in their own health. The campaign highlights the importance of building relationships among clinicians, patients, and family members to promote patient safety and optimize health. The American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) encourages patients to be active and involved when meeting with their healthcare and anesthesia providers. “Be informed and ask questions. Learn about the procedure you are about to have to understand how you might optimize your health and engage with the plan of care for best outcomes and safe recovery,” said Lynn Reede, DNP, MBA, CRNA, Senior Director of Professional Practice at AANA.
As part of the United for Patient Safety Campaign, the AANA has compiled anesthesia-related resources for patients and their healthcare team to support clinical practice, shared decision making, and wellness. Patient resources include guidance on how to prepare for anesthesia, smoking cessation, complementary and alternative medicine, maintaining overall wellness, and a preanesthesia questionnaire.
AANA’s resources for healthcare providers offer guidance on improving patient-centered communication, infection prevention and control, the impact of clinical fatigue, critical incident stress management, promoting a culture of safety, and enhanced recovery after surgery. Maintaining personal wellness and fitness for duty is particularly important for clinicians in order to provide the safest care possible for the patient. AANA’s wellness resources include guidance on how to maintain mental, emotional and physical health, and manage stress. View these and other resources at www.aana.com/PSAW. AANA encourages all clinicians, patients, and others involved in the delivery of healthcare to unite and collaborate in the promotion of patient safety. Download promotional materials to engage with NPSF and the United for Patient Safety Campaign at www.unitedforpatientsafety.org.
About National Patient Safety FoundationThe National Patient Safety Foundation’s vision is to create a world where patients and those who care for them are free from harm. A central voice for patient safety since 1997, NPSF partners with patients and families, the health care community, and key stakeholders to advance patient safety and health care workforce safety and disseminate strategies to prevent harm. NPSF’s website is www.npsf.org.
About American Association of Nurse AnesthetistsFounded in 1931 and located in Park Ridge, Ill., the AANA is the professional organization for more than 49,000 nurse anesthetists across the United States. As anesthesia specialists, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) safely provide approximately 40 million anesthetics to patients each year for surgical, obstetrical, pain management, and trauma stabilization services. CRNAs deliver essential healthcare in thousands of communities and are able to prevent gaps in access to anesthesia services, especially in rural, inner-city, and other medically underserved areas of the country. They are highly valued in today’s healthcare environment because they deliver the same safe, high-quality anesthesia care as other anesthesia professionals but at a lower cost, helping to control rising healthcare costs. Additional information about the AANA and CRNAs is available at www.aana.com and www.aana.com/future-today.
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