Guest Editorial: Collaboration at the Heart of Patient Safety

Abstract

Much has changed in the field of patient safety since the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) was created in 1997. At the time, there was a great need for raising awareness of the impact of medical error and increasing discussion and research into practices that would lead to a safer health care environment. Since then, we as an organization have learned a lot, as have members of our programs and partnering organizations. Patient safety has moved beyond looking at individual errors to a wider focus on the systems in which we work, the factors that cause humans to make mistakes, and the science of designing processes that make it easy to do the right thing. The health care system has also changed with tremendous advances in technology, drug development, and procedures that add complexity to an already complex field. One thing that has not changed over the years, but perhaps has been amplified, is the fact that patient safety is everybody’s business. Earlier this year, NPSF developed a new vision statement, mission, and goals that reflect this precept. The best way to conduct our work is through partnerships and collaborationdwith patients, providers, staff and administrators of health care institutions, researchers, policy makers, and other entities working to find solutions. Our vision statementdCreating a world where patients and those who care for them are free from harmdrecognizes that the safety of the health care workforce is intrinsically linked to patient safety that we cannot have one without the other. Likewise, our mission and goals are notable for the partnerships we seek to forge and use to identify, evaluate, and disseminate best practices in health care safety. We have seen patient safety rise to become a distinct discipline within health care. The American Society of Professionals in Patient Safety at NPSF welcomes membersdclinicians and other health care workers, patient advocates, students, and othersdwho seek to enrich their knowledge in this area and be part of a community whose organizing principle is to promote patient safety. We developed the Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS) credential for health professionals who are seeking to pursue patient safety as a career path by demonstratingdthrough a certifying examinationdthe knowledge and application of safety science. Our think tank, the NPSF Lucian Leape Institute,