Technical workshop on Patient Safety and Care of Acutely Ill Patients: changing the paradigm
The workshop focuses on the issue of the safety of acutely ill patients. Acutely ill patients are the unrecognised 'core' business of most health care systems worldwide. These patients present particular challenges for front-line clinicians and health care workers, and are particularly susceptible to clinical error and the risk of adverse outcomes. Safety is largely seen as 'freedom from harm', and acutely ill patients as those at risk of life-threatening deterioration and serious adverse events, including cardiac arrest. Improving safe care of acutely ill patients is therefore likely to improve safety for all patients.
The objectives of the workshop are to:
- characterize the scale and nature of the problem of unsafe care of the acutely ill patient in different health care systems;
- identify opportunities to improve the safety of acutely ill patients with particular focus on promoting best practices through implementing strategies to change behaviour within health care organizations;
- identify a research agenda to inform the development of such strategies, tools and methods.
The workshop will identify common goals and synergies between the World Alliance for Patient Safety and the International Partnership for Acute Care Safety (IPACS). A draft position statement summarizing the meeting for presentation at the Opening Session of ESICM Congress, 24 September will be developed, including its eventual publication in a peer reviewed journal.