Patient Safety Expert Speaks at PULSE of NY Event

PULSE of New York held its 2nd annual patient safety symposium in Plainview on April 20 to shine a light on what patient safety expert, David Marx, referred to as "an epidemic."

440,000 Americans die each year from preventable medical error. It is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. With the number of murders in 2013 estimated at 14,196, the average person is 40 times more likely to die in a hospital than to be murdered.

PULSE of New York held its 2nd annual patient safety symposium in Plainview on April 20 to shine a light on what patient safety expert, David Marx, referred to as "an epidemic."

"How do we work our way back and investigate the precursors of accidents rather than waiting for the accidents to occur?"

David Marx

Marx, an attorney and former aviation engineer, presented "The Changing Culture of Healthcare: Impacting Patient Safety" to a packed room of physicians, nurses and healthcare providers. Hospital staff from North Shore-LIJ, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Winthrop University-Hospital as well as South Nassau Communities Hospital were in attendance.

He spoke on the practice of "Just Culture" which involves investigating the precursors to accidents before they happen. Marx suggests the healthcare industry examine near-misses in the same way the aviation industry does. This will uncover what caused the error so it can be prevented in the future. "Everything we do in healthcare is after someone has been harmed," he said. "How do we work our way back and investigate the precursors of accidents rather than waiting for the accidents to occur?"

PULSE of NY's next patient safety program is a training session entitled, "Family Centered Patient Advocacy Training." It will take place in Levittown on May 19 and May 21 from 5:30 to 9:30. The training will prepare participants to be advocates for one person or the whole family, either privately or professionally. For more details visit www.PULSEofNY.org or call (516) 579-4711.

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