AORN Industry Partners for Patient Safety….

Why the AORN Industry Partners for Patient Safety was formed

The AORN Industry Partners for Patient Safety has been formed to support and promote the awareness of surgical patient safety. A group of medical device, healthcare information technology and other industry partners are joining forces to support AORN by providing technologies, products, and information services that will help reduce the number of medical errors and complications that occur each year. The AORN Industry Partners for Patient Safety also provides education, research and financial support to promote and support surgical patient safety.

AORN is the leader in identifying, collecting, and developing clinical data and educational resources to improve patient safety in the surgical setting. Under AORN’s leadership the annual Executive Symposium on Surgical Patient Safety was organized. As an outcome of the first Symposium in 2002, the leaders of the surgical associations, AORN, ACS, ASA, AANA, ASPAN, AASPA, and AST organized the Council for Surgical and Perioperative Patient Safety.

The Council on Surgical and Perioperative Safety is a coalition of organizations whose members are directly involved in the care of patients undergoing surgical or other invasive procedures. The purpose of the Council is to provide a mechanism for these organizations to collaborate to improve the care of the patients they serve. The Council’s mission is to promote a culture of patient safety and a collaborative workplace environment for and among the members of the Council organizations.

A group of medical device and healthcare information technologies companies held a meeting at AORN Headquarters on October 4, 2005 to discuss early-stage concepts of a purpose, organization and development of a healthcare industry coalition dedicated to patient safety. The Industry Partners for Patient Safety emerged from the October meeting with a goal of making a measurable improvement in patient safety and to overcoming economic barriers to patient safety.

AORN would like to invite any industry partner interested in providing education, research and financial support, to promote and support surgical patient safety to join AORN’s Industry Partners for Patient Safety. For more information contact Twilla Barlow, Director of Corporate Relations, at 800-755-2676 extension 229 or tbarlow@aorn.org.