MSPs and “Making hospitals safer for patients”

Lindsay Pullen, NAMSS’ Senior Coordinator for Marketing & Communications – October 21, 2013

Joe Kiani, founder of The Patient Safety Movement Foundation, recently testified before the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee and laid out steps to help eradicate preventable patient deaths. In his article “Making hospitals safer for patients,” he outlines several of these steps, including “Create a system of transparency,” and respecting “patient dignity.”

These efforts are crucial in ensuring patient safety, and we applaud the Patient Safety Movement Foundation for their efforts to ensure that all hospital patients receive safe, high-quality care. We’d also like to add another item to Kiani’s list: Ensuring that each and every practitioner in a facility is properly credentialed and proven competent.

As the gatekeepers of patient safety, MSPs are a crucial part of all efforts to eliminate preventable patient injury or death. With the approach of Medical Staff Services Awareness Week (November 3-9, 2013), it’s important to remember what a vital role MSPs play in ensuring the safety of every patient who passes through a facility.