Brigham and Women's Hospital expert joins national patient safety summit

At a time when patient safety has become a key driver for focusing national attention on health care quality, Dr. David Bates' work has not only shown the magnitude of the problem, but also provided a blueprint to help solve it. Dr. Bates, senior vice president for Quality and Safety and chief quality officer at BWH and an internationally renowned expert in patient safety, will join government, quality, patient advocate, and other leaders at the Patient Safety – Health Information Technology Summit: Interactive Dialogue Regarding Critical Issues in HIT and Imaging to discuss critical issues in health information technology and imaging at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. on Friday, April 27.

Dr. Bates, who led a seminal study on drug-related injuries, demonstrating that the most effective way to prevent serious medication errors is to focus on improving systems, has published dozens of studies on how computerized, evidence-based guidelines can improve quality and efficiency. He will lead and engage in conversations around the recent Institute of Medicine HIT and Patient Safety Report, healthcare analytics and reporting, and will talk about his experience leading patient safety campaigns at BWH. Dr. Bates will also join pilot Sully Sullenberger on a panel to discuss lessons from aerospace and best practices that can be applied to both industries

Following the summit, the documentary Surfing the Healthcare Tsunami: Bring Your Best Board™, produced by Dr. Chuck Denham and the Texas Medical Institute of Technology, will be premiered for national leaders and the public. Dr. Bates and BWH's leadership in the area of health information technology in patient safety will be featured in the documentary. The documentary aims to educate viewers and provide a call to action to develop and enhance the ways in which those in the healthcare industry can keep both patients and caregivers safe. Documentary spokespersons Dennis Quaid and Helen Hunt will also be in attendance.

Provided by Brigham and Women's Hospital