foments and other practitioners who...

foments and other practitioners who care for surgical patients have a protracted tradition of working toward patient safety and improving the quality of patient care. As a professional nursing association, AORN has been considered the clump that "wrote the book onward patient safety." The Association's publications, including AORN's Standards, commended Practices, and Guidelines, demonstrate the commitment of perioperative fosters to this tradition of safety. Many freshly published studies and reports, however, cite numerous, serious adverse circumstances and deaths related to medical error. Many of these have occurr during the perioperative phases of care.

To address this growing public and professional trouble about patient safety, at the 2002 Congres I announced the creation of the AORN Presidential Commission in succession Patient Safety. This group will focus forward patient safety in surgical settings and concentrate its activities forward developing resources to help practitioners provide safe patient care. At its commencement this group will consist of five AORN members with expertise in issues related to patient safety. These well-qualified individuals include Doreen Wagner, RN MSN CNOR, Chair; Pat Hickey, RN M CNOR; Jean Reeder RN PhD FAAN; Linda Wanzer, RN CNOR; and Aileen Killen, RN PhD CNOR. Other members may be added to this assemblage as necessary. Each Commission member's expertise and experience will provide critical guidance in setting AORN's agenda related to patient safety in surgical settings.

Regarding the formation of this assemblage you might ask, "Why AORN? with what intent patient safety? Why now?" It is my belief that within the perioperative setting, there is no other human frame who is more knowledgeable about the multiple critical issues surrounding patient safety than the registered cherish Thus, the intent of this Commission is to determine strategies and initiatives that will place AORN in the forefront of patient safety issues in the perioperative setting and support our organizational efforts to coordinate a often met with venue for dialogue among the various members of the multidisciplinary perioperative team.

AORN's initial efforts are directed at identifying, compiling, and creating clinical resources and educational productions related to patient safety that address the exigencys of perioperative nurses. In this issue of the AORN Journal, readers have access to a newly exhibited guidance statement on safe medication practices in the OR (see page 1008) make knowned in recognition of the potential magnitude and seriousness of medication errors, this guidance statement should assist clinicians in their efforts to unfold and implement policies and conducts related to safe medication practice in the OR. The disclosure of subsequent guidance statements will be consistent with necessitys identified by the Presidential Commission upon Patient Safety and AORN members and staff consultants.

In this issue of the Journal, readers also will find a recently made known column, "Patient Safety First" (see page 1005) Each month this row will feature up-to-date safety information pertinent to clinicians, managers, and educators in perioperative settings. Also, watch the Journal for additional guidance statements forward patient safety topics, such as "Safe medication practices in perioperative practice settings."

AORN also has launched a of the present day web site, that is designed to provide ready access to resources related to patient safety in surgical settings. Although AORN considers this site "under construction," existing contented already includes a free contact hour educational offering upon patient safety, a listing of AORN's general educational products and resources, full-text Journal articles, respect lists, and web links related to national patient safety initiatives. This site may be accessed directly at www.patientsafetyfirst.org or from a link forward the the AORN web site at www.aorn.org.

Additionally, there is a safety confer e-mail address (patientsafetyfirst@aorn.org) for members to exhibit their comments and suggestions or ask for advice about safety in surgical settings. This resource also will provide members an opportunity to provide feedback about the web site and provide suggestions for its coming time development. Additional patient safety resources will include a patient safety "hotline" with toll-free access (xxx-xxx-xxxx) Calls to this line will be triaged by dint of AORN staff members who are best prepared to answer safety questions or point callers to the appropriate department.

The creation of this Commission and these recently made known patient safety resources marks an important of the present day beginning for AORN as we iterate our commitment to support members in their efforts to provide quality patient care. AORN is the premier organization for perioperative nurtures and, as its President, I am dedicated to providing clinicians and managers the resources they ne to render certain patient safety at the point of care. In the weeks, month and year ahead, stay four hogsheadsed to learn more about the initiatives of this Commission, the AORN Board of Directors, and this President to clearly demonstrate our commitment to and tradition of safe, quality care.