Patient Safety Conference Features National Safety Expert Dr. Peter Pronovost

BENNINGTON, Vt. - April 1, 2013 - PRLog -- MOUNT SNOW, Vt. — On May 7, physicians, nurses, and patient safety advocates from across New England and the mid-Atlantic will gather for a one-day conference dedicated to improving patient safety in health care settings. The conference, “Creating a Culture of Safety: Best Practices in Implementation Science,” will feature Dr. Peter Pronovost, author of Safe Patients, Smart Hospitals, and a distinguished team of patient safety experts from Johns Hopkins Medicine, including Kathleen White and Christine Goeschel.

“We are thrilled that Dr. Pronovost is able to join us for this conference,” said Thomas Dee, president and CEO of the conference’s sponsor, Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC). “Dr. Pronovost’s dedication to making scientific improvements in medicine has saved millions of lives. We also are gratified that both Kathleen White and Christine Goeschel will be joining him. Through their tireless efforts, writing, speaking, and teaching, these three world-renowned professionals are making care safer for patients everywhere.”

The conference will begin with a plenary session featuring Kathleen White, who will discuss the role of research in developing care models. Dr. Pronovost will provide the luncheon keynote address, discussing how physicians, nurses, and other clinical staff can use evidence to create better, more-reliable care for patients. Christine Goeschel will close out the conference with a case study of how one hospital was able to implement a best practice.

Dr. Pronovost, who holds a Ph.D. in public health in addition to his medical degree, has spent his career improving the science of patient safety. He is a champion of using checklists to improve care. In Michigan, implementing his checklist virtually eliminated dangerous infections of central line catheters, saving an estimated 1500 lives and $100 million each year. He has written over 400 articles and chapters related to patient safety and has been featured in a variety of national news reports. He is senior vice president for patient safety and quality at Johns Hopkins Medicine, where he also holds multiple academic appointments.

Kathleen White is an associate professor of the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, and is a clinical nurse specialist at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where she was part of the team that developed a groundbreaking evidence-based model for nursing practice. She holds a Ph.D. in health policy science from the University of Maryland. She also serves as the senior advisor to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Center for Health Workforce.

Christine Goeschel is an assistant professor and the director of strategic development and research initiatives at Johns Hopkins Medicine’s Quality and Safety Research Group. In addition to multiple academic appointments, she has professional experience that ranges from pediatric and adult critical-care nurse, to chief nursing officer, chief operating officer, and chief compliance officer in large teaching hospitals. She also is a senior advisor to the World Health Organization Patient Safety Program.

“Hosting this conference is an excellent way to expose our staff and health care professionals across New England to the latest thinking on patient safety,” said Carol Conroy, chief nursing officer and vice president of operations at SVHC. “SVHC is committed to making care safer, better, and lower-cost. Educational opportunities like this are just one part of that effort.”

The conference is sponsored by Southwestern Vermont Health Care, Dartmouth-Hitchcock, and Fletcher Allen Health Care. For more information or to register, contact Heather Stratton at (802) 447-5353, or visit http://svhealthcare.org/patient-safety.

Southwestern Vermont Health Care is an integrated health system providing high-quality medical care to Bennington County and western Windham County in Vermont and communities in Berkshire County, Massachusetts and Rensselaer and Washington Counties in New York. SVHC includes Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, the Centers for Living & Rehabilitation, the VNA & Hospice of SVHC, the SVMC Northshire and Deerfield Valley Campuses, and the SVHC Foundation.