The American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM) has published the first of four white papers designed to explain the organization’s Getting to Zero initiative which fosters a proactive approach to reducing the risks that lead to Serious Safety Events (SSEs). ASHRM’s white paper, Serious Safety Events: Getting to Zero,focuses on improving patient safety through the development of universal methods for managing, investigating, measuring and ultimately, eliminating preventable harmful events. The paper includes recommendations for the following:
- Development of standardized definitions for SSEs
- Rapid identification and prevention of SSEs
- Investigation of SSEs utilizing experienced risk management or patient safety professionals
- Measurement techniques aimed at determining the efficiency of SSE prevention, resource conservation and life-saving mechanisms
To download ASHRM's SSE white paper, click here.