BD - Canada Marks Canadian Patient Safety Week, Joining the Call for a Safer Health Care System

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Oct. 26, 2017 /CNW/ - In recognition of Canadian Patient Safety Week (CPSW), occurring Oct. 30 – Nov.3, BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), a leading global medical technology company, is joining the national effort to raise awareness of patient safety in Canada, with a specific focus on medication safety and patient empowerment.  

It is estimated that patients experience preventable harm in one of every 18 hospitalizations, and up to 37 percent of these may be attributable to errors in the management of medications¹. To help reduce and eliminate these occurrences, the theme for this year's Canadian Patient Safety Week is Take with Questions – where patients are encouraged to ask questions and have an open dialogue with their health care provider about medication.

"BD - Canada is supporting patient safety by standing behind health care providers, to help improve the patient experience and patient outcomes," says Anuj Pasrija, vice president, Market Access and Government Affairs for BD - Canada. "We believe that quality health care is a team effort. Both patients and health care workers benefit when health care workers are provided with the right tools and systems for quality care."

Canadian Patient Safety Week is led by Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI), an organization dedicated to advocating for safer health care practices across the nation. BD - Canada is supporting CPSI's list of "5 questions to ask about your medications," as well as encouraging health care providers in the workplace to be informed.

"Medication use is so common, and a fact of life for many people these days, that we were compelled to find better ways to keep people safe," said Chris Power, CEO, Canadian Patient Safety Institute. "We believe these five questions will bring much needed clarity to complex situations, and we encourage everyone to ask them in every care setting across Canada."

Canadian Patient Safety Week is an annual, nation-wide event, first launched in 2005. Canadians can join the conversation by using #asklistentalk.

About BD

BD is a global medical technology company that is advancing the world of health by improving medical discovery, diagnostics and the delivery of care. BD leads in patient and health care worker safety and the technologies that enable medical research and clinical laboratories. The company provides innovative solutions that help advance medical research and genomics, enhance the diagnosis of infectious disease and cancer, improve medication management, promote infection prevention, equip surgical and interventional procedures, optimize respiratory care and support the management of diabetes. The company partners with organizations around the world to address some of the most challenging global health issues. BD has nearly 50,000 associates across 50 countries who work in close collaboration with customers and partners to help enhance outcomes, lower health care delivery costs, increase efficiencies, improve health care safety and expand access to health. For more information on BD, please visit bd.com.

¹ Canadian Institute for Health Information, Canadian Patient Safety Institute. Measuring Patient Harm in Canadian Hospitals. What can be done to improve patient safety? Authored by Chan B, Cochrane D. Ottawa, ON: CIHI; 2016. Baker GR, Norton PG, Flintoft V, Blais R, Brown A, Cox J, et al.

SOURCE BD - Canada

Nadia Santoli, BD - Canada, [email protected]