PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA-While the intensive care unit (ICU) is one of the most challenging hospital environments for patient safety, strategies exist to prevent patient harm in ICUs. ECRI Institute (formerly ECRI), an independent nonprofit that researches the best approaches to improving patient care, recommends that facilities implement strategies for ICU safety that focus on a culture of safety, careful deployment of technology, and staff training and education.

In an upcoming interactive ECRI Institute Web conference, expert speakers will share details of implementing effective patient safety and technology strategies in the ICU. "Critical Care Web Conference: Essentials for ICU Patient Care and Technology" will take place from 1:00-2:30 p.m. EDT on September 20, 2007. The course is accredited for up to one AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.

Critical care physicians and nurses, ICU managers, patient safety officers, biomedical engineers, risk managers, and other healthcare professionals who attend this program will learn:
* The steps to take in implementing an ICU patient safety program
* How to minimize threats to patient safety associated with critical care technology
* How to gauge the effectiveness of ICU safety programs
* How hospitals have reengineered their approach to safety

Conference speakers include Kathleen Shostek, R.N., ARM, BBA, FASHRM, Moderator, Senior Risk Management Analyst, ECRI Institute; James P. Keller, M.S., Vice President, Health Technology Evaluation and Safety, ECRI Institute; Peter J. Pronovost, MD, Ph.D., FCCM, Professor, Departments of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Surgery, and Health Policy and Management, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; and Robert J. Welsh, M.D., Vice Chief of Surgical Services, Chief of Thoracic Surgery, Beaumont Hospitals.

This Web conference complements ECRI Institute's new guide, Critical Care Safety: Essentials for ICU Patient Care and Technology, which provides a roadmap for implementing risk management and quality improvement plans in the ICU. For more information about the 150-page guide and CD-ROM, visit www.ecri.org/criticalcare.

The Web conference registration fee is $199 for members of ECRI Institute's Health Devices System, Health Devices Gold, SELECTplusTM, Healthcare Risk Control System, or Health Technology Assessment Information Service, and $249 for nonmembers. The deadline for registration is Friday, September 14, 2007. Conference recordings and course materials will also available for purchase as a CD-ROM toolkit or audio-only CD-ROM.