BOSTON, April 26, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) and The DAISY Foundation have announced the recipients of the 2016 National Patient Safety Foundation DAISY Awards for Extraordinary Nurses. Rachel Whittaker, BSN, RN, CPN, of Children's Hospital Colorado in Aurora, was chosen to receive the individual award. The 2016 team award will go to the Clinical Informatics Council of the University of New Mexico Hospitals in Albuquerque.
The awards will be conferred during the 18th Annual NPSF Patient Safety Congress, which takes place May 23-25, 2016, in Scottsdale, AZ.
This is the second year of this award program, which derives from The DAISY Foundation's signature program, The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. The DAISY award is given to nurses in more than 2,200 health care facilities in all 50 states and in 14 other countries. Nurses who had received The DAISY Award within their organizations between January 2014 and June 2015 were eligible for the 2016 international award, which places special emphasis on patient and workforce safety.
"The National Patient Safety Foundation DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses is a wonderful way to formally recognize and celebrate exceptional contributions to patient safety by nurses," said Tejal K. Gandhi, MD, MPH, CPPS, president and CEO, NPSF. "We congratulate all of this year's nominees for their outstanding work and commitment to their patients and to providing safe health care."
Ms. Whittaker was selected for her leadership, compassion, and practice of patient- and family-centered care, particularly during difficult end-of-life decisions. "Rachel has pursued advanced training in coaching and quality improvement, and as a result she serves as a safety coach to her peers, providing guidance to bedside nurses," said Andrea Ferretti, MSN, NEA-BC, interim chief nursing officer, Children's Hospital Colorado.
The Clinical Informatics Council at University of New Mexico Hospitals initially received their institution's DAISY Award for the depth of their impact on the organization's electronic health record and the processes they use to pursue improvements in patient care through the EHR. In supporting the Council's nomination for the national award, Sheena Ferguson, MSN, RN, CNS, CCRN, chief nursing officer, pointed to efforts that specifically address safety issues, including an alert designed to prevent complications from ventilator use, a Pediatric Early Warning Score to predict a deteriorating patient, and a streamlined method for documenting wounds. She noted this as a "huge improvement" in patient safety, because it allows multiple disciplines to document wounds in the same place and with consistent terminology.
"Choosing the final honorees for this international award was difficult because we had so many inspiring stories of truly compassionate nurses making a difference in patient and workplace safety," said Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, co-founder and president of The DAISY Foundation. "The DAISY Foundation is delighted to partner with NPSF to bring broad attention to their efforts."
The National Patient Safety Foundation DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses was made possible by a generous three-year grant from Hill-Rom, a global provider of clinical technology and patient safety solutions.
For updates about the award and the NPSF Patient Safety Congress, visit www.npsf.org/congress.
About the National Patient Safety Foundation
The National Patient Safety Foundation's vision is to create a world where patients and those who care for them are free from harm. A central voice for patient safety since 1997, NPSF partners with patients and families, the health care community, and key stakeholders to advance patient safety and health care workforce safety and disseminate strategies to prevent harm. NPSF is an independent, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. To learn more about the Foundation's work, visit www.npsf.org and follow @theNPSF on twitter.
About the DAISY Foundation
The DAISY Foundation was created in 1999 by the family of J. Patrick Barnes who died at age 33 of complications of an auto-immune disease (hence the name, an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.) Patrick received extraordinary care from his nurses, and his family felt compelled to express their profound gratitude for the compassion and skill nurses bring to patients and families every day. The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses celebrates nurses in over 2,200 healthcare facilities around the world. For more information about The DAISY Award and the Foundation's other recognition of nurses, faculty and students, visit www.DAISYfoundation.org.
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