Safety Nurse's Top 25 Tweeps for Patient Safety

Patient safety is a healthcare discipline that takes a critical look at how well intention meets outcome. It's one of the six key dimensions of quality described in the IOM reports that first quantified how often people are harmed as a result of seeking care, then outlined improvement strategies. The other 5 dimensions are: effective, timely, patient-centered, efficient, and equitable.

Broken down to its simplest, patient safety doesn't cure cancer. It exists to be certain that no one dies as a result of a chemotherapy overdose.

The systems used to deliver care and the culture of the organization where care is provided influence how often inadvertent harm occurs. Transparency, disclosure, error reporting, and an urge to prevent errors by learning from others are hallmarks of patient safety. People who champion the science of patient safety borrow from cognitive psychology, systems engineering, and human factors, recognizing the inherent fallibility of humans. They use proven strategies that mitigate the consequences of human error. Like other worthy endeavors, this one is realized with high-end metrics, and, like others, patient safety relies on IT solutions.

That said, my Twitter network is comprised of consumers, patients and professionals, all of whom value patients and their safety. The healthcare dialogue on Twitter is rich, and the perspectives and causes diverse.

Today's list allows me to share 25 tweeps I've identified as valuable patient safety resources, visionaries, or exemplars; their approach is consistent with the science of patient safety and they're currently active in the Twitterverse.

In keeping with the spirit of Twitter, I'm using only 140 characters to share why I follow each one.

1. @dirkstanley Hospitalist, CMIO. Prolific tweeter, excellent networker. Watches healthcare, strategic.
2. @ePatientDave Has a dog in many dimensions of the fight to improve healthcare. Gives new meaning to transparency. Rock on, Dave.
3. @ecri_anderson Editor of ECRI Institute's risk management & pt safety publications. Tweets make high-end PSO info widely available.
4. @IHIOpenSchool An interprofessional educational community giving students in health professions skills to change healthcare culture.
5. @INQRI Does research to understand how nurses contribute & improve the quality of pt care. Frequent #patientsafety sensitive tweets.
6. @ismp1 President of ISMP, a nonprofit, multidisciplinary, drug safety agency. A wealth of knowledge & practical med safety tools. Unflinching advocate.
7. @JCommission A not-for-profit organization, TJC accredits, certifies health care organizations. "Aligns & defines" pt safety standards.
8. @jfahrni Pharmacist, infomatics. A good barometer for how it's hitting the frontline. RTs high-end stuff & not afraid to push back.
9. @jkfaw Parent-founded collaborative, bringing providers & patients together to create a culture of safety. http://bit.ly/xDWdr
10. @JohnSharp Infomatics research. HIT should be the great patient safety enabler, a window into how it can work. More, please.
11. @JustinHOPE Parent founder of children's patient safety org. Determined advocate for transparency: http://bit.ly/DeptR
12. @medusesafety Tweets from the American Society of Medication Safety Officers. Leaders in a high-stakes, interdisciplinary milieu.
13. @midwifeamy Advocates for safety in birth and offers wise counsel, "Don't fix it if it ain't broke." http://bit.ly/jJX0i
14. @MissMedSafety Seasoned clinical nurse & med safety expert in the trenches every day. Lives it & finding her voice in the Twitterverse.
15. @NPRhealth Follows it all. If it's big, they'll have it and link to high-end analysis. Not for those looking for a Happy Meal.
16. @paulflevy Healthcare CEO. Models transparency, leader engagement. Blog worth daily read in busiest schedule. http://bit.ly/pkMaO
17. @pharmaguy Knows his mission & how to tweet to accomplish it. Gets around and says the hard things. Needed. http://bit.ly/4zGV0z
18. @PSadvocate Patient Safety perspectives by a non-clinician, exposed to process improvement tools OTJ. Finds & RTs are credible.
19. @PSeditor Editor HCPro, Inc. Fosters patient safety engagement. Nurtures, networks effectively using 2.0.
20. @quantros PSO, tweets to improve patient safety & reduce medical errors in the US healthcare system. Often prolific & always on target.
21. @sevinfo Pharma/Biotech information researcher, librarian. Voracious reader & mom has a good eye for safety sensitive stuff. Authentic.
22. @SusanCarr Editor, Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare magazine. Just plain gets it. Plus her info is readily accessible online. A find.
23. @tully3000 Excess med mal claim manager. Keeps an eye on all things healthcare & reliably separates the wheat from the chaff.
24. @WSJHealthBlog Not patient safety only, but some of the best stories there. Check regularly. When it's there, look for more coming.
25. @writeo An ex-editor at The Oregonian; now 1 of 2 consumer members of OR Pt Safety Commission. Tweets & RTs big picture info to broad base.

Thanks for updating your patient safety tweeps. The main problem with making this list is that the patient safety community isn't as visible as it could be and the list is way too short. Keep in mind that many highly credible patient safety initiatives and individuals haven't yet made it to Twitter, so check back often to update your follows.

If I missed you or one of your #patient safety favs, leave me a comment so I can adjust my filters or begin following you!