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First DataBank's campaign theme, "A World Free of Medication Errors," isintended to focus industry and public attention on how the intended use of thecompany's medication information at the point of care may play a key role inthe prevention of medication errors. The company is a pioneer in thedevelopment of drug information databases used throughout healthcare inclinical decision support. Experts estimate that as many as 98,000 people dieeach year from medical errors that occur in hospitals and a significant numberof those deaths are due to medication-related errors.
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A key component of the public awareness effort is a tie-in to twonon-profit organizations that share First DataBank's mission of medicationerror prevention. At the HIMSS 2008 Annual Conference, attendees visiting theFirst DataBank booth will receive a custom-designed wristband and a brochuredescribing the "A World Free of Medication Errors" campaign mission.Throughout every public event in which First DataBank participates in 2008,the company will set aside five dollars toward each wristband distributed thatwill be shared equally by two non-profit organizations. The two organizationschosen by First DataBank to share in the funds raised throughout the campaignyear are: FLAAME: Families Launching Action Against Medication Errors and theJosie King Foundation.
"The employees at First DataBank are passionately committed to improvingpatient safety and healthcare quality in everything we do," said Don Nielsen,M.D., President, First DataBank. "The knowledge that our drug informationplays a significant role in the prevention of harmful medication errors wasour inspiration for this campaign and our hope is that it motivates others tojoin with us," he continued.
"On behalf of the Josie King Foundation, we are honored to have beenselected to be part of First DataBank's campaign to raise public and industryawareness of medication errors," said Sorrel King, co-founder of the JosieKing Foundation named to honor of her young daughter, Josie, who died from amedical error. "I speak to hundreds of clinicians working in hospitals aroundthis country on this subject every year since Josie's death and there isalways more information to share, and more teaching to be done. The donationfrom First DataBank's campaign will support these ongoing educationalefforts," she stated.
About FLAAME: Families Launching Action Against Medication Errors
FLAAME was founded in 2007 to heighten public and health care industryawareness of errors made on both sides of the prescription counter.Co-founded by Cathy Horton, whose career, family life and health were throwninto turmoil following a medication error. FLAAME'S mission is to eliminateinstances of prescription errors, medication use errors and negative druginteractions through awareness programs, education, lobbying and web-basedresources. For more information about FLAAME visit http://www.flaame.org.
About The Josie King Foundation
The Josie King Foundation was founded in 2001 by Sorrel and Tony King,after their young daughter, Josie, died of medical errors at Johns HopkinsUniversity Hospital. The Josie King Foundation's mission is to prevent othersfrom dying or being harmed by medical errors. By uniting healthcare providersand consumers, and funding innovative safety programs, the foundation's hopeis to create a culture of patient safety, together. For more information aboutthe Josie King Foundation visit http://www.j
