Patient safety professionals are the latest healthcare leaders to get their own membership organization. The just-launched American Society of Professionals in Patient Safety aims to "build an engaged, focused community of individuals committed to accelerating the delivery of safe patient care," the National Patient Safety Foundation, ASPPS' parent organization, announced last week.

Debuting with 175 members, the multidisciplinary group plans to establish its own certification program, the Certification for Professionals in Patient Safety, that will use clinical research and best practices to teach and assess patient safety competencies aimed at reducing medical errors.

"For too long, the patient safety field has lacked needed cohesion and lines of communication," says Diane C. Pinakiewicz, president of both the ASPPS and NPSF, in a statement announcing the new program. "Today, we are taking the next step toward establishing the consistency in safety practices and tools that will help healthcare professionals keep patients safe."

Open to professionals responsible for patient safety across healthcare disciplines, ASPPS membership ranges in cost from $75 annually for students, patient advocates and affiliates; $150 annually for professionals; and $1,500 for a lifetime membership (not available to students).

Ms. Pinakiewicz stresses that membership is not just for patient safety officers, but for any "professionals who feel they have a role to play in keeping patients safe."

For more information on ASPPS, what's included in membership and how to apply, click here.

Irene Tsikitas