UW News

November 1, 2001

Lecture will explore issues of nursing, systems and safety

News that 75 percent of all hospital vacancies today are nursing jobs could leave potential patients worrying about their safety. What are hospitals doing to provide good care in the face of such shortages? What can consumers facing hospitalization do to protect themselves and their families?

“Behind the Headlines: Patient Safety in Contemporary Nursing” will be the topic of a public lecture at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 6, in Mary Gates Hall on campus by Pamela M. Mitchell, Elizabeth Soule Distinguished Professor in Nursing and Health Promotion.

An expert on hospital care delivery systems, Mitchell will provide an insider’s look at headlines about nursing errors that have drawn national attention. She will also look at nursing’s response to public safety issues in times of disaster, a view enhanced by her role as clinical liaison to Harborview Medical Center. Finally, as associate dean of research in the School of Nursing and director of Health Sciences Partnerships in Interdisciplinary Clinical Education (HSPICE), she will talk about the ways that new research is changing nursing practice.

“Nurses know how to make systems work. That puts them at the forefront of issues regarding patient safety and crisis response,” Mitchell observes.

Her talk is the third in a series of free public lectures sponsored by the School of Nursing.