Igniting Innovation for Patient Safety

Imagine a world where healthcare errors are prevented before they occur thanks to the power of predictive analytics and improved technology, saving countless lives and billions of dollars each year. This vision is at the heart of the Patient Safety Technology Challenge, a groundbreaking initiative that aims to inspire the next generation of innovators to solve the complex issues of medical errors.

The Patient Safety Technology Challenge is engaging students, businesses, and young entrepreneurial minds to create solutions and envision transformational approaches to reduce preventable harm from medical errors. This initiative injects patient safety awards into existing local, regional, and national competitions, hackathons, and university-sponsored innovation challenges, encouraging the development of tech-enabled patient safety solutions.

The Patient Safety Technology Challenge recognizes the need for modern tools and autonomous technologies to optimize safety in healthcare environments. These innovative solutions have never been more feasible or necessary. However, they often remain off the radar of many innovators. The Challenge seeks to galvanize fresh approaches for integrating novel patient safety solutions, driving advancements in healthcare technology.

The Jewish Healthcare Foundation funds the Challenge through the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative, which has invested $405,000 to ignite the Challenge and generate additional funding. Grants of up to $10,000 are offered to non-profit organizations that integrate patient safety into their events by providing an award for the teams that come up with the best technological solutions addressing various patient safety problem categories.

The long-term impact of the Patient Safety Technology Challenge extends beyond its immediate goals. By engaging students and entrepreneurial innovators, the initiative intends to foster the development of patient safety technology study, invention, and research and development into academic and entrepreneurial enterprises.

Sponsorship opportunities are available for organizations seeking to support and contribute to this effort to resolve the patient safety crisis. By becoming a sponsor, contributors join a collective effort to address the problem of medical errors and revolutionize patient safety through innovation.

Learn more at www.patientsafetytech.com.

Making an Impact!

In less than a year, The Patient Safety Technology Challenge is already generating exciting results. Here are the key numbers to date:

• Reached over 12,400 students and young innovators through the 41 competitions and events that have taken place so far.

• Over 550 teams composed of 1,940 individuals have submitted ideas under newly formed patient safety technology tracks/prize categories at these events.

• Given $140,150 to the 63 winning teams to help them scale their ideas.

• Recruited 58 patient safety and technology experts to facilitate workshops, mentor, and judge the events to harness subject matter expertise.

• The majority of attendees said their knowledge of patient safety increased by attending a Patient Safety Technology Challenge sponsored event.

• 100% of the organizers and judges have agreed that patient safety was a worthwhile topic to add to engage their innovators.