ivWatch Joins National Patient Safety Board Advocacy Coalition

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Aug 02, 2023, 16:00 ET

Modeled in part after National Transportation Safety Board,
proposed entity would focus on preventing patient injury and harm

NEWPORT NEWS, Va., Aug. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ivWatch, LLC, the IV safety company, today announced that it has joined the National Patient Safety Board (NPSB) Advocacy Coalition. The proposed NPSB would model the efforts of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST) in the healthcare space and would complement existing agencies in monitoring and anticipating patient safety events.

ivWatch patient monitoring system for IV infiltrations and extravasations.

ivWatch's goal to promote IV safety across all healthcare environments via its proprietary patient monitoring technology aligns directly with the NPSB's initiative to help protect patients from unpredictable IV complications, among other scenarios, with early IV infiltration and extravasation detection.

"The alarming escalation of IV injury in the U.S. is a perfect case study for why a National Patient Safety Board is imperative right now. We are very excited to join the NPSB Advocacy Coalition and further our mission toward standards of practice that will improve patient safety in hospitals – especially reducing the incidence of IV injury to zero," said Christine Hayden, RN, BSN, and Director of Business Development who will serve as ivWatch's representative on the coalition.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, medical errors were the third leading cause of death in the United States, with conservative estimates of more than 250,000 patients dying annually from preventable medical harm and costs of more than $17 billion to the U.S. healthcare system. Recent data has shown that patient safety worsened during the pandemic.

"We have seen many valiant efforts to reduce the problem of preventable medical error, but most of these have relied on the frontline workforce to do the work or take extraordinary precautions," said Karen Wolk Feinstein, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative and spokesperson for the NPSB Advocacy Coalition. "Innovative technology solutions are crucial to our mission to shift the burden away from frontline healthcare workers while exponentially increasing patient safety across the U.S."

ivWatch CEO Gary Warren, whose commentary on the formation of an NPSB is included in this month's issue of industry publication Healthcare Risk Management, notes: "The need for this is highlighted particularly in vascular access, our area of expertise. Over 80% of patients admitted to hospitals have this seemingly simple and common procedure. However, significant complication rates exist that lead to drug dosing errors, skin necrosis, scarring, compartment syndrome, and even amputation in severe instances. Ensuring the same level of safety for patients as we are entitled to in non-medical environments is an important and pressing issue, and we are looking forward to working closely with the National Patient Safety Board Advocacy Coalition in their efforts to do so," Warren says.

About ivWatch, LLC
ivWatch, LLC is a biosensor technology company focused on improving patient safety and the effectiveness of intravenous therapy. Our dedicated and passionate team is pioneering the use of optical sensors to detect adverse IV events early to minimize the risk of injury caused by infiltrations and extravasations. By using this technology, clinicians can leverage continuous monitoring to help identify infiltrations as early as possible. Our innovative IV monitoring solutions are backed by decades of clinical research and device development. To learn more, follow us on Twitter @ivWatch, Facebook @ivWatchLLC, Instagram @ivWatchLLC and LinkedIn @ivWatch-LLC, or visit www.ivWatch.com.

SOURCE ivWatch, LLC