February 19, 2008 - Drug information database provider First DataBank, today launched an awareness campaign to focus public and industry attention on the prevention of medication errors.
The campaign will be highlighted at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) 2008 Annual Conference and Exhibition Feb. 24-28, in Orlando, FL.
First DataBank’s campaign theme “A World Free of Medication Errors,” is intended to focus industry and public attention on how the intended use of the company’s medication information at the point-of-care may play a key role in the prevention of medication errors. Experts estimate that as many as 98,000 people die each year from medical errors that occur in hospitals and a significant number of those deaths are due to medication-related errors.
A key component of the public awareness effort is a tie-in to two nonprofit organizations that share the mission of medication error prevention – FLAAME (Families Launching Action Against Medication Errors) and the Josie King Foundation. At the HIMSS conference, attendees visiting the First DataBank booth will receive a wristband and a brochure describing campaign. At every public event in which First DataBank participates in 2008, the company will set aside $5 toward each wristband distributed. The money raised will be shared equally by two non-profit organizations.
For more information: www.flaame.org, www.josieking.org, www.firstdatabank.com