Terri A.Lewis
National Changhua University of Education,Taiwan
Title: Back to the future: Lessons learned from the fungal meningitis outbreak of 2012
Biography
Biography: Terri A.Lewis
Abstract
In 2012, nearly 14,000 persons were exposed to contaminated pharmaceuticals produced and distributed by New England Compounding Company (NECC) in Framingham Massachusetts. The presenter has closely followed a group of nearly 400 sickened consumers and their families who were injured as the result of this outbreak. This session will elaborate on the natural history of this outbreak, the intersection with current pain management practices and compare it to both prior outbreaks and outbreaks that have occurred since. From the perspective of reducing future outbreaks and preventing patient harm, lessons and insights learned from the two years that have elapsed will be offered for review and discussion. This will focus on (1) What we can observe and measure; (2) Limitations of interim regulatory responses such as the passage of the Drug Quality and Safety Act and oversight mechanisms; (3) improving awareness and state and local response Opportunities for Research; and (4) opportunities for improved ethical decision making. A model for reducing future outbreaks and selecting interventional supports for specific consumer groups will be proposed derived from extracted patient experience. Among the topics to be discussed will be: (1) The history of outbreaks from 2000 and the context in which this outbreak occurred. (2) The role Public health and provider communications. (3) The limitations of the system of Federal, State, health practitioner Public health communications. (4) Consumer impact and the influence of systemic conflicts of interest. (5) Ethics treatment needs for patients who survived. (6) A model for reduction of patient harm and improved outcomes.