Introduction
Every year on September 17th, World Patient Safety Day is observed worldwide. This important day serves as a reminder of the critical need for safe healthcare practices and encourages discussions, initiatives, and actions to enhance patient safety across the globe. In this blog post, I discussed the significance of World Patient Safety Day, the key challenges in patient safety, and various strategies and initiatives aimed at improving patient safety in healthcare delivery as an endorsement of the day by Medhealth.info.
The Significance of World Patient Safety Day
World Patient Safety Day was established by the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise global awareness about patient safety and encourage stakeholders to work together to reduce patient harm. The first World Patient Safety Day was celebrated in 2019, making it a relatively recent but crucial addition to the international healthcare calendar. The 2023 World Patient Safety Day was celebrated with the theme “Engaging patients for patient safety” and slogan “Elevate the voice of patients!”
The importance of patient safety cannot be overstated. In healthcare, the well-being and even the lives of patients are at stake. Mistakes, errors, and preventable harm not only lead to suffering but can also strain healthcare systems and increase healthcare costs. World Patient Safety Day serves as a platform to:
Raise Awareness: It shines a spotlight on the significance of patient safety, ensuring that both healthcare providers and the public understand its importance.
Promote Collaboration: It encourages collaboration among healthcare professionals, policymakers, patients, and various stakeholders to develop and implement strategies for improving patient safety.
Share Knowledge: It provides an opportunity to share best practices, research findings, and innovations in patient safety.
Concerns about patient safety
Before delving into the initiatives to improve patient safety, it’s crucial to understand the challenges that healthcare systems face in this regard:
Medical Errors: Medical errors are a leading cause of patient harm. These can range from diagnostic errors to medication mistakes and surgical complications. “Regardless of the definition, medical errors are associated with high morbidity and mortality and a high economic burden. Medical errors not only affect the patient, their family, and healthcare providers; they also negatively impact support staff, the healthcare facility, and the community”(Carver et al., 2023).
Communication Breakdown: Poor communication among healthcare providers can lead to misunderstandings, delays in treatment, and errors. Communication failure can also occur between health care providers and patients resulting in failure to provide drug knowledge or patient information.
Healthcare-Associated Infections: Infections acquired during healthcare delivery are a significant threat to patient safety. The CDC estimates that 1 in 31 patients in health facilities is affected by health care associated infections causing undue suffering, death, extended hospitalization, and increased health care expenditure.
Medication Safety: Errors in prescribing, dispensing, and administering medications can have serious consequences.
Lack of Standardization: Varied healthcare practices and a lack of standardization in procedures can lead to inconsistencies in care.
Initiatives to Improve Patient Safety
Several initiatives and strategies have been developed to address these challenges and enhance patient safety:
WHO’s Global Patient Safety campaign: WHO launched this initiative to tackle healthcare-associated infections, medication errors, and other patient safety issues through the implementation of standardized protocols and best practices.
Electronic Health Records (EHRs): EHRs improve the accuracy and accessibility of patient information, reducing the risk of errors due to incomplete or illegible paper records.
Checklists and Protocols: The use of checklists in surgical procedures and other medical interventions has proven effective in reducing errors.
Medication Reconciliation: A systematic process to ensure accurate medication lists for patients at all care transitions.
Patient Engagement: Encouraging patients to actively participate in their care and be vigilant about their safety can help identify and prevent errors. See video from WHO patient safety campaign.
Training and Education: Continuous training and education for healthcare professionals on patient safety best practices are essential.
Conclusion
World Patient Safety Day reminds us of the critical importance of safe healthcare practices. Patient safety is not a one-time effort but an ongoing commitment that involves healthcare providers, policymakers, patients, and communities. By working together, we can create a healthcare system where patients receive the safe, effective, and compassionate care they deserve. So, let us all take a moment to reflect on patient safety and recommit ourselves to its advancement.
Author: Kwame Awiagah
