Key Notes on World Patient Safety Day

By Dr Than Lwin Tun

WORLD Patient Safety Day, observed annually on 17 September, is a vi­tal occasion for raising awareness about the importance of patient safety and fostering a culture of continuous improvement in healthcare practices worldwide. World Patient Safety Day is an opportunity to raise public aware­ness and foster collaboration be­tween patients, health workers, policymakers and healthcare leaders to improve patient safety.

This year (2024), the theme is “Improving diagnosis for patient safety” with the slogan “Get it right, make it safe!”, highlighting the critical importance of correct and timely diagnosis in ensur­ing patient safety and improving health outcomes.

A diagnosis identifies a pa­tient’s health problem, and is a key to accessing the care and treatment they need. A diagnostic error is the failure to establish a correct and timely explanation of a patient’s health problem, which can include delayed, incorrect, or missed diagnoses, or a failure to communicate that explanation to the patient.

Diagnostic safety can be sig­nificantly improved by address­ing the systems-based issues and cognitive factors that can lead to diagnostic errors. Systemic fac­tors are organizational vulnerabil­ities that predispose to diagnostic errors, including communication failures between health workers or health workers and patients, heavy workloads, and ineffective teamwork. Cognitive factors in­volve clinician training and expe­rience as well as predisposition to biases, fatigue and stress.

The Importance of Patient Safety

Patient safety is a fundamen­tal component of high-quality healthcare. It includes a range of practices and strategies designed to prevent errors, avoidable harm, and adverse events during medi­cal treatment. The goal is to pro­vide care that not only addresses patients’ health needs but also safeguards them from harm. World Patient Safety Day serves as a reminder of the critical im­portance of this aspect of health­care, highlighting the need for caution and proactive measures to protect patients. The errors in healthcare can have serious consequences, leading to pro­longed illness, disability, or even death. According to the WHO, mil­lions of patients worldwide are harmed every year due to unsafe care. These incidents are often preventable and result from sys­temic issues such as inadequate protocols, insufficient training, or communication breakdowns. By emphasizing patient safety, World Patient Safety Day seeks to address these challenges and encourage healthcare systems to implement best practices that minimize risks and improve out­comes.

Challenges in Patient Safety

Despite significant advance­ments in medical technology and knowledge, ensuring patient safe­ty remains a complex challenge. Several factors contribute to the persistence of safety issues in healthcare settings:

 Human Error: Healthcare professionals, despite their train­ing and expertise, are prone to making errors. These can result from fatigue, stress, or miscom­munication, impacting patient safety.

 Lack of follow to Standard­ization Procedure: Variability in procedures and practices across different institutions can result in inconsistent care and increased risk of harm.

 Communication Barriers: Effective communication among healthcare providers and between providers and patients is crucial for ensuring safety. Miscommu­nication can lead to mistakes and misunderstandings that affect pa­tient care.

Addressing these challenges requires a multifaceted approach, including improving training and education, standardizing proce­dures, and fostering a culture of openness and learning.

Promoting a Culture of Safety

Creating a safer healthcare environment involves not only ad­dressing specific risks but also fostering a culture of safety. This means encouraging openness about errors and near-misses, learning from mistakes, and con­tinually striving to improve. World Patient Safety Day plays a crucial role in promoting this culture by:

Raising Awareness: By fo­cusing on specific themes each year, World Patient Safety Day highlights key areas for improve­ment and encourages healthcare providers and patients alike to prioritize safety.

 Engaging Stakeholders: Collaboration between healthcare professionals, policymakers, pa­tients, and the public is essential for driving improvements. World Patient Safety Day provides a platform for these stakeholders to come together and advocate for better practices and policies.

 Educating and Training: Ongoing education and training are critical for maintaining high standards of patient safety. World Patient Safety Day serves as an opportunity to emphasize the im­portance of these efforts and to share best practices.

 Policy and Regulations: Effective policies and regulations are necessary to support safe practices and address systemic issues. World Patient Safety Day calls for policymakers to prioritize patient safety in their agendas and to implement changes that can lead to safer healthcare en­vironments.

In addition, World Patient Safety Day is a powerful reminder of the ongoing need to prioritize patient safety and to work towards eliminating preventable harm in healthcare. By raising awareness, addressing challenges, and pro­moting a culture of safety, this day encourages a global commitment to improving care and safeguard­ing patients. As we observe World Patient Safety Day, let us renew our dedication to making health­care safer for everyone, ensur­ing that each patient receives the high-quality, harm-free care they deserve.

References

-https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2024/09/17/ default-calendar/world-patient-safety-day-17-september-2024- improving-diagnosis-for-patient-safety