Patient safety is a fundamental principle of healthcare and is now being recognized as a large and growing global public health challenge, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). However, global e ff orts to reduce the burden of patient harm have not achieved substantial change over the past 15 years, despite pioneering work in some healthcare settings, the WHO noted. The WHO defines patient safety as a framework of organized activities that creates cultures, processes, procedures, behaviors, technologies, and environments in healthcare that consistently and sustainably lower risks, reduce the occurrence of avoidable harm, make error less likely and reduce its impact when it does occur.
Every point in the process of caregiving contains a certain degree of inherent unsafety, the agency added. Recognizing the huge burden of patient harm in healthcare, the 72 nd World Health Assembly in May 2019 adopted Resolution WHA72.6 on “Global action on patient safety,” which endorsed the observance of World Patient Safety Day on Sept.
17 of every year and recognized “patient safety as a global health priority.” Led by the WHO, the annual observance of World Patient Safety Day aims to raise public awareness and foster collaboration between patients, health workers, policymakers, and healthcare leaders to improve patient safety. This year’s theme is “Improving diagnosis for patient safety” with the slogan “Get it right, make it safe!,” highlighting the critical i.