The global landscape of health care is evolving, with health systems operating in environments that are becoming increasingly challenging. New treatments, technologies, and care models may have therapeutic potential, but they may also pose new safety risks. Patient safety is a fundamental tenet of health care and immensely important for universal health coverage.
Patient safety is a framework of organized activities that creates cultures, processes, procedures, behaviors, technologies, and environments in health care that consistently and sustainably lower risks, reduce the incidence of preventable harm, make error less likely, and lessen its impact when it occurs.
Every step in the process of providing care contains a degree of inherent danger. Clear policies, organizational leadership capacity, data to drive safety improvements, experienced health care professionals, and effective patient and family engagement in the care process are all required to ensure sustainable and substantial improvements in health care safety.
WHO has been at the forefront of patient safety initiative. World Patient Safety Day (WPSD) is one of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global public health campaigns observed annually on September 17th. The seventy-second World Health Assembly established World Patient Safety Day in 2019, through the Resolution WHA72.6: Global Action for Patient Safety. WPSD is firmly rooted in the fundamental medical principle of "first, do no harm". Recognizing the importance of patients, their families, and caretakers to the advancement of secure care, "Engaging patients for patient safety" has been chosen as the theme for WPSD 2023. Through the slogan "Raise the Voice of Patients," WHO urges all stakeholders to take the necessary steps to ensure that patients are at the centre in policy formulation, are represented in governance structures, are engaged in co-designing safety strategies, and are active partners in their own care.
In accordance with its Flagship Priority on achieving universal health coverage (UHC) and its Strategy for Patient Safety 2016–2025, the South-East Asia Region has undertaken targeted actions to enhance patient safety. These actions are well aligned with the Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021–2030. Most recently, a WHO web-based portal collected information on patient safety from all its Member States. In South-East Asia Region, all 11 Member States participated in the global survey. Data showed that in SEAR, 81% of countries have prioritized patient safety as a priority in the national health policy. 54% of countries have developed a patient safety action plan while 45% have an established patient safety program. 100% of countries celebrated the world patient safety day, and 90% launched a national campaign aligned with the global WPSD. On the other hand, only 36% of countries have a budget line in the national health budget for patient safety while only 9% of countries report having mobilized adequate financial and human resources to support a patient safety program.
Raising the voice of patients requires multi-sectoral effort on this long journey. In SEA Region, 18% countries have identified and engaged with patient safety networks and civil society organizations or have mechanisms to gather feedback from patients and their families on quality of care in place. 9% of countries formally included patient representatives to national/subnational committees or have initiatives to document patients’ experience of harm and unsafe care that aim to incorporate feedback to health system design. We have started working in the direction of zero avoidable harm, but a lot of work remains to be done.
We urge countries and stakeholders to ensure patient-centered health care delivery with maximum possible reduction in avoidable harm, using WHO global patient safety action plan (2021-30).
The framework can be implemented through 35 strategic objectives. Main elements of the framework include policies to eliminate avoidable harm in health care, high reliable system, safe clinical processes, health workers education, skills safety, research, risk management, synergy partnership and patient/ family engagement. Commemoration of world patient safety day every year is an important part of GPSAP.
World Patient Safety Day 2023 is being commemorated for raising global awareness on the need for active engagement of patients and their families and caregivers, engaging policy makers, health care leaders, health and care workers, patient organizations, civil society, and relevant stakeholders in effort to engage patients and families, empower patients and families to be actively involved in their own health care, and advocate urgent action on patient and family engagement aligned with Global patient safety action plan 2021-30.
The WHO global campaign on World Patient Safety Day 2023 encourages countries to organize wide range of activities supporting its objectives including national campaigns, policy forums, advocacy and technical events, capacity building activities and as in previous years lighting iconic monuments, landmarks, and illuminating public places in the orange color.
On World Patient Safety Day, WHO reaffirms its commitment to assist all countries in the Region in eliminating preventable damage in health care, enhancing health service delivery, and achieving universal health coverage, as everyone should have the right to enjoy safe, dignified, and respectful care.