World Patient Safety Day is celebrated globally on 17 September each year. Recognizing the central role that patients, their families, and caregivers play in advancing safe care, “Engaging patients for patient safety” has been selected as the theme for World Patient Safety Day 2023 with the slogan of “Elevate the voice of patients!”.
Meaningful engagement of patients, families, and communities can improve health care quality and patient safety. Evidence shows that patient engagement reduces health care errors and costs, and improves health outcomes, health care delivery, and quality of life. Engaged patients have been found to experience fewer adverse events.
The WHO Patients for Patients Safety (PFPS) program is an important initiative that recognizes the vital role patients and their families play in the health care system. It aims to engage and empower patients and families to become active partners in their own care and advocates for safer, more integrated, and people-centered health care services worldwide. Patients for Patients Safety program recognizes that engagement is not limited to patients in institutional care settings but also extends to members of communities who wish to participate in health care initiatives and programs, spanning from health promotion to palliative care.
In Sri Lanka, the engagement of patients and the community for the improvement of health and service delivery has been identified as one of the key strategies of the National Strategic Plan of Healthcare Quality and Safety (2021-2025). The Directorate of Healthcare Quality and Safety of the Ministry of Health, with the support of the World Health Organization, has taken steps of establishing a Patients for Patients Safety network in Sri Lanka this year with the aim of bringing together representatives from existing patient support groups across the country to one platform to develop a strong network which will support in further strengthening patient safety related activities in the country. In addition, best practices at the hospital level on engaging patients for patient safety and other quality and safety-related initiatives are being reviewed, and selected exemplars will be showcased at the National Celebration of World Patient Safety Day 2023.
World Health Organization Sri Lanka is committed to supporting the Ministry of Health and all stakeholders 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.
Relevant resources:
- Patient Engagement: Technical Series on Safer Primary Care
https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/252269/9789241511629-eng.pdf - Patients for patient safety
https://www.who.int/initiatives/patients-for-patient-safety - National Strategic Plan Healthcare Quality and Safety (2021 – 2025)
https://quality.health.gov.lk/images/2022/Strategic_plan_-_Finalized_printing.pdf