September 17 marks WHO’s World Patient Safety Day (WPSD), this year aiming to “Engage patients for patient safety”, in recognition of the crucial role patients, families and caregivers play in the safety of health care. By becoming active members of the healthcare team, patients can contribute to the safety of their care and that of the healthcare system as a whole.
Patient safety is critical to providing quality essential health care services, as patient harm due to adverse events is one of the world’s 10 leading causes of death and morbidity.
ESICM has long advocated for involving patients and families in improving ICU standards of care and patient safety, as this can reduce the burden of harm by up to 15%. As patient safety relies on healthcare workers, we cannot stress enough that caring for safety means also caring for nurses and doctors.
ESICM is part of the European Collaborative Action on Medication Errors and Traceability (ECAMET), a patient safety initiative which published a white paper on the medication errors in the hospitals in March last year. It emphasises the need to establish a culture of safety, create strategies to improve communication, raise awareness, and hold regular multidisciplinary training meetings, among other things.
Moreover, we are currently offering a free educational opportunity in the field, the Patient Safety Training & Research Programme, which covers patient safety culture and its contribution to the quality of care, including:
- History of Safety Research and Implementation Science
- Patient Safety in the OR and in the ICU
- Organisational Concepts of Patient Safety-centred Interventions
ESICM’s efforts do not end with these initiatives, as other projects are currently in the pipeline and will be announced at the ESICM Annual Congress, LIVES 2023, in Milan.
