The World Health Organization (WHO) declared September 17 to be World Patient Safety Day in 2019 following the World Health Assembly’s passage of resolution WHA72.6. This resolution urges action to lower avoidable damage in healthcare and highlights the significance of patient safety on a worldwide scale. The day’s goals are to address the startling global prevalence of medical errors and preventable patient injury as well as to increase public awareness of the need for safety precautions in healthcare systems.
The prevention and reduction of risks, mistakes, and injury that patients may encounter while receiving medical care is referred to as patient safety. Medical errors—such as wrong diagnosis, poor treatments, and delayed follow-ups—can have serious repercussions for patients, including extended sickness, incapacity, or death. In order to raise healthcare safety standards, World Patient Safety Day emphasizes the value of cooperation between patients, medical personnel, legislators, and civil society.
WHO’s 2023 theme is “Enhancing Diagnosis for Patient Safety,” with the tagline “Get it right, make it safe.” The goal is to increase diagnosis timeliness and accuracy, which is essential for guaranteeing patient safety. The right course of therapy for a patient depends on an accurate diagnosis, but when things go wrong, the diagnostic procedure can be difficult and error-prone, with serious consequences. Errors such as missed, delayed, or inaccurate diagnosis can have deadly results in addition to prolonging suffering.
The patient’s initial presentation, taking their medical history, ordering diagnostic tests, analyzing and sharing the results, and developing a treatment plan are all steps in the diagnostic process. Since mistakes can happen at any point, it is critical that healthcare systems encourage advancements in the precision of diagnosis. Only 47% of nations, according to a WHO report, are addressing diagnostic safety; nevertheless, Southeast Asia has made better strides in this regard.
There exist multiple ways that can be employed to mitigate diagnostic mistakes. Healthcare workers should have access to top-notch diagnostic equipment, and work surroundings should promote a healthy, supportive work atmosphere. Educating people about unconscious biases that can affect their decision-making and promoting continuous professional development are essential. Patients’ roles are equally vital, and they should be encouraged to take an active role in their healthcare journey.
World Patient Safety Day is a call to action for all healthcare professionals to work together to lower diagnostic errors and raise the general standard of patient care, as highlighted by WHO Regional Director Saima Wazed. It is possible to significantly enhance healthcare outcomes with these efforts.
SOURCE :
ANI NEWS
