WHO launches new World Patient Safety Day
The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a global campaign to create awareness of patient safety and urge people to show commitment to making health care safer. World Patient Safety Day, 17 September 2019, is being marked for the first time across the globe today.
Recognising patient safety as a global health priority, 194 countries agreed to establish 17 September as World Patient Safety Day at the 72nd World Health Assembly. On this day every year, the Health Quality & Safety Commission will join WHO in highlighting patient safety to increase public awareness and engagement; enhance global understanding and spur global solidarity and action.
The theme is ‘Patient safety: a global health priority’ and the slogan is ‘Speak up for patient safety.’
For the past five years the Commission has held an annual Patient Safety Week in the first week of November. This will continue to be our focus for the remainder of 2019. More information about our theme for 2019 ‘Understanding bias in health care’ is available on our website: Te Rā Haumaru Tūroro o Aotearoa | Aotearoa Patient Safety Day. From next year, New Zealand will align with the new World Patient Safety Day on 17 September.
Materials for World Patient Safety Day 2019 are available on the WHO website: www.who.int/campaigns/world-patient-safety-day/2019/campaign-materials.
Other resources on World Patient Safety Day
- Watch the WHO Director General’s statement calling for patients, healthcare workers, policy makers to speak up for patient safety.
- Read more about what the International Society for Quality in Health Care is doing for World Patient Safety Day.
- Five reasons for optimism on World Patient Safety Day published by the Lancet.
- What will you do on 17 September, the first World Patient Safety Day by the Journal of Patient Safety and Risk Management.
- WHO calls for urgent action to reduce patient harm in healthcare.
- The many ways to speak up for patient safety by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.