Patient Safety Rights Charter of WHO

• 20 Sep 2023

Source: DTE

Why in News?

Ahead of World Patient Safety Day (17^th September, 2023), the World Health Organization (WHO) released the first-ever Patient Safety Rights Charter, focusing on safeguarding patients in healthcare contexts.

• WHO advocates transitioning from a blame-oriented approach to a system-based perspective, focusing on understanding the underlying systemic errors in medical care.
• The theme for World Patient Safety Day 2023 is ‘Engaging patients for patient safety’.

What is Patient Safety?

• About:
  • Patient safety encompasses efforts to prevent unintended harm during healthcare provision, a critical aspect of global healthcare.
• Factors Contributing to Patient Harm:
  • Identified Sources of Harm: Medication errors, surgical errors, healthcare-associated infections, sepsis, diagnostic errors, and patient falls as frequent causes of patient harm.
  • Varied Factors: Patient harm arises from system and organizational failures, technological limitations, human factors, and patient-related circumstances, illustrating the multi-dimensional nature of patient safety incidents.

What is the Patient Safety Rights Charter?

• About:
  • The charter outlines the core rights of all patients in the context of safety of health care and seeks to assist governments and other stakeholders to ensure that the voices of patients are heard and their right to safe health care is protected.
• Need:
  • Approximately 1 in 10 patients encounter harm during healthcare procedures, resulting in over 3 million annual deaths attributed to unsafe care, as reported by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
    • According to the OECD, investing in patient safety positively impacts health outcomes, reduces costs related to patient harm, improves system efficiency, and helps in reassuring communities and restoring their trust in health care systems.
  • The majority of patient harm is avoidable, underscoring the vital role of engaging patients, families, and caregivers in minimizing harm.
  • A 2023 survey of WHO Member States revealed gaps in implementing the Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021-2030, emphasizing the need for patient representation and addressing income-based disparities in implementation.
    • Interim results of the survey showed only 13% of responding countries have a patient representative on the governing board or an equivalent mechanism in the majority of their hospitals.