Urgent need for global focus on patient safety, say experts
Lord Ara Darzi, chairman of the Community Jameel advisory committee and co-director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London, comments on the Institutes 'Global State of Patient Safety 2023' report, saying, “To enhance patient safety, we must first recognise that progress is impossible without measurement. Our report underscores the urgent need to establish a robust global framework for collecting comprehensive patient safety data, addressing existing data gaps, and implementing meaningful indicators. Collaboration is the key to progress, and it is imperative that we work together to elevate patient safety. Patient safety should be evaluated through the lens of the patient, and we must wholeheartedly embrace interventions that incorporate the perspectives of patients, families, and caregivers.”
Keeping patients safe from avoidable harm should be central to all health systems, and urgent action is needed, leading global health experts warn in a new report. The report, “Global State of Patient Safety 2023” provides valuable insight into the current state of patient safety around the world, through analysis of publicly available data from the last two decades.
Produced by the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London, and commissioned by the charity Patient Safety Watch, the report includes for the first time a user-friendly interactive data dashboard, case studies of patient safety excellence and a ranking of patient safety in OECD countries.
Without global cooperation, the lack of data in global patient safety could lead to delayed or insufficient action, risking preventable harm and costing lives. The authors urge for data to better reflect the care journeys, perceptions, and experiences of patients.