The World Health Organization (WHO) recently held a conference on patient safety, leading to the creation of the first Patient Safety Rights Charter, which outlines patients' fundamental rights in healthcare and empowers governments and stakeholders to uphold these rights.

“Patient safety is a collective responsibility. Health systems must work hand-in-hand with patients, families, and communities, so that patients can be informed advocates in their own care, and every person can receive the safe, dignified, and compassionate care they deserve,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Because if it’s not safe, it’s not care.”

Patient safety is an ethical imperative fundamental to the quest of high-quality healthcare systems and universal health coverage, and is anchored in the healthcare concept of "First, do no harm!" Surprisingly, one out of every ten patients is harmed in a hospital environment, resulting in almost three million fatalities worldwide due to poor care each year.

This year's World Patient Safety Day emphasizes the importance of patient engagement, learning from their experiences, and comprehensive involvement in care processes. The shift from solely patient-focused care to collaborative care with patients, families, and caregivers is necessary to prevent harm, reduce error risks, and mitigate the impact of harm when it does occur.

“Our health systems are stronger, our work is empowered, and our care is safer when patients and families are alongside us,” said Sir Liam Donaldson, WHO Patient Safety Envoy. “The journey to eliminate avoidable harm in health care has been a long one, and the stories of courage and compassion from patients and families who have suffered harm are pivotal to driving change and learning to be even safer.”

The global conference marking World Patient Safety Day (WPSD), themed “Engaging patients for patient safety,” emphasized the crucial role of patients, families, and caregivers in improving healthcare safety and quality, ultimately saving lives and reducing costs. Held on September 12-13 at WHO headquarters in Geneva and online, with over 2,300 participants from all six WHO regions, it led to the development of the Patient Safety Rights Charter. This charter, a significant global commitment to safer healthcare, will be released for public consultation as part of World Patient Safety Day 2023 activities.

WHO has introduced a storytelling toolkit and the Global Knowledge Sharing Platform to help patients and families share their healthcare experiences and promote the exchange of global patient safety resources and best practices, in collaboration with the SingHealth Institute for Patient Safety and Quality Singapore.

“Patient engagement and empowerment is at the core of the Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021–2030. It is one of the most powerful tools to improve patient safety and the quality of care, but it remains an untapped resource in many countries, and the weakest link in the implementation of patient safety measures and strategies. With this World Patient Safety Day and the focus on patient engagement, we want to change that”, said Dr Neelam Dhingra, head of the WHO Patient Safety Flagship.

The 2023 WHO Member States survey revealed that only 13% of countries have a patient representative on the governing board in most hospitals, and the implementation gap is income-based, with good practices primarily concentrated in higher-income countries, according to the interim results.