scholarly journals An integrated framework for safety, quality and risk management: an information and incident management system based on a universal patient safety classification

2006 ◽  
Vol 15 (suppl 1) ◽  
pp. i82-i90 ◽  
Author(s):  
W B Runciman ◽  
J A H Williamson ◽  
A Deakin ◽  
K A Benveniste ◽  
K Bannon ◽  
...  

More needs to be done to improve safety and quality and to manage risks in health care. Existing processes are fragmented and there is no single comprehensive source of information about what goes wrong. An integrated framework for the management of safety, quality and risk is needed, with an information and incident management system based on a universal patient safety classification. The World Alliance for Patient Safety provides a platform for the development of a coherent approach; 43 desirable attributes for such an approach are discussed. An example of an incident management and information system serving a patient safety classification is presented, with a brief account of how and where it is currently used. Any such system is valueless unless it improves safety and quality. Quadruple-loop learning (personal, local, national and international) is proposed with examples of how an exemplar system has been successfully used at the various levels. There is currently an opportunity to “get it right” by international cooperation via the World Health Organization to develop an integrated framework incorporating systems that can accommodate information from all sources, manage and monitor things that go wrong, and allow the worldwide sharing of information and the dissemination of tools for the implementation of strategies which have been shown to work.

2009 ◽  
Vol 30 (7) ◽  
pp. 611-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Didier Pittet ◽  
Benedetta Allegranzi ◽  
John Boyce ◽  

The World Health Organization's Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care have been issued by WHO Patient Safety on 5 May 2009 on the occasion of the launch of the Save Lives: Clean Your Hands initiative. The Guidelines represent the contribution of more than 100 international experts and provide a comprehensive overview of essential aspects of hand hygiene in health care, evidence- and consensus-based recommendations, and lessons learned from testing their Advanced Draft and related implementation tools.


2021 ◽  
pp. 001857872110375
Author(s):  
Irene Derrong Lin ◽  
John B. Hertig

The relentless surges of global severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections that caused the Covid-19 disease had pressured researchers and regulators to develop effective treatments quickly. While studying these therapies amid the pandemic, threats to patient care were reported, including (1) maintaining adequate safeguards as clinical effectiveness and safety data evolves, (2) risks from online counterfeit medications, and (3) disruption of the global pharmaceutical supply chain. This article discusses these patient safety threats and suggests strategies that promote patient safety, foster medication intelligence, and mitigate drug shortages. As the world continues to develop safe and effective treatments for Covid-19, patient safety is paramount. In response to the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Safety Challenge: Medication Without Harm, leaders must establish effective approaches to improve medication safety during the pandemic. Successfully integrating these leadership strategies with current practices allows pharmacy leaders to implement robust systems to reduce errors, prevent harm, and advocate for patient safety.


2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Alejandra Rodríguez-Echeverría ◽  
Angélica María Páez-Castro

A number of factors and conditions hinder and restrict access to the health care system and its different services; these barriers to access put at risk the health of people by affecting adequate processes. Objective: To carry out a literature review on barriers to access to the health care system and visual health services in Colombia and around the world. Methodology: A literature review was carried out based on a search of the Medline, ScienceDirect, and Pubmed databases, as well as indexed public health journals and the websites of the Local Health Authority, the World Health Organization, the Pan American Health Organization, the UNESCO, and the Brien Holden Vision Institute. Results: The main barriers related to demand, both in general services and in visual health, are the lack of perception on the need for service and lack of economic resources; at the offer level, the existing policies constitute a real obstacle. Conclusions: Awareness-raising in the population, together with the implementation of health policies that grant equal access to health care services, are fundamental to prevent people from being affected, to a large extent, by barriers related to demand or offer, regardless of their location or level of income.


Author(s):  
Pi-Fang Hsu ◽  
Wen-Chun Tsai ◽  
Chia-Wen Tsai

Recently, much of the world, including the World Health Organization, the European Union and many North American countries, have emphasized patient safety. Around the same time, Taiwan’s Department of Health (DOH) devoted a significant amount of resources to better the quality of medical treatment for their patients. This study explores perceptions of and attitudes towards patient safety among medical staff and patients in emergency departments. Analysis results indicate that medical staff and patients significantly differ in perceptions and attitudes. Results of this study provide a valuable reference for governmental authorities and hospital managers in formulating policies aimed at clarifying perceptions and attitudes regarding patient safety among medical staff and patients in emergency departments.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepak C. Bajracharya ◽  
Kshitij Karki ◽  
Chhiring Yangjen Lama ◽  
Rajesh Dhoj Joshi ◽  
Shankar Man Rai ◽  
...  

AbstractGlobally, medical errors are associated with an estimated $42 billion in costs to healthcare systems. A variety of errors in the delivery of healthcare have been identified by the World Health Organization and it is believed that about 50% of all errors are preventable. Initiatives to improve patient safety are now garnering increased attention across a range of countries in all regions of the world. From June 28--29, 2019, the first International Patient Safety Conference (IPSC) was held in Kathmandu, Nepal and attended by over 200 healthcare professionals as well as hospital, government, and non-governmental organization leaders. During the conference, presentations describing the experience with errors in healthcare and solutions to minimize future occurrence of adverse events were presented. Examples of systems implemented to prevent future errors in patient care were also described. A key outcome of this conference was the initiation of conversations and communication among important stakeholders for patient safety. In addition, attendees and dignitaries in attendance all reaffirmed their commitment to furthering actions in hospitals and other healthcare facilities that focus on reducing the risk of harm to patients who receive care in the Nepali healthcare system. This conference provides an important springboard for the development of patient-centered strategies to improve patient safety across a range of patient care environments in public and private sector healthcare institutions.


Author(s):  
Susan B. Rifkin

In 1978, at an international conference in Kazakhstan, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund put forward a policy proposal entitled “Primary Health Care” (PHC). Adopted by all the World Health Organization member states, the proposal catalyzed ideas and experiences by which governments and people began to change their views about how good health was obtained and sustained. The Declaration of Alma-Ata (as it is known, after the city in which the conference was held) committed member states to take action to achieve the WHO definition of health as “state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Arguing that good health was not merely the result of biomedical advances, health-services provision, and professional care, the declaration stated that health was a human right, that the inequality of health status among the world’s populations was unacceptable, and that people had a right and duty to become involved in the planning and implementation of their own healthcare. It proposed that this policy be supported through collaboration with other government sectors to ensure that health was recognized as a key to development planning. Under the banner call “Health for All by the Year 2000,” WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund set out to turn their vision for improving health into practice. They confronted a number of critical challenges. These included defining PHC and translating PHC into practice, developing frameworks to translate equity into action, experiencing both the potential and the limitations of community participation in helping to achieve the WHO definition of health, and seeking the necessary financing to support the transformation of health systems. These challenges were taken up by global, national, and nongovernmental organization programs in efforts to balance the PHC vision with the realities of health-service delivery. The implementation of these programs had varying degrees of success and failure. In the future, PHC will need to address to critical concerns, the first of which is how to address the pressing health issues of the early 21st century, including climate change, control of noncommunicable diseases, global health emergencies, and the cost and effectiveness of humanitarian aid in the light of increasing violent disturbances and issues around global governance. The second is how PHC will influence policies emerging from the increasing understanding that health interventions should be implemented in the context of complexity rather than as linear, predictable solutions.


1993 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-89
Author(s):  
Graham S. Pearson

The Article in the August, 1992 issue of Politics and the Life Sciences by Erhard Geissler proposing the establishment of an international Vaccines for Peace (VFP) program to undertake research on and production of vaccines against pathogens (and possible toxins) that pose natural health threats is warmly welcomed. VFP is designed to contribute to health care in developing countries and to enhance international cooperation in biotechnology; it would be administered by the World Health Organization (WHO). Such a program would bring real and tangible benefits to developing countries and encourage participation by such countries in the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention signed in 1972.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvina Ramos ◽  
Mariana Romero ◽  
Carla Perrotta ◽  
Yanina Sguassero ◽  
Cecilia Straw ◽  
...  

Abstract Background While cesarean section is an essential life-saving strategy for women and newborns, its current overuse constitutes a global problem. The aim of this formative research is to collect information from hospitals, health professionals and women regarding the use of cesarean section in Argentina. This article describes the methodology of the study, the characteristics of the hospitals and the profile of the participants. Methods This formative research is a mixed-method study that will be conducted in seven provinces of Argentina. The eligibility criteria for the hospitals are (a) use of the Perinatal Information System, (b) cesarean section rate higher than 27% in 2016, (c) ≥ 1000 deliveries per year. Quantitative and qualitative research techniques will be used for data collection and analysis. The main inquiry points are the determining factors for the use of cesarean section, the potential interventions to optimize the use of cesarean section and, in the case of women, their preferred type of delivery. Discussion It is expected that the findings will provide a situation diagnosis to help a context-sensitive implementation of the interventions recommended by the World Health Organization to optimize cesarean section use. Trial registration IS002316 Plain English Summary Cesarean section is an essential medical tool for mothers and their children, but nowadays its overuse is a problem worldwide. Our purpose is to get information from hospitals, health professionals and women about how cesarean section is used in Argentina. In this protocol we describe how we will carry out the study and the characteristics of the hospitals and participants. We will implement this study in seven provinces of Argentina, in hospitals that have more than 1,000 births each year, had a cesarean section rate higher than 27% in 2016 and use the Perinatal Information System. We will gather information using forms, surveys and interviews. We want to identify the factors that decide the use of a cesarean section, the potential interventions that can improve the use of cesarean section and, in the case of women, the type of delivery they prefer. We expect that this study will give us a diagnosis of how cesarean section is used in Argentina, and that this will help to apply the interventions that the World Health Organization recommends to optimize the use of cesarean section in our specific context.


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