The first annual World Health Organization (WHO) Patient Safety Day is being held on September 17, 2019 to create awareness of patient safety and urge people to show their commitment to making healthcare safer.
According to WHO, 134 million adverse events occur each year due to unsafe care in hospitals in low- and middle-income countries, contributing to 2.6 million deaths annually; 15% of hospital expenses can be attributed to treating patient safety failures in OECD countries; and 4 out of 10 patients are harmed in the primary and ambulatory settings; up to 80% of harm in these settings can be avoided.
WHO Patient Safety Day occurs during international Healthcare Simulation Week 2019 (September 16-20), which is hosted annually by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare.
According to the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, “Healthcare Simulation Week celebrates global professionals who use simulation to improve the safety, effectiveness, and efficiency of healthcare delivery. The week also raises awareness in communities nationwide about how healthcare simulation is leading us to safer, more knowledgeable patient care.”
As part of the event, CAE Healthcare and the Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI) have released a video featuring interviews with leaders from prominent simulation centers on how simulation training enhances patient safety.
“Simulation is a key patient safety strategy that hospitals can implement to improve teamwork, communication and patient outcomes,” said Rekha Ranganathan, president of CAE Healthcare. “With simulation, we can continue to make a positive impact on clinicians and patients.”
The livestream of “To Err is Human”, a documentary which features the story the Sheridan family who was impacted by preventable medical errors and calls for systemic change in healthcare, will begin at 3:00 pm. Immediately following the film at 4:45 pm, Tom Blackwell, senior reporter at the National Post will moderate an interactive panel discussion with live audience and viewer questions.
