In December 2022, Switzerland hosted a global patient safety expert consultation to discuss the implementation of the Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021-2030. The event focused on the pandemic’s impact on patient safety and discussed potential solutions for ensuring sustainable improvements.
The objectives of the event were to discuss the proposed operational guide on COVID-19 and patient safety, review the progress of the global patient safety action plan’s implementation, and review the outline and draft content of the global patient safety report 2023.
During the event, participants discussed the proposed operational guide titled ‘Patient Safety Central to Pandemic Preparedness, Response and Recovery: Solutions for Ensuring Sustainable Improvements.’ The experts reached a consensus on the outline and content of the guide, which emphasizes the importance of integrating patient safety into pandemic preparedness plans.
The experts also reviewed the progress of the global patient safety action plan and discussed the findings of the member states survey. The experts provided input on reporting the progress of the action plan’s implementation and the survey results to the World Health Assembly.
Additionally, the experts reached a consensus on the outline and content of the Global Patient Safety Report 2023, which will provide an update on the progress made in patient safety and identify areas that require further attention.
The participants included experts, advisors, researchers, and academicians from WHO regions with expertise in topics related to patient safety, patient safety focal points from WHO regional and country offices, and technical units interested in patient safety at WHO HQ.
The global patient safety expert consultation held in Switzerland in December 2022 was an important event that brought together experts to discuss the impact of the pandemic on patient safety and potential solutions for ensuring sustainable improvements. The event’s outcomes will contribute to the ongoing efforts to improve patient safety worldwide and we are glad our board member, Dr. Lydia Okutuyi made a significant contribution in the conversation.
