The WHO is holding a series of webinars on medication safety and I have biefly precised what were key points for me,
WHO Global Patient Safety Challenge: Medication without Harm webinar series 12.00 08 02 2022
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/patient-safety
This year world Safety Day on 17th September will be covering medication Safety.
A 1961 study confirmed seven major group of medication errors: medicine omitted, wrong patient, wrong dose, unintended extra dose, wrong route, wrong time and wrong drug.
- The occurrence of adverse events due to unsafe care is likely one of the 10 leading causes of death and disability in the world (1).
- In high-income countries, it is estimated that one in every 10 patients is harmed while receiving hospital care (2). The harm can be caused by a range of adverse events, with nearly 50% of them being preventable (3).
- Each year, 134 million adverse events occur in hospitals in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), due to unsafe care, resulting in 2.6 million deaths (4).
- Another study has estimated that around two-thirds of all adverse events resulting from unsafe care, and the years lost to disability and death (known as disability adjusted life years, or DALYs) occur in LMICs (5).
- Globally, as many as 4 in 10 patients are harmed in primary and outpatient health care. Up to 80% of harm is preventable. The most detrimental errors are related to diagnosis, prescription and the use of medicines (6).
- In OECD countries, 15% of total hospital activity and expenditure is a direct result of adverse events (2).
- Investments in reducing patient harm can lead to significant financial savings, and more importantly better patient outcomes (2). An example of prevention is engaging patients, if done well, it can reduce the burden of harm by up to 15% (6).
The goal for the WHO Global Patient Survey [Safety] Challenge is to: reduce the level of severe avoidable harm related to medications by 50% over five years.
To raise awareness, build capacities, develop guidance and empower patients and families.
Fragmented health care, over belief in healthcare, excessive deference to healthcare, the burden of care combine to threaten patient safety.
The WHO was shown interactive tools “Moments for patient safety”. It was accepted that some patients with multiple morbidities struggled to discriminate between symptoms from their comorbidities and side effects of their medication.
Patients need access to information and means of reporting adverse events. The Scottish NHS has some outstanding patient medication support information. Public health campaigns about patient safety are expensive and the positive results quickly disperse.
A common mind set favours innovation over safety and there is a barrage of pharmaceutical and commercial influence.
HIFA profile: Richard Fitton is a retired family doctor - GP, British Medical Association. Professional interests: Health literacy, patient partnership of trust and implementation of healthcare with professionals, family and public involvement in the prevention of modern lifestyle diseases, patients using access to professional records to overcome confidentiality barriers to care, patients as part of the policing of the use of their patient data
Email address: richardpeterfitton7 AT gmail.com
