Dear HIFA colleagues,
Further to my message a few moments ago on the theme of this year's World Patient Safety Day 'Safe care for noncommunicable diseases'
[ https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2026/09/17/default-calendar/... ]
I would like to propose 'Knowledge translation for safe care of NCDs' as a new HIFA project in 2026, as HIFA's contribution to build a world where every person, every health worker and every policymaker has access to the reliable information they need to ensure safe care for noncommunicable diseases.
The evolution of patient safety provides an interesting backdrop. 20 years ago, the emphasis of patient safety was on reducing errors (wrong-site surgery, medication errors, etc.) and addressing human factors such as teamwork, communication, checklists and protocols.
On the HIFA forum we have noted over the past 20 years that the availability and use of relevant, reliable healthcare information is a key patient safety issue. Lack of access is a driver of incorrect diagnosis and management, and unsafe care.
In the past 10 years we have seen the scope of patient safety broaden to include 'safe care depends on having the right information, in the right place, at the right time'.
More recently in the past few years, thanks largely to Richard Fitton, we have seen the scope to broaden further to include patient access to medical records, and now this also is also widely recognised as a key factor in patient safety.
HIFA has a successful record of hosting in-depth sponsored discussions: www.hifa.org/projects
I am sure that 'Knowledge translation for safe care of NCDs' would be an exciting topic for us to address.
Sponsored HIFA discussions are the main source of income for HIFA and we can dedicate 4-6 weeks on HIFA at a modest cost, adapting the project to your priorities.
If this topic is of interest to you or your organisation, please get in touch: neil@hifa.org
Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org