World Patient Safety Day takes place on Sunday, September 17, 2023. Aligned with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) dedication to global public health, this day serves as a reminder of Cooper’s commitment to patient safety and the very important roles each of us play in delivering safe and reliable care.
World Patient Safety Day holds a distinct place among the WHO’s 10 global public health days. Primarily, it seeks to heighten public awareness and engagement, empowering patients and their families to take an active role in their health care journey. Secondly, it strives to promote worldwide comprehension of patient safety concerns, fostering a collective dedication to providing secure and dependable care. Lastly, it calls for solidarity and action from Member States, focusing on enhancing patient safety and mitigating harm.
This year, World Patient Safety Day revolves around the theme “Engaging Patients for Patient Safety,” combined with the slogan “Elevate the Voice of Patients!” The objectives are to bring together a diverse community of stakeholders including patients, families, policymakers, health care leaders, health workers, and patient organizations. Through collaboration, the goal is to co-design health care policies and safety measures that genuinely reflect the needs and preferences of patients. This endeavor directly contributes to raising the quality and safety of health care practices not only within Cooper, but on a global scale.
As we strive for the safest care, we must foster a culture of safety that encompasses evidence-based practices, the highest quality standards, and consistency every time. Our commitment to high-reliability behaviors, high-reliability tools, and AIDET (Acknowledge, Introduce, Duration, Explanation, Thank You) helps us ensure optimal communication and collaboration within our care teams, ultimately enhancing patient safety.
At Cooper, achieving the highest standards of patient safety involves cultivating a culture of safety, reducing variation, developing robust policies and procedures, providing comprehensive training and skill building, leveraging technology, and optimizing equipment and environments. We must also recognize the crucial role of patient and family engagement in shared decision making, empowering them to advocate for themselves and their loved ones, and encouraging open communication.
We can empower patients to:
- Be an active participant: Let the patient and loved ones know they can ask questions about their treatment, medications, and procedures to understand what’s happening.
- Speak up: Empower the patient and their loved ones to speak up for safety if they have concerns or questions and to never hesitate to voice their concerns to the care team.
- Hand hygiene: Educate the patient on the importance of hand hygiene. Share that we are a High Reliability Organization and one of our High Reliability Tools is to cross check. We welcome cross checks, and if they see a team member not practicing proper hand hygiene, they are empowered to speak up for safety and ask the team members to wash their hands and encourage visitors to do the same.
- Advocate for yourself: Share the importance of the patient and loved ones advocating for themselves by ensuring their care team is aware of their medical history, allergies, and any special needs.
- Stay informed: Educate the patient on the importance of staying informed about their condition and treatment options so they can make informed decisions.
We extend a warm invitation to each of you to actively participate in discussions during unit huddles surrounding World Patient Safety Day. Let us collectively amplify the voices of patients and be committed advocates for their safety. By embracing this initiative, we reaffirm our dedication to delivering patient-centered, safe, and reliable care.