September 17 - Global Patient Safety Day

Maria-Pilar Astier-Peña, chair of the WONCA World Working Party on Quality and Safety in Family Medicine (WWPQSFM) writes:

On September 17, 2019, World Patient Safety Day will be celebrated worldwide.

On May 21, 2019, the WHO World Assembly (196 countries, including Spain) proclaimed September 17 as World Patient Safety Day. WONCA World has previously made a new MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the WHO, to ensure collaboration to improve primary care and the role of family doctors in different global health issues, such as patient safety, climate change’s impact on health, among others.

WHO has launched a worldwide campaign to promote patient safety. The promotional materials of this campaign are available here. We encourage you to collaborate in the promotion of patient safety in your organisations. All family doctors can collaborate by promoting patient safety in your organisation, by spreading the campaign and materials, and by illuminating a monument in your city in orange that day. Everyone in their workplace contributes to improve patient safety.

In Spain, we are going to hold a commemorative conference on this day in Spain. Each community has submitted projects currently underway in the areas of patient safety and antibiotic stewardship to evaluate them and reward six projects in relation to patient safety in primary care, and six projects in relation to the National Antibiotic Resistance Program (PRAN). The inaugural speech will be given by Anna Stadval (@AStadval), WONCA World president elect.

On September 17 we want to highlight the role of Patient Safety in Primary Care. Primary care that plays a crucial role in the UN project "Universal Coverage for All. Both the OECD and the G7 meeting in August in Biarritz (France) strengthened the activity of family doctors together with nurses and other health sciences professionals in reducing the impact of chronic diseases on our world’s population, reducing preventable mortality, and promoting societies that are more committed to their health and that of the environment as well.

We encourage all family doctors in the world to celebrate together on September 17, 2019, World Patient Safety Day.

We all take part to build a safer health system.