World Patient Safety Day 2024: History, significance, theme and more

World Health Organisation established World Patient Safety Day in 2019 to address the issue of patient safety and take actions to promote safety in healthcare

Every year, World Patient Safety Day is observed on September 17. The World Health Organisation (WHO) established this day to spread awareness about patient safety, promoting actions to enhance safety in healthcare. This day aims to encourage people to unite for safer healthcare practices and address the worldwide problem of the significant burden of harm caused by unsafe medical practices.

The day highlights the need to improve healthcare systems and practices prioritising the well-being of the patients. An estimated 134 million adverse events occur annually in hospitals in low- and middle-income countries making it crucial to reduce preventable harm and deaths. 

World Patient Safety Day 2024: Theme

World Patient Safety Day aims to bolster patient safety by raising public awareness and promoting collaboration among patients, healthcare workers, policymakers and leaders. The theme for World Patient Safety Day 2024 is "Improving Diagnosis for Patient Safety" emphasising the vital role of accurate and timely diagnosis in safeguarding patients and improving healthcare outcomes. The slogan for this day is  "Get it Right, Make it Safe!" enhancing the need for precise diagnoses and ensuring patient safety.

A diagnosis determines a patient's health condition and it is crucial to provide the necessary care and treatment. An error in a patient's diagnosis occurs when there is some error in providing an accurate and timely explanation of a patient's health issues, like delays, incorrect or missed diagnoses or failure to communicate the diagnosis to the patient. 

World Patient Safety Day 2024: History

The 72nd World Health Assembly passed a resolution in 2019 establishing World Patient Day as a global health priority. The WHO begins a global campaign each year focusing on different themes and patient safety, such as safe childbirth, medication safety, and empowering patients and caregivers. 

The movement aims to gain momentum recognising the unsafe healthcare practices contributing significantly to avoidable harm and costs to health systems globally. 

World Patient Safety Day 2024: Significance

World Patient Day 2024 aims to highlight the importance of patient safety, educating healthcare providers, patients and the public, reducing risks and preventing medical errors. This day brings attention to unsafe healthcare practices. It also highlights the global collaboration between countries, healthcare organisations, policymakers and professionals and encourages people to improve safety standards across the world.

This day also offers the opportunity to highlight some critical safety concerns like medication errors or maternal and newborn health. It helps address critical areas where improvements can reduce the harm to patients. This day also encourages patients to take part in their important healthcare decisions, thereby improving communication with medical professionals making informed decisions. 

Another significance of World Patient Day is to advocate stronger policies and regulations to prioritise healthcare safety and call for change leading to better and safer healthcare environments. It also raises awareness in promoting actionable strategies aiming to reduce preventable harm, thereby improving health outcomes and saving lives.