On 17 September 2021 we celebrated the third World Patient Safety Day ( https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2021/09/17/default-calendar/world-patient-safety-day-2021). The slogan promoted by WHO this year is “Act now for safe and respectful childbirth!” with the theme “Safe maternal and newborn care”. Approximately 810 women die every day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. In addition, around 6700 newborns die every day, amounting to 47% of all under-5 deaths.
COVID-19 contributed in increasing unsafe care, through the disruption of essential health services caused by the pandemic..
Fortunately, we know that the majority of adverse events are avoidable through the provision of safe and quality care by skilled health professionals working in supportive environments. the contribution of ergonomics and human factors (HFE) is fundamental to achieve these goals. In the Global Patient Safety action plan 2021-2030 (https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/patient-safety/global-patient-safety-action-plan-2021-2030_third-draft_january-2021_web.pdf?sfvrsn=948f15d5_17) issued last January by WHO, HFE is recognized to be essential in terms of approach and methods to develop safe and resilient healthcare systems. In this strategic plan WHO underlines the key role of HFE to build reliable health settings and to support the patient journey so to be safe, effective, and comfortable.
World Patient Safety Day was established in 2019 to enhance global understanding of patient safety. The IEA community stands together with WHO in the promotion of this crucial objective for people’s health.
Objectives of World Patient Safety Day 2021
- Raise global awareness on the issues of maternal and newborn safety, particularly during childbirth.
- Engage multiple stakeholders and adopt effective and innovative strategies to improve maternal and newborn safety.
- Call for urgent and sustainable actions by all stakeholders to scale up efforts, reach the unreached, and ensure safe maternal and newborn care, particularly during childbirth.
- Advocate the adoption of best practices at the point of care to prevent avoidable risks and harm to all women and newborns during childbirth.
Celebrating World Patient Safety Day 2021
During the continuing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, a combination of virtual and other activities are being planned by WHO to observe and celebrate the Day in September 2021. The signature mark of the global campaign is to light up iconic monuments, landmarks, and public places in the color orange.
WHO calls upon all stakeholders – governments, nongovernmental organizations, professional organizations, civil society, patient organizations, academia and research institutes – to join the global campaign by lighting up iconic monuments in orange, and organizing international, national, and local activities and events on and around 17 September 2021.
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