News

For the common good: patients and health workers tell Regional Director of COVID-19 challenges and hopes for the future during country visit 28-04-2021

Health-care workers and patients were an important focus of WHO Regional Director for Europe Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge’s visit to Greece last week. During the second day of his visit, Dr Kluge spoke directly with health-care professionals and individuals at the accommodation site for refugees and migrants in Eleonas and the mega-vaccination centre Prometheus in Maroussi, northern Athens.

United action for stronger quality of care in the European Region – WHO supports Greece in building a national health system for the 21st century 27-04-2021

During his visit to Greece last week, WHO’s Regional Director for Europe, Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, opened a new centre of excellence in Athens focusing on quality of care and patient safety. Alongside the Minister of Health of Greece, Dr Vassilis Kikilias, the Regional Director spoke of the importance of this new office in working to strengthen quality of care in south-eastern and Mediterranean countries of the WHO European Region.

New WHO Centre of Excellence for Quality of Care and Patient Safety opens in Athens 15-04-2021

WHO/Europe and the Hellenic Republic of Greece today open a new sub-office in the country focusing on quality of care and patient safety. Acting as a centre of excellence, the sub-office will work towards achieving the highest level of well-being, health and health protection in the WHO European Region, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Epidemiologist Sergiu Sîngeorzan: “COVID-19 has taught people to wash their hands” 23-10-2020

“Since I started as an epidemiologist, I’ve been preaching hand hygiene as one of the most effective ways to fight infection. Now I don’t have to say it twice,” muses Dr Sergiu Sîngeorzan, senior epidemiologist at Miercurea Ciuc hospital, Romania.

Altynai Karakhoishiyeva: helping women give birth during the COVID-19 pandemic 21-07-2020

Altynai Karakhoishiyeva has been working as an obstetrician-gynaecologist at the maternity unit in City Maternity Hospital No. 1 in Almaty, Kazakhstan, for 15 years. She decided to continue working there when it became an isolation hospital for mothers suspected of having COVID-19.

WHO/Europe encourages health workers to ask “why?” 09-06-2020

“A safe place to ask questions” is how course co-leader Ms Ana Paula Coutinho Rehse describes the online forum that she and Dr Dina Pfeifer set up to deliver trainings on managing COVID-19 patients.

WHO checklist to ensure hospitals in European Region are ready for COVID-19 patients 06-04-2020

A Hospital Readiness Checklist developed by WHO/Europe is helping hospital managers and emergency planners ensure a rapid and effective response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Community pharmacists on the frontline of health care 25-09-2019

Gilles Bonnefond has worked as a pharmacist in Montélimar, France for more than 25 years, and is witness to the evolution of the role of community pharmacists from dispensers of medicines to primary health care professionals. On World Pharmacists’ Day, Gilles’s story illustrates the frontline role that community pharmacists are increasingly playing in delivering health care.

Day 2 highlights: Dr Hans Kluge nominated next WHO Regional Director for Europe 17-09-2019

Member States of the WHO European Region nominated Dr Hans Kluge of Belgium as the next WHO Regional Director for Europe during a private session on Day 2 of the 69th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe (RC69).

From cooks to counsellors: keeping patients safe from harm 16-09-2019

With people living longer and with multiple chronic conditions, medical care has become more complex and is being offered in diverse settings. Over the last decades, health-care workers have had to adapt to this changing landscape and continuously learn to improve patient safety. On the first ever World Patient Safety Day, being marked on 17 September, we see how those working in the health sector are committed to keeping patients safe from avoidable harm.

World Patient Safety Day: making infection prevention and control everyone’s business in conflict-affected areas 16-09-2019

In conflict-affected areas, health-care facilities provide life-saving services with very limited resources. Combined with poor infection prevention and control (IPC) measures, inadequate water supply and sanitation, and weak hygiene infrastructure, this can often result in disease amplification among staff and patients, and in some situations in the community itself. On the first-ever World Patient Safety Day, the WHO Regional Office for Europe draws attention to patient safety and safer health care in various settings, including in the conflict-affected areas of eastern Ukraine and north-western Syria that the Regional Office is supporting.

Calls for enhancing the responsible use of medicines to reduce antimicrobial resistance 07-12-2018

Experts called for the responsible use of medicines and the reduction of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) during a consultation held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, from 30 October to 1 November 2018. Focusing on the role of primary health care in this area, the event gathered participants from 15 countries. They included managers involved in primary health-care reforms, officers in charge of pharmaceuticals and promoting the responsible use of medicines, experts on medicine safety, and other professionals who are currently or potentially could be promoting prescription-only dispensing of antibiotics.

Hand Hygiene Day: It’s in your hands – prevent sepsis in health care 03-05-2018

Sepsis is a life-threatening complication from infection that arises when an infection alters the body’s normal response, causing injury to tissues and organs. Each year, sepsis can cause up to 6 million deaths globally – most of which are preventable.

Baltic policy dialogue on improving quality of care and ensuring patient safety: strategies, regulation, monitoring and incentives 14-12-2017

At a Baltic policy dialogue held on 15–16 November 2017 for senior-level delegates from the 3 Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), including the health ministers of Lithuania and Latvia, representatives from all 3 health ministries met in Vilnius to exchange experiences in improving quality of care and ensuring patient safety.

Embarking in new directions: primary health care in Armenia 21-08-2017

Armenia’s Government Plan 2017–2022 has defined the course for structural reforms in services delivery to tackle noncommunicable diseases. These transformations include revising entitlements, improving the quality of care and clinical practice and strengthening primary care and hospital services overall.

Strengthening the quality of primary health care for the people of Georgia 10-08-2017

Georgia has made important strides with its new Primary Health Care Development Strategy 2016–2023, which was developed within the context of the 2014–2020 State Concept of Healthcare System of Georgia for Universal Health Care and Quality Control for the Protection of Patients’ Rights. Such initiatives in primary health care are important in placing people at the centre of public interventions and in driving an upstream response to the increasing burden of noncommunicable diseases in Georgia. At present, noncommunicable diseases alone account for an estimated 93% of total deaths in Georgia, of which 69% are related to cardiovascular diseases. From 2005 to 2015, the types of noncommunicable diseases with the greatest increases as causes of deaths were hypertensive heart disease (146% increase) and diabetes (66% increase).

Hand hygiene a key defence in Europe’s fight against antibiotic resistance 04-05-2017

This year’s SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands campaign on 5 May uses the slogan “Fight antibiotic resistance – it's in your hands” to highlight the fact that health-care workers and the public have a responsibility to prevent and control AMR and HAI, in turn helping to prevent related complications and deaths.

Championing hand hygiene in Latvia 04-05-2017

Meet Agita Melbarde-Kelmere, an infection control nurse at Latvia’s Eastern University Hospital and a champion for hand hygiene in primary care clinics and hospitals across the country.

Highlighting nurses and midwives’ commitment to delivering the highest quality care 04-05-2017

On the occasions of International Day of the Midwife on 5 May and International Nurses Day on 12 May, the WHO Regional Office for Europe is highlighting these critically important professions by featuring the voices of nurses and midwives from around the Region. They share what it means to be a nurse, midwife, researcher, administrator, educator and/or leader, and how they are committed to delivering the highest quality care.

Glasgow nursing student takes a closer look at six-step hand hygiene technique 04-05-2017

In 2016, nurse researchers at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) in Scotland produced the first evidence that the six-step hand hygiene technique recommended by WHO is the most effective method and is superior to the three-step process. Now, a doctoral student in nursing has received a grant to take an even closer close look at the technique.

Clean hands save lives – World Hand Hygiene Day in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 25-05-2016

Recognizing hand hygiene as one of the most effective measures for infection prevention and control, the WHO Country Office helped celebrate World Hand Hygiene Day on 5 May 2016 with the slogan: "See your hands – hand hygiene supports safe surgical care".

Nurses and midwives: A force for enhancing health and strengthening health systems 12-05-2016

 Nurses and midwives make up the majority of health care professionals in the WHO European Region, delivering health services to people of all ages. International Day of the Midwife and International Nurses Day, observed on 5 May and 12 May, respectively, offer opportunities to highlight some of the vital ways in which nurses and midwives contribute to public health and well-being.

Increasing the availability of safe abortion in Kyrgyzstan 09-05-2016

On 25 April 2016 the Ministry of Health of Kyrgyzstan and WHO disseminated findings from a project that trained midwives to provide safe medical abortion up to 9 weeks of gestation to women living in rural, underserved areas of the country.

First patients for patient safety workshop in Poland 17-12-2015

Building on the success of previous patients for patient safety (PFPS) workshops held around the world, the first PFPS workshop took place in Warsaw, Poland on 3–4 December 2015.

Consultation on the European validation of the minimal information model for patient safety incident reporting and learning 18-06-2015

Hosted by the Polish Ministry of Health, the international expert consultation on the European validation of the minimal information model for patient safety incident reporting and learning (MIMPS) was held on 12–13 May in Warsaw, Poland.

Austria focuses on surveillance, prevention of nosocomial infections 09-06-2015

Surveillance and prevention of nosocomial infections were the focus of an event organized on the occasion of World Hand Hygiene Day on 5 May 2015.

Clean hands save lives: the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia celebrates World Hand Hygiene Day 21-05-2015

Recognizing hand hygiene as one of the most effective measures for infection prevention and control, the WHO Country Office helped celebrate World Hand Hygiene Day with the national slogan "Clean hands save lives".

Slovakia commits to increase patient safety 22-04-2015

Health-care-associated infections place a serious disease burden and significant economic impact on patients and health systems. Recognizing this, the Minister of Health of Slovakia strongly commits to reduce health-care-associated infections in the country with an official letter to WHO/Europe.

Highlights of RC64 day 3 – Adoption of action plans on vaccines and prevention of child maltreatment 17-09-2014

Two far-reaching action plans – on vaccines and prevention of child maltreatment – were adopted, mapping the path for interventions in these areas until 2020.

Spotlight on hand hygiene in the Czech Republic 12-06-2014

As in previous years, the Czech Republic utilized WHO Hand Hygiene Day (5 May) this year to draw attention to the importance of good hand hygiene for the prevention of disease. The activities organized throughout the country contributed to the Ministry of Health’s pledge signed on 23 June 2011 to support measures to reduce health-care-associated infection.

European validation of minimal information model for patient safety incident reporting and learning 20-05-2014

The project on the European validation of minimal information model for patient safety incident reporting and learning (MIMPS), that is being developed under an EU grant agreement with WHO has started.

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV): situation update and cases reported in the Netherlands 16-05-2014

Since April 2012, and as of 16 May 2014, 614 laboratory‐confirmed cases of human infection with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS‐CoV) have been reported to WHO, including 181 deaths. In the European Region, since April 2012, in total 12 laboratory-confirmed cases have been reported by France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

New report: antibiotic resistance a global health threat 30-04-2014

A new WHO report, “Antimicrobial resistance: global report on surveillance”, launched today, provides the most comprehensive picture of antibiotic resistance across the world to date, with data from 114 countries. The findings document resistance to antibiotics, especially so-called last resort antibiotics, in all regions of the world. It also shows the gaps in surveillance systems and the need for a standardized approach to tracking and monitoring the issue.

How to protect yourself from vector-borne diseases: World Health Day 2014 03-04-2014

Whether travelling to or living in an area with diseases spread by mosquitoes, sandflies, ticks or other vectors, take steps to protect yourself. Check out these top tips and fact sheets on 7 vector-borne diseases affecting the WHO European Region.

Twitter chat: ask experts questions on antibiotic resistance 08-11-2013

To mark European Antibiotic Awareness Day (EAAD), WHO/Europe and its partners are holding a live Twitter chat on antibiotic resistance. Experts from WHO/Europe, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Commission directorates-general for research and for health and consumers will answer your questions. The chat will take place on Monday, 18 November 2013, from 12:00 to 13:30 UTC/GMT (13:00 to 14:30 CET).

Health care workers: protect yourselves and patients from influenza 06-11-2013

Making sure to be vaccinated against seasonal influenza is an important part of a health care worker’s job.

Poland hosts multicounty workshop on patient safety 30-10-2013

Participants from the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia shared experiences in patient safety reporting, learning processes and networks at a multicounty workshop held  on 23–24 September 2013 in Krakow, Poland.

WHO/Europe in Copenhagen moving to new premises 05-04-2013

WHO/Europe’s head office, based in Copenhagen, Denmark, is moving to new premises during 22 March to 1 April 2013. All United Nations organizations in the Danish capital will come together in new premises known as UN City.

Advancing patient safety in Slovakia 12-02-2013

To further strengthen intersectoral work for safer care and improved patient outcomes in Slovakia, WHO/Europe and the Slovak Ministry of Health organized a third roundtable meeting on patient safety for international experts and national stakeholders in Bratislava, Slovakia on 27 November 2013. 

Empowering patients 17-04-2012

From passive recipient to co-producer of health care – health systems must involve chronically ill people as equal partners in their treatment to be effective. The First European Conference on Patient Empowerment was held in Copenhagen, Denmark on 11–12 April 2012. Read more …

Exploring Patient Engagement in Reducing Health Care Related Safety Risks 03-04-2012

The WHO/Europe report “Exploring Patient Engagement in Reducing Health Care Related Safety Risks” is coming soon.

Netherlands collaborating centre working on new approach to primary care 07-03-2012

On 20 February 2012, WHO/Europe agreed key research areas for the next two years with the Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research (NIVEL), a WHO collaborating centre for primary care.

Poly Implant Prothèse (PIP) silicone breast implants 20-01-2012

People with PIP or M-Implant prostheses should consult their doctors or surgeons if they suspect rupture, experience pain or inflammation, or have any other concerns. They and physicians should follow the recommendations of their national health authorities.

New meeting on monitoring mechanisms for preventing health care related adverse events 04-11-2011

WHO/Europe is organizing a "Workshop on monitoring mechanisms for preventing health care related adverse events" which will take place 28-29 November 2011, in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Upcoming workshop on modern health care delivery systems and the role of hospitals 04-11-2011

The Belgium Federal Public Health Service and WHO/Europe will organize a meeting entitled, "Workshop on Modern Health care delivery systems and the role of hospitals", 21-22 November 2011, in Brussels, Belgium.

Polish Ministry of Health officially recommends Surgical Safety Checklist 12-09-2011

The Minister of Health of Poland, Dr Ewa Kopacz, recommends the use of a perioperative control chart based on the Surgical Safety Checklist form recommended by the World Health Organization.

Turkey “translated into action” Tallinn Charter on Health Systems 12-05-2011

In recent years, Turkey’s national health service has undergone major reforms, yielding significant improvements in utilization, effectiveness and health outcomes. Ms Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe, has identified Turkey as a successful example of a country implementing the values and principles of the Tallinn Charter.

Patient participation encourages hand hygiene 05-05-2011

Depending on the country, 3.5–14.8% of patients in hospitals and other health care facilities in the European Union acquire at least one hospital infection during their stay. WHO’s annual global campaign on 5 May, Save Lives: Clean Your Hands, seeks to improve hand hygiene among health care professionals.

Hand Hygiene Day in Czech Republic: hand hygiene saves lives 02-05-2011

On 5 May in the Czech Republic Hand Hygiene Day will be celebrated with the campaign “Save lives, wash your hands”.

World Health Day 2011 in the Czech Republic 29-04-2011

World Health Day was celebrated in the Czech Republic with a launch of the campaign “Clean care is safer care.

Reporting systems enhance quality of health care services 03-02-2011

Any system for reporting adverse events should definitely not serve to punish health care providers, health professionals participating in a recent conference in Bratislava, Slovakia said. On the contrary, such a system should serve as a learning opportunity for them as well as for decision-makers to take proper measures to improve the environment in health care facilities, including the working conditions of the staff.

Round table on reporting systems in health care, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 29 September – 1 October 2010 27-09-2010

The need for good reporting systems is recognized as part of the learning and improvement process. The round table on patient safety "Reporting systems in health care", taking place in Ljubljana on 29 September – 1 October 2010, is a multi-country event hosted by the Slovenian Government that will bring together representatives from Czech Republic, Slovenia and Slovakia.

Spain leads calls for urgent action to improve patient safety 03-06-2010

Health experts from within and beyond the WHO European Region agree that urgent action is needed to address health-care-associated infections (HAI) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Across the European Union, HAI affect over 4 million patients every year, resulting in 16 million extra days in hospital and an annual economic impact of about €7 billion.

SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands. A global campaign to improve hygiene among health-care workers, 5 May 2010 12-05-2010

This initiative was launched on 5 May 2009 as a global event to monitor progress in addressing the first global patient safety challenge and exchange of best practices in hand hygiene. Health care facilities and countries were encouraged to register and endorse the multimodal hand-hygiene implementation strategy as well as running their own satellite events.