A brief synopsis on patient safety

2010

This document provides a simplified and non-exhaustive synopsis of the major international patient safety initiatives – past and present – undertaken in the WHO European Region. While patient safety is a complex issue spanning numerous public health and health-care domains, this document adopts a generic understanding of the subject in respect to avoidable harm. As such, most of the patient safety interventions chosen for this document have a general and cross-cutting character and do not include the many complementary and dedicated actions developed at various levels of the health system and beyond. Moreover, as patient safety is constantly developing better ways to respond to health, economic, social and environmental challenges, the document is to be seen as a 'snapshot' of the current state of affairs in the WHO European Region, and as a work in progress.