Patient engagement in reducing safety risks in health care

Patient safety, rights and resulting patient empowerment were reviewed from technical, legal and social points of view, at general level and in specified technical fields. Hand hygiene, elective surgery, blood transfusion safety and medication were selected as areas to explore exiting patient empowerment and its potential role to improve quality and safety of care. Enhancing patient involvement and health literacy appear to be incisive, but not easy to achieve, ways to improve patient safety.