The future of patient safety worldwide

The global patient safety movement started with the publication of the Institute of Medicine’s landmark report To Err is Human back in 1999.  Since then, patients in health systems all over the world are sill being harmed.

Now, the The NIHR Imperial Patient Safety Translational Research Centre (PSTRC) in the UK (part of the NHS) has released its Patient Safety 2030 report.  "This paper and the Summit it informs are only small steps toward the goal of continuously reducing harm; the hope is that they spark increased energy to catalyse true change and provide an accessible summary of the challenges and most promising solutions in patient safety."

The authors of the report recommend a strategy that includes a systems approach, a culture of quality and safety based on positive reinforcement rather than blame, a partnership with patients and a bias towards action rather than inaction. There must also be a true effort to include middle and low-income countries in a global push.