World Patient Safety Day makes the voice of clients, patients and families heard
World Patient Safety Day is celebrated every year on 17 September. The World Health Organization (WHO) chose “Engaging patients for patient safety” as this year’s theme. In Finland, the day is called Client and Patient Safety Day.
This year’s theme recognises the crucial role of patients, clients and their families in promoting client and patient safety and encourages them to take an active part in the improvement of their services and care as well as client and patient safety.
“Healthcare and social welfare are for clients and patients. Safe and high-quality services and care are created together with clients, patients and their families. Developing client and patient safety requires increased understanding of what engagement means and what opportunities there are to promote it. We must also monitor its realisation,” says Senior Ministerial Adviser Kaisa Halinen of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.
Senior Specialist Tarja Pajunen of the Finnish Centre for Client and Patient Safety points out that increased engagement improves client and patient safety.
“Engagement means actions and it belongs to each and every one of us, but it can only be realised if the users of services are aware of their rights and opportunities to influence. We want to highlight this important role in ensuring and developing client and patient safety”, says Pajunen.
Orange is the colour of the day
The theme day will be celebrated in a variety of ways around Finland. Buildings and landmarks will be lit up in orange. During the week, operators in the healthcare and social welfare sector will hold lectures and training sessions and wear orange.
A webinar that is open to everyone will be organised in Turku on 15 September 2023 at 12.00–16.00, with a focus on making the voice of clients, patients and their families heard.
More information on the webinar and how to participate in the celebration of the theme day is available on the website of the Finnish Centre for Client and Patient Safety.
The purpose of World Patient Safety Day, celebrated since 2019, is to raise awareness of patient safety among patients, professionals, researchers and decision-makers.
Inquiries:
Kaisa Halinen, Senior Ministerial Adviser, Medical Affairs, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, [email protected] (theme day)
Tarja Pajunen, Senior Specialist, Finnish Centre for Client and Patient Safety, wellbeing services county of Ostrobothnia, tel. +358 40 182 0904, [email protected] (webinar)
Read more about World Patient Safety Day on the WHO website:
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