Patient safety is a public health priority and a globally shared challenge, thus international cooperation is crucial. One of the most significant advances in this area to date is the recent adoption of the resolution "Global Action on Patient Safety" by the World Health Assembly, which enabled the first-ever World Patient Safety Day this past September. In recent years, the Global Ministerial Summit on Patient Safety has become one of the central platforms for improving patient safety worldwide. It represents an effective tool for facilitating collaboration between countries and stakeholders alike.

Since their inception in 2016, the Summits have succeeded in raising awareness, as well as creating and maintaining the momentum of the global patient safety movement, as evidenced by the aforementioned achievement at the WHO level. One of the key challenges that we are currently facing consists of ensuring the appropriate and sustainable implementation of suitable concepts and approaches, crucial to ensure the success of the WHA-resolution. 

Building on the success of past Summits, the 2020 Summit in Switzerland will focus on the critical issue of implementation, with the slogan  “Less harm better care - from resolution to implementation” as the central theme. The Summit will acknowledge the progress made thus far and, at the same time, contemplate the future of this global public health endeavour. As patient safety concerns a wide spectrum of health care issues and policies, such as governance, surgical safety and healthcare-acquired infections, the 2020 Summit will incorporate the corresponding thematic aspects. It will strive to show how successful and sustainable implementation can be attained in different contexts and settings. In this sense, we consider it important to exchange information and good practices on these topics.

As in previous years, the event will consist of two days. On Thursday 27 February 2020, renowned experts and stakeholders from all over the world gather in order to advance the international debate on how to improve patient safety. The second day, Friday 28 February 2020, is dedicated to the ministerial part.

The summit will be held in Montreux, Switzerland on the 27-28 February 2020 and registration for the first day (27th February 2020) is open to anyone interested in participating and especially international Patient Safety experts, scholars and leaders. 

Registration to the Summit should be completed online: https://pss2020.ch/registration/ and is open as well as free of charge for all participants. We encourage all interested parties to register by the 15th of January 2020.