When I was in my first week of training as a paediatrician in the role of paediatric registrar, a young doctor, a house officer, was in the assessment area for children with gastroenteritis. He assessed a baby who was 10% dehydrated and acidotic. He asked a nurse for 5mls of Sodium Chloride (NCl). The nurse drew up the NCl and handed to the doctor who injected the medication into the intravenous line. The baby had a cardiac arrest and died a few hours later.

As I approach my first anniversary as CEO, I have taken some time to reflect on my past year with ISQua.

On Monday 22 November, the UK under its G7 Presidency convened a meeting on ‘Patient safety: from vision to reality’, co-sponsored with the World Health Organization (WHO). Patient safety is a critical global public health issue and is essential if health systems are to advance and achieve universal health coverage (UHC).

For this year's World Patient Safety Day celebrated on 17^th September, the theme chosen in a wide consultation conducted by the World Health Organization was "Safe Maternal and Newborn Care", accompanied by the call to action "Act now for the safe and respectful birth!".

Vea la grabación del webinar del Día Mundial de la Seguridad del Paciente 2021 que se celebró el 14 de septiembre.

Depuis « To Err is Human » en 1999, le secteur des soins de santé multiplie les initiatives pour améliorer la sécurité des patients et rendre nos systèmes de soins plus fiables. 

The International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua) is pleased to endorse the new decision-making tool to help healthcare leaders implement hospital and nursing home visitation policies that balance safety and infection control with the importance of in-person family presence. 

Call for case studies on the application of human factors and ergonomics principles to improve patient and healthcare worker safety – International Ergonomics Association (IEA) and WHO

ISQua members don’t need telling that the task of improving healthcare is not a simple one. Evidence and experience from the work we’ve funded at the Health Foundation tells us it’s often fiendishly complex, requiring careful design, diligent execution, multiple cycles of testing and iteration, deep reserves of leadership energy and enthusiasm, and much more.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Nelson Mandela