The World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Patient Safety and the WHO World Alliance for Patient Safety, housed in Oakbrook Terrace and Oak Brook, Ill, have invited health ministries, health care provider organizations, health care professionals, patient safety advocates, consumers, and other interested parties to comment on five proposed, potentially lifesaving “Patient Safety Solutions” selected as priorities by the Collaborating Centre’s international steering committee.
The Collaborating Centre, jointly sponsored by The Joint Commission, Oakbrook Terrace, Ill, and the Joint Commission International, Oak Brook, Ill, develops selected Solutions in concert with the WHO World Alliance for Patient Safety. This activity represents the Solutions program of the WHO World Alliance for Patient Safety, which translates knowledge about patient safety interventions into practical solutions for use by the global community.
The electronic Patient Safety Solutions survey will be available online until Feb 29, 2008.
The new set of Solutions addresses challenges such as prevention of patient falls, prevention of pressure ulcers, response to the deteriorating patient, communication of critical test results, and prevention of bloodstream infections associated with central lines.
The intent of the Solutions and others issued previously is to guide the redesign of patient care processes to prevent inevitable human errors from reaching patients. The International Steering Committee and Regional Advisory Councils in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region and the WHO Alliance have reviewed the proposed Solutions, and their comments have been integrated in the documents.
The Internet-based survey is one of the most critical stages in the Solutions development process.
After feedback from the field review has been incorporated, the Solutions will again be reviewed and acted on by the International Steering Committee in spring 2008.
The first set of Solutions was launched earlier this year. They addressed the issues of look-alike, sound-alike medications; correct patient identification; hand-over communications; wrong-site, wrong-patient surgery; use of concentrated electrolyte solutions; medication reconciliation; catheter and tubing misconnections; needle reuse and injection safety; and hand hygiene.
Questions about the field survey should be directed to Gerry Castro, project director, Joint Commission International Center for Patient Safety, at [email protected]. For more information about the project, visit the Web site.
