27 October 2004

Overview

The World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners announced a series of key actions to cut the number of illnesses, injuries and deaths suffered by patients during health care, with the launch of the World Alliance for Patient Safety. Ministers of health and senior officials, academics, patients' groups and WHO representatives came together from all corners of the globe to advance the patient safety goal of "First do no harm" and reduce the adverse health and social consequences of unsafe health care.

The launch meeting, which took place at the Pan American Health Organization in Washington , DC, was organized around a series of keynote speeches. The meeting, encouraged participants to strengthen common action for integration of patient safety issues in national health policy and practice that would lead to much greater long-term safety in health care. Progress made at regional levels was described by WHO Regional Directors.

The meeting heard that the World Alliance for Patient Safety aims to deliver six major action areas during 2005-2006:

• Global Patient Safety Challenge focusing on health care associated infection;
• Patients for Patient Safety involving patient oranizations and individuals in Alliance work;
• International Classification for Patient Safety ensuring consistency in the concepts, principles, norms and terminology used in Patient Safety work;
• Research for Patient Safety developing a rapid assessment tool for use in developing countries and undertaking prevalence studies of adverse effects;
• Solutions for Patient Safety promoting existing interventions in patient safety and coordinating international efforts to develop solutions.
• Reporting and learning generating best practice guidelines.

Forward programme 2005

World Alliance for Patient Safety

• Download document
  pdf, 886kb
  
  

Media

• Media advisory
• Press release
• Fact sheets
  pdf, 83kb
• World Alliance for Patient Safety. Forward programme 2005
  pdf, 886kb

Launch documents

• Infonote - Launch
  pdf, 304kb
• Infonote - Alliance
  pdf, 51kb

Launch programme

• Agenda
  pdf, 161kb

Photos (1)

Sir Liam Donaldson, Chair of the World Alliance for Patient Safety and Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Dr Mirta Roses, Regional Director, WHO Regional Office for the Americas and Director of the Pan American Health Organization

Dr Ebrahim Samba, former Regional Director of the WHO Regional Office for Africa and Dr Carolyn Clancy, Director, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Department of Health and Human Services, United States of America

Dr LEE Jong-wook, Director- General, World Health Organization

Sir Liam Donaldson, Chair of the World Alliance for Patient Safety delivering keynote speech

Dr Carolyn Clancy, Director, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Department of Health and Human Services, delivering keynote speech

Ms Susan Sheridan, leading the Patients for Patient Safety Prgramme of the World Alliance

Photos (2)

Panellists at the launch of the World Alliance for Patient Safety

Sir Liam Donaldson and Ms Susan Sheridan

Dr Ebrahim Samba, former Regional Director of the WHO Regional Office for Africa delivering his keynote speech

Ms Susan Sheridan responding to a question from the audience

Dr Ebrahim Samba responding to a question from the audience

Dr Carolyn Clancy, Director, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Department of Health and Human Services

Delegates at the launch of the World Alliance for Patient Safety

Photos (3)

Dr Dr LEE Jong-wook, and Dr Mirta Roses

Delegates at the launch of the World Alliance for Patient Safety

Dr E. Samba responding to questions

Ms Susan Sheridan delivering her speech

The Launch of the World Alliance for Patient Safety: Sir Liam Donaldson, Dr Ebrahim Samba , Dr Mirta Roses, Dr Carolyn Clancy, Ms Susan Sheridan and Dr LEE Jong-wook