In the run-up to the 73rd session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe, WHO/Europe held an open consultation with government representatives, civil society and the wider public on some of the key findings included in an upcoming regional report on quality of care and patient safety.
Taking place at a virtual Regional Committee side event on 11 September and organized by the WHO Office on Quality of Care and Patient Safety in Athens, the consultation was an opportunity to gather feedback on some of the key findings in the report, first ever from WHO/Europe to focus specifically on quality of care.
“Quality of care is a topic very close to my heart because the principle in medicine is primum non nocere – first, do no harm. In practice this means looking backwards as well as forwards – establishing a feedback loop so we can continually improve,” said Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, in opening the event.
About the report
Quality of care is at the heart of health systems’ performance. This includes ensuring that patients are involved in the evaluation and design of quality health-care services – whether in primary care or hospital facilities. The lack of data and indicators in this area has prompted WHO/Europe to develop this new report.
“It’s time to discuss the situation around quality of care and patient safety in Europe. Over several months, we have collaborated closely with country representatives, our dedicated team, and experts to examine data availability,” said Dr João Breda, Head of the WHO Office on Quality of Care and Patient Safety in Athens. “Through diligent data collection and analysis, we have compiled what we believe is a concise and important report, which we hope will be useful to practitioners and policy-makers alike.”
The September event saw the unveiling of the preliminary report, coupled with discussions among participants about the significance of quality of care and patient safety within the policy landscape, while outlining indicators to measure important aspects of quality. The report evaluates quality through key dimensions such as access, patient safety, effectiveness, equity, efficiency, and patient-centredness.
Highlighting preliminary findings
The report’s initial findings show that most countries focus on access, efficiency, and equity, while fewer take into consideration people-centredness. In contrast, almost half of the countries included in the survey lack data on effectiveness and patient safety.
“There is almost no comprehensive knowledge about the expectations and experiences of people, what they think about the quality of care in given health systems, and how they experienced it. There are quite limited data on the state of quality of care in the European Region overall,” said Dr Suzanne Carai, consultant with WHO/Europe and one of the co-authors of the report.
The report paints a mixed picture, with a lack of understanding of people’s health-care expectations and a shortage of comprehensive data on health-care quality as common trends.
The report’s key findings include:
- progress on person-centredness and fairness in health care;
- patient safety and efficiency falling short;
- more than half of the countries in the Region either moving towards or with national plans already in place to improve quality of care and patient safety in hospitals;
- over 90% of countries planning to combat antimicrobial resistance; and
- less focus on preventing health misinformation.
Next steps
The report, which will be finalized before the end of the year, provides clear guidance on how governments can create high-quality health-care systems. Prioritizing quality of care must regain a central position on the policy agenda, with active public involvement to measure essential quality aspects. To support this, WHO/Europe has launched the People’s Voice Survey, an innovative project currently under way in Greece, which enables active participation of members of the public and monitoring of their perspectives, which fosters a collaborative environment.
Moving forward, countries should develop and implement national plans for quality of care. These plans can only be effective if governments steer their systems towards primary health care and collaboration between the different components of the health system, a critical element in building high-quality health-care systems. Looking ahead, reviewing, sharing, and implementing digital health solutions will be crucial for enhancing the quality of care across the Region.