Get it right, make it safe!
World Patient Safety Day brings together patients, families, caregivers, communities, health workers, policymakers and health care leaders to show their commitment to patient safety.
This year the theme is “Improving diagnosis for patient safety” with the slogan “Get it right, make it safe!”, highlighting the critical importance of correct and timely diagnosis in ensuring patient safety and improving health outcomes.
A diagnosis identifies a patient’s health problem, and is key to accessing the care and treatment they need. Diagnoses can be missed, delayed, incorrect or miscommunicated at any stage. In fact, almost all adults will experience at least one diagnostic error in their lifetime.
Errors can result from several factors, such as shortage of trained health workers, lack of tests, malfunctioning equipment, breakdowns in communication, health care workers’ cognitive biases or incomplete patient symptoms and medical history. Correct and timely diagnosis is a team effort. Everyone along the way has a role to play. Let's work together to get it right, make it safe!
Campaign objectives
- Raise global awareness of errors in diagnosis contributing to patient harm and emphasize the pivotal role of correct, timely and safe diagnosis in improving patient safety.
- Give prominence to diagnostic safety in patient safety policy and clinical practice at all levels of health care, aligned with the Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021–2030.
- Foster collaboration among policy-makers, health care leaders, health workers, patient organizations, and other stakeholders in advancing correct, timely and safe diagnosis.
- Empower patients and families to actively engage with health workers and health care leaders to improve diagnostic processes.