Patient safety: the need for global sharing and learning

Patient safety is a worldwide problem with many countries grappling with the issue. A vast number of stakeholders, NGOs and organisations also exist to offer professional advice, services and publications. In resource-constrained healthcare environments, it is important to try not to waste time and money reinventing the wheel when proven solutions are already in place in other countries. Global knowledge sharing and learning helps all countries, regardless of income level, and this needs to be encouraged.

We know that keeping up to date with the latest information in patient safety is a difficult task given the large amount of information from a variety of sources.

‘Trusts receive too many safety-related messages from too many different sources. The trusts we spoke to said there needed to be better communication and coordination between national bodies, and greater clarity around the roles of the various organisations that send these messages.’

When we add to the mix the growing body of international patient safety information, the learning obligation cannot always be met.