One of the World Health Organisations (WHO) global public health days is World Patient Safety Day, which is a day dedicated to ensuring patient safety is prioritised.

This year’s theme for World Patient Safety Day is Medication Safety. With the slogan “Medications without Harm” which looks at the importance of medicine and the ways it can be used to treat or prevent illness.

Focusing on the serious harm caused to an individual when medication is prescribed, stored, dispended, or administered wrong.

These mistakes can be caused by a variety of situations such as poor environmental conditions and staff shortages, which has seen an  increase ever since the beginning of worldwide lockdowns that were put in place due to COVID-19.  

This day was first organised in 2019 by the seventy second world Health Assembly encouraging member states to take action to ensure that they can deliver the best possible and safest care to all individuals around the world. Taking steps to reduce medication-related harm by 50% globally in the next five years. 

Change can be made in many ways and spreading the message is a huge part of this process, not only does it reach thousands all hoping to make a difference it also puts pressure on key areas where medication and patient related harm is significantly high. Which is why events like those listed below help to kickstart these changes.  

What has been arranged?  

• Webinars 
• Activities (to be announced by the WHO at a later date)  
• Host a global virtual event  

Make sure you also look out for monuments around the world turning orange to show support, such as Geneva’s Jet d’Eau all taking place around September 17, 2022, the official day.  

Change is also made by a list of key objectives that focus on putting demands on systems and practices of medicine, healthcare professionals, medicine, patients, and the public. These objectives include: 

• Raising global awareness 
• Engaging key stakeholders 
• Empowering patients  
• Scaling up implementation of the WHO Global Patient Safety Day 

How can you help? 

It’s important that this day gets enough recognition as possible and that we are all able to take something away from this day, even if that is just becoming more aware of the importance of safe practices surrounding medication and patient health.  

However, if you are able to and have the time then here are three options for you to be involved in World Patient Safety Day: 

• Talk about it – this can be with friends, family or/and within your organisation 
• Share resources about World Patient Safety Day with others  
• Post about World Patient Safety Day on social media