Enhancing safety in health care for all

WHO is committed to improving safety in health care by supporting countries through the provision of evidence-based guidelines to reduce medical errors, ranging from diagnostic to medication errors.  The goal is to ensure that everyone, no matter where they receive care, can expect and experience safe, high-quality health services.

Whenever we interact with the health care system, whether as patients, health workers, or visitors, safety should be a priority. From the medicines we take to the procedures we undergo and the environment we're in, there's a need to minimize risks. This broad perspective of safety, known as patient safety, goes beyond patients to include the safety of everyone involved.

Enhancing safety in health care requires coordinated efforts across the entire health system. This includes a variety of specific domains, such as clinical practice safety, diagnostic safety, health care technology safety, medication safety, surgical safety, infection prevention and control, radiation safety, blood safety, maternal and newborn safety, occupational safety, and many more.

Each year on September 17, World Patient Safety Day brings together a diverse group of patients, families, caregivers, communities, health workers, health care leaders and policy-makers to affirm their commitment to patient safety and raise global awareness.

The WHO Office for Quality of Care and Patient Safety in Athens (Greece) helps countries to build the capacity of health care workers through education and training, equipping them with knowledge and skills to deliver safe care. The Office also partners with countries to perform assessments regarding safety in various settings. These include hospitals, primary health care facilities, and even patients’ homes.