Global Patient Safety Action Plan

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Overview

Patient safety is fundamental to the provision of health care in all settings. However, avoidable adverse events, errors and risks associated with health care remain major challenges for patient safety globally.

The Seventy-second World Health Assembly in 2019 adopted resolution WHA72.6 on global action on patient safety and mandated for development of  a global patient safety action plan.

This global action plan was adopted by Seventy-Fourth World Health Assembly in 2021 with a vision of “a world in which no one is harmed in health care, and every patient receives safe and respectful care, every time, everywhere”.

The purpose of the action plan is to provide strategic direction for all stakeholders for eliminating avoidable harm in health care and improving patient safety in different practice domains through policy actions on safety and quality of health services, as well as for implementation of recommendations at the point of care. The action plan provides a framework for countries to develop their respective national action plans on patient safety, as well to align existing strategic instruments for improving patient safety in all clinical and health-related programmes.

Background

  • Recognizing that improving and ensuring patient safety is a growing challenge to health service delivery globally the Seventy-second World Health Assembly in 2019 adopted resolution WHA72.6 on global action on patient safety. It urged Member States – and, where applicable, regional economic integration organizations – inter alia, to recognize patient safety as a health priority in health sector policies and programmes.
  • The Health Assembly also requested the Director-General, inter alia, to formulate a global patient safety action plan in consultation with Member States and all relevant stakeholders, including in the private sector, for submission to the 74th World Health Assembly in 2021 through the Executive Board at its 148th session. 
  • In response, the Secretariat has initiated the development of a draft global patient safety action plan. The action plan aims to provide Member States and other stakeholders with an action-oriented framework to facilitate the implementation of strategic patient safety interventions at all levels of health systems globally over the next 10 years (2021–2030).
  • The draft action plan will provide strategic direction for all stakeholders in improving patient safety in their practice domain through policy actions as well as implementation of recommendations at the point of care. The draft action plan will provide list of suggested actions for governments, civil society, international organizations, intergovernmental organizations, the Secretariat and, most importantly, for health care facilities.
Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021-2030
3 August 2021

Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021-2030
The Global Patient Safety Action Plan provides a framework for countries to develop their respective national action plans on patient safety, as well to...
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Policy Makers' Forum: Patient Safety Implementation

WHO Patient Safety Flagship in collaboration with all WHO Regional Offices organized a high-level Policy Makers’ Forum: Patient Safety Implementation on 23–24 February 2022. The forum was convened to sustain the global patient safety movement and initiate national action by policy makers and health care leaders for implementation of the Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021–2030. Detailed information is available below.