Exploring patient participation in reducing health-care-related safety risks

Patient participation in elective surgery safety in Portugal
that major progress in the use of information in the health system, in doctor–patient
relationships and in health care performance is related to the enormous amount of
health and medical information available on the Internet (93), but the quality of
such information is being discussed in different settings and by different stakeholders
(governments, policy-makers, HCWs and citizens). Specialist analysis of ICT was
carried out by a group of national experts as part of preparations for the national health
plan 2011–2016, with the High Commissioner for Health publishing findings in
September 2010. They reported that the topic was still being approached only cautiously
and was sparsely documented in national studies and analyses (93).
Increasing use of ICT as a health information resource by Portuguese citizens and
families seems, nevertheless, to be consistent with the international picture (93). In the
“Network society in 2006” inquiry, 19.6% of Internet users stated that they searched for
online health information. This represented a 3% increase from the 15.9% recorded in
2003 (97). There seemed to be a correlation in the 2003 study with users’ age, literacy
and gender, with individuals who looked most for health information being between 25
and 44 years (97). A decrease in ICT skills was the reason for the rate decrease in older
ages, but more women (22%) searched for health information than men (17.6%).
In relation to the type of information researched on the Internet, 70.1% of respondents
looked for information/advice about a health issue and 28.2% used the Internet as a
complementary information platform following a medical appointment. People searched
mainly for information about diseases and treatments (11.4%), health insurance (8.3%),
hospitals (8.2%) and the NHS (7.9%). They were mostly concerned about public health
issues: 16.2% looked for information about keeping in good shape and exercising, and
11.7% researched nutrition. A further 6.8% wanted to know about heart disease.
In another study carried out in 2007, 49% of Portuguese citizens accessed the Internet,
of whom 62% used it for health information research (30% of the total sample) (98).
Media
Television is still the preferred popular medium in Portugal, with coverage reaching
99.5% of the national population (99). In 2010, Portuguese people spent almost
3.5 hours daily watching television (100), preferring news programmes (48.5%) and
series (15.9%). Health information is mostly available through informative and
fiction programmes (soap operas and series). Health and social services topics
correspond to 4% (in time) of the total national news coverage (99). Currently, the
Portuguese public television provider (channel RTP1) provides a weekly debate
programme entitled “Health Service” (101), which provides a platform for discussion
and reflection that brings together health professionals, health care institutions, patients
and their families. The programme “Civil Society” (on RTP2) (102) is a network
connecting citizens with partners such as health professionals’ associations, universities
and patients’ associations.
Recommendations
Concern about patient safety in Portugal has become more apparent in recent years,
bringing with it the opportunity to develop a national strategy for patient safety capable
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