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

Patient participation in elective surgery safety in Portugal
readiness of the actors involved to embrace the new role of the patient. More research
could contribute to the real awareness, commitment and experiences of HCWs and
health care institutions in relation to patient safety and patient engagement in the
domain of surgical care. Institutions and HCWs must be prepared to accept the new
role of the patient and to improve HCW–patient relationships (5). A large-scale and
well-designed education campaign following the proposal of Longtin et al. (5) may help
physicians, nurses and all HCWs to recognize the value of patient participation.
Recommendation 5 – Ensure that patient safety receives proper attention in training
Considering the Luxembourg Declaration, which focuses on patient safety (108), and
European Council recommendations (3), the Kraków statement on quality and safety
education (109) promotes the idea that ensuring patient safety receives proper attention
in higher education curricula (undergraduate and postgraduate education) and training
of all HCWs (including work-based training) supports the development of core
competences in patient safety (3,109). Based on this assumption, WHO published
a patient safety curriculum guide for medical schools (8) in 2009 and, in 2011, a
multiprofessional version (110).
Recommendation 6 – Apply targeted incentives to encourage professionals’ acceptance of the
new patient role
The application of incentive schemes (beyond financial encouragement) 35 may also
contribute to improving health care professionals’ participation and acceptance of
the new role of patients. Access to education and training, effective supervision and
monitoring, and an approach to lifelong learning and personal development are
nonfinancial incentives highly valued by health care professionals (111).
Recommendation 7 – Disseminate information on patient safety via mass media
The lack of information that seems to exist in Portuguese society (81,82) demands a
real commitment to engage with and inform citizens by disseminating information on
patient safety standards, risks and safety measures to reduce or prevent errors and harm
(3). Bearing in mind that television remains the preferred method for transmitting to
Portuguese citizens, enhancing television awareness campaigns – adjusted to users’ ages,
literacy levels and gender – may also contribute to global consciousness of the new role
of the patient. Enhanced research on the use of ICT could also support the development
of new campaigns by allowing know-how to reach the health care user.
References
1. Hafner V et al., eds. A brief synopsis of patient safety. Copenhagen, WHO
Regional Office for Europe, 2010 (http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/
pdf_file/0015/111507/E93833.pdf, accessed 3 May 2012).
2. Øvretveit J, Klazinga N. Guidance on developing quality and safety strategies with
a health system approach. Copenhagen, WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2008
(http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/96473/E91317.pdf, accessed
3 May 2012).
35 WHO defines incentives as: “all the rewards and punishments that providers face as a consequence of the organizations in
which they work, the institutions under which they operate and the specific interventions they provide” (111).
109