Patient Safety Awareness Week

Patient Safety Awareness Week is an annual recognition event. It is intended to encourage both patients and medical professionals to learn more about health care safety. It is also designated to inspire action to improve the safety of the health care system. This improvement benefits both patients and the medical workforce. Wear blue to recognize the importance of this awareness week. Personalized Cause offers blue enamel awareness ribbon pins, fabric ribbons in blue (bulk), and blue silicone awareness wristbands to support this important week.

This important public health focused week takes place during the second full week of March. Patient Safety Awareness Week serves as a dedicated time and platform for growing awareness about patient safety. It also acknowledges improved safety measures.

Patient Safety Awareness Week influences individuals, organizations, coalitions, and other stakeholders. The awareness week helps teach others about the importance of healthcare safety by sharing social media messages. Partners may also use them to craft content for other communications, including websites, e-mails, and newsletters. Topics include an introduction to Patient Safety Awareness Week, Hand Hygiene (washing and timing), Antibiotic Stewardship, Environment Cleaning and Disinfecting, Disease Reporting, and PPE (Personal Protective Equipment).

Why a Focus on Safety during Patient Safety Awareness Week?

Although there has been real progress made in patient safety over the past two decades, current estimates cite medical harm as a leading cause of death worldwide. For this reason, Patient Safety Awareness Week is an important observation and one that is honored annually.

The World Health Organization estimates that 134 million adverse events occur each year. This is due to unsafe care in hospitals in low- and middle-income countries. As a result, there have been 2.6 million deaths attributable to patient safety harm. Additionally, some 40 percent of patients experience harm in ambulatory and primary care settings. According to WHO, an estimated 80 percent of these harms are preventable.

Some studies suggest that as many as 400,000 deaths occur in the United States each year as a result of errors or preventable harm. Not every case of harm results in death. This harm, however, can cause long-term impact on the patient’s physical health, emotional health, financial well-being, or family relationships. Preventing harm in health care settings is a public health concern. Everyone interacts with the health care system at some point in life. And everyone has a role to play in advancing safe health care.