September 17th, 2024: “Get it right, make it safe!”

World Patient Safety Day, established by the Seventy-second World Health Assembly in 2019, is observed annually on September 17. Patient safety is a broad term that encompasses various types of complications that patients may encounter including: medication errors, unsafe surgical procedures, health care-associated infections, diagnostic errors, patient falls, pressure ulcers, patient misidentification, unsafe blood transfusion and venous thromboembolism.

This year marks the fifth celebration of this vital day. Each year emphasizes a unique theme that points to an important aspect of patient safety which requires attention. The theme for this year is “Improving diagnosis for patient safety,” accompanied by the slogan “Get it right, make it safe!”

The World Health Organization (WHO) has set four objectives for this initiative:

1. Increase awareness of diagnostic errors that lead to patient harm, highlighting the essential role accurate and timely diagnoses play in enhancing patient safety.

2. Stress the significance of precise diagnoses within healthcare policies.

3. Promote collaboration among policymakers, healthcare leaders, professionals, patient organizations, and stakeholders to advance accurate and timely diagnostic practices.

4. Empower patients and families to actively engage with healthcare providers in improving diagnostic processes.

Diagnostic errors contribute to approximately 16% of preventable harm in healthcare, underscoring the urgent need for improvements in diagnostic safety. Such errors can occur at any stage of the diagnostic process and in various healthcare settings. They can be classified into three main categories:

à Delayed diagnosis: This occurs when a health condition is not identified promptly, often due to inappropriate testing, outdated assessment methods, or failure to follow up on results.

à Incorrect diagnosis: This happens when a wrong diagnosis is given, resulting in unsuitable, and possibly harmful, treatments, while the actual condition is identified later.

à Missed diagnosis: This refers to the failure to recognize a patient’s health issue, which may lead to deterioration of their condition and avoidable harm due to a lack of treatment.

The WHO aims to enhance the focus on diagnostic safety in patient safety policies and clinical practices at all levels of healthcare, aligning these efforts with the Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021–2030.

In line with this approach, MAHAK Hospital annually receives updated patient safety guidelines from Iran Ministry of Health and Medical Education, which carefully implements the sorted instructions in the hospital routine procedures.

Happy Patient Safety Day! May all children suffering from cancer experience the optimal safety conditions and successfully regain their health.

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month Factsheet No.3:

A detailed family history can help identify potential genetic predispositions to certain childhood cancers, aiding in early detection and diagnosis.