First International Patient Safety Congress inaugurated in Hyderabad

The First International Patient Safety Congress was inaugurated in Hyderabad, on April 21, at HICC, Hyderabad. Hosted by the Apollo Hospitals Group, the two-day conference was inaugurated by Preetha Reddy, MD, Apollo Hospitals Group.

The prime purpose of this Congress was to discuss how proactive practice in healthcare systems can improve patient safety. The multi-disciplinary sessions involved participants from all areas of the healthcare continuum, including clinical and administrative leaders, practitioners, healthcare academics, healthcare regulators as well as patients and caregivers.

Speaking at the occasion, Reddy emphasised, “Patient safety is a global responsibility, which needs to be cultivated within every healthcare system. It is for the first time that we have come together to address this issue, which focuses on the reporting, analysis and prevention of medical error that might lead to adverse situations. A challenging global issue, both for the developed and developing countries, patient safety also helps in defining quality healthcare. We have to come forward to train and educate people about patient safety, which is a very important aspect for any healthcare provider.”

Meeting these goals helps healthcare providers ensure a safe healthcare environment for patients. Accreditation is the most important initiative to improve patient safety standards in an organisation, region or a country.

Elaborating on patient safety, Ann Jacobson, ED, JCI, said, “To promote patient safety, practitioners should identify problem areas in a hospital and thereafter develop practices to correct these errors. A global Incident Reporting System and evidence-based Patient Safety solutions should be part of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Sentinel events should also be tracked. JCI-accredited hospitals have a mandate to conduct a root cause analysis of any sentinel event within 45 days of occurrence. All these procedures will go a long way in ensuring better patient safety outcomes.”

Recognising that healthcare errors impact one in every 10 patients worldwide, the World Health Organization calls Patient Safety an endemic concern. “It is with this background that Apollo Hospital Group accords the highest priority to the safety and quality of care for each of its patients.”