Europe - European Health Commissioner Vassiliou outlines new patient safety communication

Citation

(2010), "Europe - European Health Commissioner Vassiliou outlines new patient safety communication", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 23 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijhcqa.2010.06223cab.007

Europe - European Health Commissioner Vassiliou outlines new patient safety communication

Article Type: News and views From: International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Volume 23, Issue 3

Keywords: Patient safety initiatives, Global health care planning, Healthcare innovation, Healthcare workforce, Europe

The address by Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou to senior policy-makers and healthcare stakeholders emphasised the importance of improving the quality of healthcare in Europe, a key component of the Commission’s Europe for Patients campaign. One of the ten healthcare initiatives that are part of the campaign is a Communication and proposal for a Council Recommendation on patient safety and healthcare associated infections, which was the main focus of her speech.

Health First Europe’s (HFE) “New Horizons” Congress brought together patients’ representatives, healthcare workers, academics and healthcare experts, policy-makers and the medical technology industry, to examine the healthcare challenges of today with a view to guaranteeing a healthier tomorrow. Over 120 participants discussed patients’ views on access and safety, innovation in the healthcare sector and the challenges facing the healthcare workforce – all concerns which feature high on the EU’s agenda today.

While addressing the Congress, Commissioner Vassiliou emphasised that “the foundation of good quality healthcare lies in patient safety and this is an area of healthcare where we can see real EU added value. It is estimated, that between 8 per cent and 12 per cent of patients admitted to hospitals in the EU each year suffer from adverse effects whilst receiving healthcare. These are unacceptable numbers, which affect not only the patients but also their families and health professionals, and have negative economic outcomes in addition to the negative health outcomes. The Commission’s proposed Council recommendations will help to reduce mortality and morbidity of EU citizens receiving healthcare by sharing member states’ data, experiences, expertise and good practice at the EU level.”

The Commission’s new patient safety communication will elaborate for the first time a common strategy for Europe. The proposed Council recommendation will take account of discussions in the Working Group on Patient Safety which gathered together representatives of all the EU Member States and pan-EU stakeholder organisations, as well as in the Commission’s public consultations on patient safety earlier this year. It will also compliment the work of EUNetPaS, the European Network for Patient Safety, a project co-funded by the Commission. It is hoped that the recommendation will be adopted by Council in the first half of 2009 under the Czech Presidency of the EU.

The prevention and control of healthcare associated infections (HAIs) is a key focus of the initiative. HAIs are among the most frequent and potentially significant causes of harm, affecting an estimated one in 20 hospital patients, corresponding to an approximately 4.1 million patients in the EU each year.

Reducing the numbers of adverse patient events in hospitals requires an integrated approach that puts patient safety at the core of high quality healthcare systems and brings together all the factors that have a direct impact on it. HFE’s two most recent policy papers (“View on the future of healthcare for healthcare workers” and “View on the future of healthcare in the field of medical technology”) released during the Congress address precisely how this can be achieved, and the key role played by different levels of the healthcare system including ICT systems, processes, health professionals, managers, medicines, and medical devices in delivering high quality healthcare service.

For more information see: www.healthfirsteurope.org