More patient involvement can prevent harm – Vienna Online – Health

Katharina Reich, head of the Department of Public Health and Health System at the Ministry of Health, said on Thursday that she was committed to increasing patient engagement “during treatment.” More participation leads to improvements in the quality of treatment and people’s health literacy.

International research shows that about one in ten people treated as patients in a healthcare facility experience harm. At least 50 percent of this damage can be avoided. Through patient participation, the burden of harm can be reduced by 15 percent and countless lives can be saved every year, the Austrian Patient Safety Platform press conference in Vienna said. In addition, significant expenses will be saved, which is much needed in the health system.

September 17 has been declared World Patient Safety Day by the World Health Organization, and this year is dedicated to the theme of patient engagement under the slogan “Engaging patients for patient safety.” “The theme of this year’s Action Week emphasizes that the participation of patients in their treatment and the involvement of their relatives increases their protection and leads to better outcomes in care,” said Brigitte Eitel, former medical director of the Hitzing Clinic and president of the Hitzing Hospital. Patient safety platform.

On the occasion of Patient Safety Day, the Ostromed advocacy group for medical device companies and the platform “Fighting Hospital Bacteria” jointly called for more measures against infections in healthcare facilities (nosocomial infections). On the one hand, you call for strengthening patients’ rights. It is currently up to patients to prove that there was misconduct on the part of healthcare staff that led to the injury, it was explained in a statement to the APA.

The second requirement is transparency in the performance of hygiene teams in health facilities in which patients face a low or increased risk of nosocomial infection. There is also a need for a binding key for hygiene workers in the health sector. In addition, these people should be provided with appropriate resources and skills. Fourth, Ostromed and the “Combat Hospital Germs” platform call for promoting healthy culture in society in order to reduce risk factors and limit infections.

To visually highlight Patient Safety Day, iconic buildings, monuments and healthcare facilities around the world will be illuminated in orange. Activities and lighting campaigns in Austria are indicated on an interactive map, and this year initiatives from all federal states were presented.