World Patient Safety Day 2024: “Improving diagnosis for patient safety”
The theme for this year’s World Health Organisation’s (WHO) World Patient Safety Day on 17 September 2024 is ‘improving diagnosis for patient safety’, with the slogan “Get it right, make it safe!”.
The complexity of diagnosis
Obtaining an accurate and timely diagnosis is the key first step to enable a patient to access the care and treatment they need as early as possible. However, it can be a complex and sometimes lengthy process and like all areas of healthcare, errors can and do occur, often with significant consequences - the WHO estimates that diagnostic errors contribute to 16% of avoidable patient harm.
In the context of clinical negligence, we see claims relating to alleged failures and delays in diagnosis across all healthcare settings. We support NHS Resolution and NHS Trust clients, as well as independent providers, healthcare professionals and their insurers and indemnity organisations, to achieve fair resolution of these claims as quickly as possible whilst also helping to identify and share the learning to prevent future harm. Indeed, the learning often highlights the complexity of the systems-based issues and human factors which may be involved, including the availability of working equipment and other resources, the effectiveness of technology and IT systems and the effectiveness of communication between staff across clinical teams and with patients and families.
Key campaign messages
To help raise awareness about the complexity of the diagnostic process, the WHO has set out four key campaign messages for this year’s World Patient Safety Day:
1. Correct and timely diagnosis is the first step to preventative interventions and effective treatment
Diagnostic errors can include missed, incorrect delayed or miscommunicated diagnoses. They can worsen patient outcomes and at times lead to prolonged or severe illness, disability, or even death and increased health care costs.
2. Understanding the diagnostic process is key to reducing errors
The diagnostic process involves many iterative steps, including the patient’s initial presentation; history taking and examination; diagnostic testing, discussion and communication of results; collaboration and coordination; final diagnosis and treatment plan; follow-up and re-evaluation. Error can occur at any stage.
3. A range of solutions are available to address diagnostic errors
Solutions might include the provision of quality diagnostic tools, initiatives to foster positive workplace environments and training for clinical staff to develop their sills and address unconscious bias in judgment.
4. Diagnosis is a team effort
Correct and timely diagnosis requires collaboration among patients, families, caregivers, health workers, health care leaders and policy-makers. All stakeholders must be engaged in shaping the diagnostic process and empowered to voice any concerns.
The need for person centred care
The importance of collaboration with patients and listening to patient voice is often (rightly) an area of focus for discussions about consent and shared decision making and has more recently been highlighted in the context of the implementation of Martha’s Rule.
This message also closely aligns with the work of the Patient Safety Commissioner (PSC) whose aim is to improve how patients are listened to by the healthcare system, the government, and the NHS and independent providers to place them at the heart of decision making. Indeed, the PSC has recently consulted on a set of draft Principles of Better Patient Safety to act as a guide for senior leaders in how to deliver safer care for patients and reduce avoidable harm. The draft Principles include the need to put patients at the heart of everything, with patient partnerships to be the default position at all levels of an organisation.
The final Principles of Better Patient Safety will be published on 23 October 2024 and will provide a clear framework for decision-making, planning and collaborative working, with patients as partners.
In the meantime, the messages from World Patient Safety Day 2024 are a helpful reminder of the importance of listening to, engaging with, and collaborating with patients specifically in the context of decision-making about diagnosis.
Key contacts
Amelia Newbold
Risk Management Lead
Amelia.Newbold@brownejacobson.com
+44 (0)115 908 4856
Damian Whitlam
Partner
damian.whitlam@brownejacobson.com
+44 (0)330 045 2332
Related expertise
You may be interested in...
Legal Update - Maternity services
MNSI annual report 2023/24: Key insights and future ambitions for maternity safety
Opinion - Maternity services
Enhancing care for women with ectopic pregnancies: Insights from MBRRACE-UK
Legal Update
ABC pilot: Improving maternity safety to prevent brain injuries in childbirth
Legal Update
World Patient Safety Day 2024: “Improving diagnosis for patient safety”
Legal Update
Changes to the fixed recoverable costs regime
Opinion - Maternity services
Newborns born outside of hospitals at higher risk of hypothermia during emergency responses
Legal Update - Maternity services
Introduction of baby loss certificates gives recognition to millions of bereaved families in the UK
Press Release
Landmark Supreme Court decision clarifies the extent of Doctors’ Duty of Care
On-Demand - Shared Insights
Shared Insights: Improving communication with patients and families when responding to incidents, complaints and claims
Legal Update
Personal injury discount rate in England and Wales
Legal Update
Improving patient safety incident and complaint responses to rebuild broken trust
Legal Update
Part 36 combined offers – when are they beaten?
Legal Update
Cauda Equina Syndrome and application of the new GIRFT pathway
On-Demand - Shared Insights
Shared Insights: The Patient Safety Incident Response Framework
Opinion - Maternity services
Baby Loss Awareness Week
On Saturday 15 October a wave of light swept the internet when thousands of people flooded social media with pictures of candles to remember the babies that they have lost. This event signifies the end of Baby Loss Awareness Week which aims to break the silence that is associated with baby loss in pregnancy and infancy.
On-Demand - Shared Insights
Shared Insights: Focus on emergency medicine
Opinion - Maternity services
The impact of COVID-19 on maternal deaths
HSIB published its report on Maternal deaths during the first wave of COVID-19. The report takes a closer look at the impact that COVID-19 had during the initial period of March to May 2020.
On-Demand - Shared Insights
Shared Insights: The impact of Ockenden and implementation of the IEAs from ward to Board
Opinion
Learning from Emergency Medicine compensation claims
Every year a high number of patients attend Emergency Departments (EDs) in England, often presenting with complex and wide-ranging symptoms. Many of these challenges were explored in the Getting It Right First Time Emergency Medicine Report, published in 2021.
Legal Update - Maternity services
The Ockenden Final Report – a blueprint for safe maternity care from ward to Board
The much anticipated final Ockenden report was published on 30 March 2020. The final report sets out the findings of the review into care provided to 1,486 families, and sets out a blueprint for safe maternity care.
Opinion
Paul v Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and Purchase v Ahmed
On-Demand - Shared Insights
Shared Insights: Preparing for 2022 – the big issues for legal teams across health and social care
On-Demand - Shared Insights
Shared Insights: Safeguarding Forum - Safe discharge and conveyance of patients
Opinion
World Patient Safety Day 2021 - safe maternal and newborn care
Given the ongoing scrutiny of maternity services following publication of the Ockenden preliminary report in December 2020, it is timely that World Patient Safety Day on 17 September 2021 has a focus on safe maternal and newborn care.
On-Demand - Shared Insights
Shared Insights: Implementing the Ockenden Immediate and Essential Actions for safe maternal and newborn care
On-Demand - Maternity services
Maternity mock inquest - film 1
Consent is often a key issue in obstetric claims and if it is relevant to the facts of the death, its likely to be an area explored by a coroner.
On-Demand - Maternity services
Maternity mock inquest - film 2
This video illustrates some of the issues that can arise when a witness is poorly prepared.
On-Demand - Maternity services
Maternity mock inquest - film 3
This film highlights the importance of creating an open and transparent culture where staff feel able to speak up will help Trusts to identify problematic practise before significant issues arise.
On-Demand - Shared Insights
Shared Insights: The Covid-19 pandemic – the challenges for in house legal teams
On-Demand - Shared Insights
Shared Insights: Key themes arising from obstetric claims and inquests
On-Demand - Shared Insights
Shared Insights: Claims update and look ahead to the issues that will shape the approach to claims in the NHS in 2021
Opinion
Increasing organisational resilience in maternity services
On 12 November 2020, the HSIB published its latest national investigation report on maternity safety - what are the likely implications for maternity services?
Legal Update
The AI will see you now: Liability issues from the use of AI in surgery and healthcare
Legal Update
Health and care newsletter - October 2020
This health newsletter talks about the focuses on topics relevant to the resolution of healthcare disputes.
Legal Update
Claims arising from death – recent developments and a refresher
In this article we explore some recent changes to claims arising from death and provide a brief refresher on how these are calculated.
Legal Update
Relationships with patients and their representatives
As a national law firm, Browne Jacobson works with healthcare organisations across the country, helping resolve patients’ disputes efficiently, fairly and with integrity.
Legal Update
In conversation with...Sian Brown: NHS Resolution’s Early Notification Scheme
Sian Brown is one of Browne Jacobson’s Partners and the head of the Early Notification Team. Find out more about Sian here.
On-Demand - Shared Insights
Shared Insights: Learning from claims - effective triangulation of data
Legal Update
Medical Protection Society successful with fundamental dishonesty ruling
In Simpson v Payne, the Defendant Applicant (Defendant) was successful before His Honour Judge Murdoch in their application for a finding of fundamental dishonesty against the Claimant resulting in an enforceable costs order against the Claimant directly.