Dr Udayan Barua
(Medical Superintendent, Downtown hospital)
The World Patient Safety Day is observed annually on 17th September as established by World Health Assembly Resolution WHA 72.6. The World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of WHO and endorses “Global Action on Patient Safety” as a global healthcare priority.
It is a campaign observed worldwide since 2019 to raise awareness around patient safety and rights. It further calls for global solidarity and concerted action by all countries and international partners to improve patient safety. Each year, a new theme is selected to shed light on a priority patient safety area. This year the theme is “Safe Care for Every Newborn and Every Child”, particularly those aged from birth to nine years old, with the slogan “Patient safety from the start” highlighting the importance of preventing harm during this vulnerable period. The theme for National Safety Day 2025 in India is “Safety and Wellbeing Crucial for Viksit Bharat”.
Patient safety refers to the processes, procedures, and cultures established in the health system which promote safety and minimise the risk of harm to patients. It speaks to the first fundamental principle of healthcare – “Do No Harm.” It encompasses various types of incidents and areas of focus aimed at preventing harm to patients during healthcare delivery. These include medical errors, adverse events, healthcare-associated infections, falls, surgical errors and systems related to medication management. Additionally, patient safety involves broader aspects like proper patient identification, communication failure, overall system-related issues of delivery of care, and patient-centred care, which focuses on providing care that is respectful of and responsive to individual patient needs, preferences and beliefs. This also involves ensuring patient involvement in decision-making, respecting their autonomy and providing ethically sensitive care.
Patient harm in healthcare is a global challenge. It occurs in countries of all income settings and at all levels of healthcare delivery. Harm to patients rarely results from a single incident but mostlyprocess failures because of poorly designed health systems. It is reported that even today, one in ten patients experience harm in healthcare; about 50% of this harm is preventable. Newborns and children face disproportionately high risks of harm in healthcare, especially in intensive care units and surgical settings. Research shows that up to 90% of adverse events in neonatal care are preventable. Many such harms stem from unsafe childbirth, infections, diagnostic delays and medication errors.
Children need care that fits them – their age, weight, developmental stage, and medical needs are different from adult care. Protecting them from unsafe care must come first. These include errors with medications and diagnoses, medical equipment and missed warning signs when a child’s condition starts getting worse. Teachers and educators, including caregivers must listen with empathy to reduce fear around healthcare amongst children, thereby ensuring early reporting in healthcare institutes for timely recognition of diseases and alarming signs.
A single safety incident can have lifelong consequences for a child’s health and development. Hence, Patient Safety Day 2025 is celebrated to bring awareness and to ensure that all children have the best possible start in life. We must realise that children are not “LITTLE ADULTS” and are vulnerable due to their different physical and psychological needs. Their limited communication ability and reliance on carers make them highly susceptible to injury. A comprehensive approach addressing various aspects of child safety, including clinical safety standards, healthcare worker training, a robust reporting system and family engagement, are some of the important aspects to prevent harm, thereby promoting better lifelong health outcomes.
The objectives of World Patient Safety Day 2025 are:
n Raise global awareness of safety risks in paediatric and newborn care in all healthcare organisations.
n Mobilise government support, healthcare organisations and civil society to implement sustainable strategies for safer paediatric care.
n Empower parents and caregivers, as well as children, in patient safety by promoting health education, including hygiene such as regular handwashing and coughing into the elbow, etc.
n Advocate for strengthening research on patient safety in the paediatric group.
n Make safe care the standard for every child everywhere.
The celebration of Patient Safety Day is not only concerned with pointing out deficits in the health care system but also with highlighting the predominantly positive aspects and successes, thus specifically working towards eliminating systemic weakness and patients’ risk, specifically for children.
Paediatric healthcare is improving due to global progress in reducing child morbidity & mortality, significant technological advancement, increased focus on mental health, integrated care models, and innovative approaches like telehealth and family-orientated care. However, considerable challenges remain, including inequity in access to care, a high rate of preventable death in some regions, a lack of adequate financial support and a shortage of trained healthcare professionals. The World Patient Safety Day 2025 celebration underscores the necessity for delivering care that is safe and child-centric from birth for every child everywhere. It involves creating a supportive and protective environment both in healthcare settings and at home, as well as in educational institutions, to eliminate avoidable harm in paediatric and newborn care. Safer care depends on safe systems and teamwork. Working together, we can make safe care for children the standard to safeguard their future.