Inadequate communication between healthcare providers, patients, and their families can lead to misunderstandings, missed information, and ultimately errors in diagnosis and treatment.
Speaking at an event to mark world patient safety day in Nairobi, Permanent Secretary State department of public health and professional standards, Mary Muriuki said that critical aspect of patient safety is the active engagement of patients in their own care urging healthcare professionals to empower patients to own their care journey.
She added that “When patients and their families and caregivers are well informed and involved in decision making, they become partners in their healthcare journey their voices, concerns, and preferences must be heard and respected.”
The PS has acknowledged that most of the risks to patients’ safety result from either diagnostic errors or medical errors.
She explained that most medical errors happen due to various factors within the healthcare system including lack of standardization, healthcare provider fatigue and burnout, inadequate training, workplace pressures and technological issues.
Patient safety is an ethical and moral imperative grounded in the health care principle ‘First, do no harm!’, which lies at the heart of efforts to ensure high-quality health care systems and achieve universal health coverage. Yet, an estimated one in every 10 patients experience harm in health care facilities and each year there are more than three million deaths globally due to unsafe health care.
Most of the patient harm is preventable, and the engagement of patients, families and caregivers is one of the most important strategies for reducing harm.
To solve the problems, the ministry has recently posted 4,129 interns including 325 medical officers, 469 pharmacists, 25 dental officers, 506 Clinical Officers (BSc), 1,930 Clinical Officers (Diploma) and 874 in nursing (Degree) to ease the workload in our hospitals.
Children Sickle Cell Foundation-Kenya Chief executive officer (CEO) Selina Ogweno said that improved communication between healthcare practitioners, caregivers and patients in their own care is a critical aspect of patient safety.
She urged doctors to take time to explain to patients and their caregivers their diagnosis and their conditions and what is expected of them to do during their care seeking journey.
“Making patients communicate to doctors how they are feeling during clinic visits improves care and safety of patients but most of the times a trend usually seen especially on caregivers of young patients when they visit doctors, they are the ones doing the talking and often times end up telling the medics their financial challenges rather than the patient experience.”
She adds that most patients also find it difficult to distinguish look alike and sound alike medicines which end up confusing them because mistaking one for the other could have devastating effects and therefore require doctors’ explanation on how to take the drugs.
Dr Joyce Onsongo, disease prevention and control WHO, representing Dr. Abdourahmane Diallo, WHO Country Representative Kenya, said that Patient safety is a fundamental right, and it should be at the core of every healthcare system.
She said that Kenya, have been making commendable progress in improving patient safety and the quality of healthcare services. However, active participation of patients and their families is indispensable in achieving our shared goal of safer healthcare.
“As we commemorate World Patient Safety Day today, let us pledge to work together, healthcare professionals, policymakers, patients, and families, to create a healthcare environment where patient safety is paramount. Let us embrace the notion that safe healthcare is everyone responsibility, and by engaging patients, we take a significant step towards achieving this goal.”
Speaking in Geneva during the 2023 patient safety global conference, health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha said building trust between patients and healthcare providers is vital to promote a conducive environment where patients feel empowered to participate actively in their care.
Dr. Obadiah Naikuni, Director of Quality Control, speaking on behalf of Dr. F. M. Siyoi, the Chief Executive Officer of PPB, emphasized the paramount importance of patient safety within the healthcare sector. Dr. Siyoi underscored the necessity of safeguarding patients from harm, medication errors, and infections.
He reaffirmed PPB’s unwavering commitment to maintaining continuous surveillance activities designed to ensure the safety of medical products in the market.
“We strongly encourage patients and healthcare professionals to proactively report any adverse events through the Pharmacovigilance initiative. This reporting process is facilitated by the Pharmacovigilance Electronic Reporting System (PvERS), which is easily accessible via mobile phones,” he advised.
Agha Khan health services regional CEO Dr Zeenat Sulaiman advocated for the adoption of international standards in patient safety care.
World Patient Safety Day not only aims to enhance global understanding of patient safety. It also promotes global solidarity and action to achieve WHO’s vision of a world in which no one is harmed in health care, and every patient receives safe and respectful care – every time, everywhere.
The campaign objectives are aimed at raising global awareness of the need to actively engage patients and their families and caregivers, in all settings and at all levels of health care, to improve patient safety.
Involving policy-makers, health care leaders and personnel, patients’ organizations, civil society and others in efforts to engage patients and families in the policies and practices for safe health care.
The day is also aimed at empowering patients and families to be actively involved in their own health care in line with the “Global patient safety action plan 2021–2030”.
