Patient Safety

Additional Information

Hand hygiene - why, how and when [pdf, 476kb]

Factsheet

10 Facts on Patient Safety 

Patient safety is a serious global public health issue. Estimates show that in developed countries as many as one in 10 patients is harmed while receiving hospital care.

Of every hundred 100 hospitalized patients at any given time, 7 in developed and 10 in developing countries will acquire health care-associated infections. Hundreds of millions of patients are affected by this worldwide each year.

In recent years, countries have increasingly recognized the importance of improving patient safety. In 2002, WHO Member States agreed on a World Health Assembly resolution on patient safety.

There is a 1 in 300 chance of health care-induced injury that equates to thousands of premature deaths daily. Patient safety is a fundamental principle and important measures must be taken to prevent any adverse events. Adverse events may result from problems in practise, products, procedures or systems.

Statistics in developed countries show that as many as 1 in 10 patients are harmed while receiving hospital care. In the African Region, the probability of being harmed in a hospital is higher and the risk of acquiring a health care-associated infection is as much as 20 times higher.

Hand hygiene is the most important measure to prevent health care-associated infections, the development of antimicrobial resistance, and the transmission of harmful germs and viruses. Problems associated with surgical safety account for half of the avoidable adverse events that result in death or disability.

Reuse of injection devices in the absence of sterilization is the greatest concern and leads to the heaviest burden of disease. In some countries, injections given with reused syringes or needles, without sterilization, are as high as 70%. This accounted for an estimated 22 million new hepatitis B infections, 2 million new hepatitis C infections, and 260 000 new HIV infections.