{"id":5472,"date":"2022-09-16T09:00:09","date_gmt":"2022-09-16T01:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asiamd.com\/?p=5472"},"modified":"2025-08-20T16:15:33","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T16:15:33","slug":"2022%e5%b9%b4%e4%b8%96%e7%95%8c%e6%82%a3%e8%80%85%e5%ae%89%e5%85%a8%e6%97%a5%ef%bc%9a%e9%81%bf%e5%85%8d%e7%94%a8%e8%8d%af%e4%bc%a4%e5%ae%b3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asiamd.bqubetech.com\/id\/2022\/09\/16\/2022%e5%b9%b4%e4%b8%96%e7%95%8c%e6%82%a3%e8%80%85%e5%ae%89%e5%85%a8%e6%97%a5%ef%bc%9a%e9%81%bf%e5%85%8d%e7%94%a8%e8%8d%af%e4%bc%a4%e5%ae%b3\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating World Patient Safety Day 2022: Medication Without Harm"},"content":{"rendered":"

At some point in our life, we will take medications, prescribed or over the counter, whether to prevent or to treat illness. Additionally, medication is the most commonly used treatment modality in health care. This could not be truer especially in the era of pandemic. While the safe use of medications can improve and save lives, medication errors and unsafe medication practices can lead to avoidable harm and injury beyond what money can repair. <\/span><\/p>\n

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WHO World Patient Safety Day<\/span><\/h2>\n

World Patient Safety Day<\/a><\/span> is one of WHO global public health days and celebrated annually on September 17th<\/span>. It was first initiated as part of the 72nd<\/span>\u00a0World Health Assembly resolution of \u2018Global action on patient safety\u2019<\/span><\/a> in 2019. The resolution calls for global solidarity and commitment to making health care safer. <\/span><\/p>\n

World Patient Safety Day 2022<\/a><\/span> raises the theme of \u2018Medication Safety\u2019 <\/b>with the slogan \u2018Medication without Harm\u2019<\/b>. This global campaign aims to raise awareness and understanding of patient safety issues and mobilize support for action from the grassroot level to international stage. This year campaign aims to encourage and empower everyone, including patients and health care professionals, to take an active role in ensuring safer medication practices and use. <\/span><\/p>\n

The slogan of World Patient Safety Day 2022 \u2018Medication without Harm\u2019<\/b><\/span><\/a> <\/b>is firmly grounded in the fundamental bioethics of medicine: primum non nocere <\/i>which means first, do no harm. <\/i>It also emphasizes the WHO Global Patient Safety Challenge<\/span><\/a>: Medication without Harm, which was launched in 2017. The challenge aims to reduce avoidable medication-related harm by 50% globally by 2022. <\/span><\/p>\n

There are a wide range of activities on and around September 17th<\/span>\u00a02022, such as webinars<\/span><\/a>, campaigns, policy forums, advocacy events, capacity-building initiatives, and the awaited ritual of lighting up iconic monuments, landmarks, and public places in orange.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Patient Safety and Medication errors in Singapore<\/span><\/h2>\n

Currently there are no published statistics or data on local medication errors or near misses available in Singapore<\/span><\/a>. However, it is reported that external causes of morbidity and mortality, which may include human error and medication error, rank fifth<\/span><\/a> as the principal causes of death after cancer, ischaemic heart diseases, pneumonia, and cerebrovascular diseases. Ministry of Health Singapore has established national guidelines<\/span><\/a> to ensure medication safety, including guidelines on the use of medication equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Magnitude of Medication Errors<\/span><\/h2>\n

Medication error is real, and its impacts are disabling and life-threatening. Medication error is one of the leading causes of death across health care system. By 2019, unsafe health care has caused the death of 2.6 million<\/span><\/a> people annually worldwide. Medication errors result in massive cost burden<\/span><\/a> across the world with approximate cost of 42 billion USD annually across the world. It may damage public confidence and trust in medical services. <\/span><\/p>\n

Who is responsible for medication safety?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Everyone, including patients and health care professionals, has a role in ensuring medication safety and both parties can make mistakes that result in severe harm. All medication errors are potentially avoidable<\/span><\/a>. WHO identifies and targets four main domains<\/span><\/a> to improve medication safety and prevent medication-related harm:<\/span><\/p>\n

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