About this Research Topic
The number of adverse events that occur during the provision of medical services, and the associated costs are enormous. World Health Organization (World Health Organization - WHO) reports that each year in low and middle income countries there are approximately 134 million adverse events that result in failure to ensure safety in healthcare entities. As a consequence, 2.6 million people die annually. Ensuring the safety of patients and medical staff is very difficult all over the world, regardless of the healthcare system model that is in place. The provision of medical services depends on the involvement of many representatives of various medical professions, methods of financing, condition of infrastructure, applied medical technologies and the level of safety culture in implementation of numerous processes, incl. nursing, diagnostic and therapeutic.
More than two decades ago, The Institute of Medicine (IOM) published its highly influential report, “To Err Is Human”. It alerted the health care establishment, as well as the public, to the harm thousands patients had experienced as a result of health care. Since then, efforts to understand medical errors and reduce harm have multiplied. It is also important to consider how patient safety can be impaired if the health and safety conditions of health workers is not guaranteed. The interrelationship between occupational health and patient safety needs to be explored more to better understand how we can improve health services. In this Research Topic we would like to encourage authors to submit papers about basic safety in science, the culture of safety, the role of simulation and other important, emerging issues in patient and medical professionals safety.
Sub-topics of possible interest include but are not limited to:
· The changing design of healthcare systems
· The culture of safety, teamwork, standardization of care
· The role of health information technology
· The ever more important role of medical simulation
· Emerging issues in patient and medical professionals safety in the COVID 19 era
· Health and safety conditions of health workers and how poor conditions can impair patient safety (and vice versa, good conditions improving patient safety and experience)
More than two decades ago, The Institute of Medicine (IOM) published its highly influential report, “To Err Is Human”. It alerted the health care establishment, as well as the public, to the harm thousands patients had experienced as a result of health care. Since then, efforts to understand medical errors and reduce harm have multiplied. It is also important to consider how patient safety can be impaired if the health and safety conditions of health workers is not guaranteed. The interrelationship between occupational health and patient safety needs to be explored more to better understand how we can improve health services. In this Research Topic we would like to encourage authors to submit papers about basic safety in science, the culture of safety, the role of simulation and other important, emerging issues in patient and medical professionals safety.
Sub-topics of possible interest include but are not limited to:
· The changing design of healthcare systems
· The culture of safety, teamwork, standardization of care
· The role of health information technology
· The ever more important role of medical simulation
· Emerging issues in patient and medical professionals safety in the COVID 19 era
· Health and safety conditions of health workers and how poor conditions can impair patient safety (and vice versa, good conditions improving patient safety and experience)
Keywords: patient safety, medical staff, occupational health and safety, medical services, healthcare systems
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
