PATIENT ENGAGEMENT IN MEDICATION SAFETY The Voice of the Patients

Sixty-sixth World Health Assembly, May 23, 2013

Barbara Farlow Patients for Patient Safety Programme (PFPS)

• Patient Safety Volunteer for 7 years • Daughter Annie died in 2005 • How can I improve care?

Patient Safety Champions:

(270 in 52 countries)

• Have experienced harm and have a successful history of collaboration

• Mandatory workshop training:

– history of Patient Safety

– learn about the just culture of medicine

– empowered to engage and to affect improvements

PFPS Priorities 2013-2015

• Strengthen interactions, communication, advocacy PFPS Network

• Collaborate with WHO, national, international organizations

Policy-makers

• Create and share knowledge through research, education and training

Academic institutions

• Facilitate patient engagement at hospitals and health-care facilities

Health-care providers

• Collaborate with NGOs and professional organizations

Civil society, NGOs

Patients for Patient Safety Canada Patient-led program supported by Canadian

Patient Safety Institute

What do Patient Champions do?

• Tell our stories- Stories put a human face behind patient safety statistics and thus act as a catalyst for change. We speak at hospitals, health conferences, workshops to patient groups and to medical, nursing, health policy and law students.

• Act as advisors- on professional, accreditation and regulatory committees and boards and contribute to policy development

• Collaborate in research and co-author publications

• Found organization to support, educate and empower patients

• Mobilize to support WHO safety initiatives:

–WHO hand hygiene day

– Safe Surgery Checklist

– Safe Childbirth Checklist

–Mother Baby 7 day mCheck tool

Meet Some of the Patient Safety Champions

Johanna Trimble

• Adverse medication reaction caused delerium • Participates on committee developing continuing

physician education on use of medication use for the elderly

• Lectures to seniors groups, patient safety events

Dr Purnamawati

“Medicines are prescribed for children when

they are not needed, when they are

inappropriate, when they are ineffective and

when they are unsafe.”

Her NGO runs a Health Education Program for

Parents (HEPP) which aims to educate parents

on child health, and promote the rational

prescription and use of medication.

Maryann Murray • 21 year old daughter died of

heart failure after taking contra-indicated medication

• Provided input to help

change legislation to ensure change after AE

• Speaks to students, health conferences and media.

Jeanine Thomas almost died after acquiring MRSA from a simple procedure. She created legislation requiring reporting of HAI and launched the “MRSA Survivors Network” to bring awareness to MRSA.

Bernie Weinstein

After staff tried to conceal a medication error, Bernie became the force behind the hospital disclosure & apology policy. He serves on many committees within hospital and nationally.

Future challenges and opportunities • Resources: greater staff ratios, early discharge, patients

are free!! • Technology: for monitoring, education, communication

Patients must come off the sidelines and onto the pitch. Global Health Policy Summit 2012

Patient Engagement is the Blockbuster Drug of the Century. Forbes Magazine, Oct 2012

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Increasing evidence reports the

1. willingness of patients to be engaged in their own safety

2. beneficial effect of patient engagement

Patients have a unique and critically important contribution to offer

- retrospectively and proactively

CHANGE

Top Down

Bottom up

We cannot change the past, but we can use that past to inform the present and in the present we can influence the future – and isn't it so much better if we do that together, in partnership?"

Margaret Murphy, 2013

Kevin Murphy

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.

Margaret Mead, American cultural anthropologist