ARTICLE

Anna Pilarska, Agnieszka Ewa Zimmermann

Patient Safety – Challenges for the Polish Healthcare System. Part II
2021-12-29

More than 20 years have passed since patient safety has become one of the most important indicators of quality in healthcare systems in developed countries and has gained general interest on an international scale. In this period, a number of legislative measures have been taken, to ensure that patient safety level grows gradually. One of the elements that plays an important role in building the culture of patient safety is high social awareness. Raising social awareness has to start with the proper education of medical personnel, to give them tools required for the effective transfer of their knowledge to patients.

Education about safety and quality in healthcare, both on an international and domestic scale, still requires numerous actions to improve the present situation. Incorporating issues of safety and quality in healthcare into curricula of future healthcare personnel will lead to the systematic development of knowledge and fostering the awareness of how important the issue of patient safety is. However, in numerous cases, this takes place to an insufficient degree. Special attention should be paid to issues of education about reporting adverse events and adverse drug reactions. It is particularly important that such reports, given both by medical personnel and patients, may actually affect the safety of patients in the future. Moreover, reporting adverse drug reactions is very important in the context of developing knowledge of medical products, therapeutic methods, and new technologies. Educational measures in this respect might be carried out primarily by pharmacists.

The purpose of this article is to present premises of education within patient safety for persons who perform medical professions, including but not limited to pharmacists, and the possibility of their involvement in educational campaigns that build a safety culture and are dedicated to patients.

Keywords: patient safety, medical education, patient safety culture, adverse event, adverse drug reactions.

© Farm Pol, 2021, 77(11): 643–650

Patient Safety – Challenges for the Polish Healthcare System. Part II

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