Save the date! Canadian Patient Safety Week (CPSW) returns October 28 to November 1, 2024 and our theme is What comes to mind when you think about healthcare harm? Let's broaden our understanding together.
Our annual campaign brings together a community of passionate people across the country working towards making care safer, in every way, for everyone. CPSW 2024 focuses on broadening our understanding of healthcare harm, including who it affects and how it affects them. We’re excited to share this year’s theme, which will be followed by the formal launch of the campaign later in June. Want to be among the first to know when CPSW 2024 is live? Sign up for HEC’s newsletter.
Understand healthcare harm
Patient safety plays a big role in excellent healthcare. But there’s still work to be done to make things better. Recent data shows one in 17 hospital stays in Canada involved at least one harmful event in 2022-2023 (Canadian Institute for Health Information) and 10 percent of patients worldwide are harmed annually (World Health Organization).
What comes to mind when you think of healthcare harm? Harm can affect people receiving care. It can also affect those providing and supporting care. But the person who experienced harm is the best person to define it and describe how it has affected them and impacted their life. Understanding healthcare harm is crucial to creating safety for all.
In the past, most patient safety efforts and data have focused on counting and reducing physical harm, like injuries from falls, as they are more easily detected, tracked and measured. It’s just as important though to recognize that in addition to physical harm, people may also experience psychological, social and spiritual harm while receiving and delivering healthcare.
During CPSW, join us as we explore healthcare harm and how we can proactively take action towards safer care. Everyone in Canada wants and deserves safe, high-quality healthcare – and together we can make that possible.
Become a champion for safer care
Everyone contributes to patient safety across the care continuum – from healthcare providers, staff and leaders to patients, residents, clients and their care partners. While CPSW may be months away, making care safer is an ongoing, everyday process. It’s a way of thinking, acting and relating to others. It’s also about the conversations and reflections we’re having about the healthcare harm people experience.
What are some actions we can take to recognize and reduce healthcare harm?
- Explore multiple perspectives on harm and safety.
- Talk about harm and safety with anyone who receives, delivers or supports care.
- Use our “Broadening our understanding of healthcare harm” activity card that’s coming at the end of June to plan events with your teams during CPSW.
- Consider what steps you and your organization can take to expand your understanding of harm and your approach to safer care.
Participate in CPSW
We’re excited for you to join us during Canadian Patient Safety Week on October 28 to November 1! Stay tuned as we’ll be updating our website by the end of June with 2024 details on registering and free swag for your local activities, accessing events and a full suite of resources to help you participate more fully. In the meantime, check out these resources to get started:
- Sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know when registration for CPSW opens. We’ll also keep you updated on how you can access our free tools and resources to help you and your team get excited about patient safety.
- Kickstart conversations around patient safety with our Rethinking Patient Safety Discussion Guide.
- Learn more about broadening your view (PDF 300 KB) of healthcare harm.
- Check out past CPSW events to get inspiration while you plan a local event at your site or institution.
- Dig deeper into safety conversations with our How to Have Safety Conversations guide – there’s one for healthcare providers and one for patients and caregivers.
- Explore the fundamentals of patient safety with Patient Safety Essentials, our free e-learning program.
