What comes to mind when you think about healthcare harm?
Canadian Patient Safety Week 2024
Join us October 28 – November 1 as we seek to understand healthcare harm.
What exactly is healthcare harm? How and why does it happen? Who does it impact — and how? That’s our focus for CPSW 2024.
Let’s broaden our understanding of harm, together
Recognizing and reducing healthcare harm matters to those receiving and delivering care in any setting. As part of championing Rethinking Patient Safety, we encourage everyone to broaden their understanding of healthcare harm as an important step in delivering safer care for all.
A complex healthcare system
Healthcare is incredibly complex. It is delivered by many different people engaging with many processes across various settings and through transitions in care. Sometimes, things go wrong — and this may result in harm. The factors involved can be multiple and varied.
Defences
The system as a whole is safe because it involves multiple layers of defence that combine and overlap to support the safe delivery of care.
Contributing factors
The defences that help promote safe care, when missing or weakened, can become contributing factors when things go wrong. Contributing factors are often interrelated, complex and rarely the result of a single issue. Examples include:
Categories of safety incidents
Incidents can result from a variety of actions or inactions while receiving and delivering care. These safety incidents can be broadly classified as:
Harm experienced by a person
Harm can include more than physical injuries. The person who experiences harm is often best positioned to define and describe it.
Person experiencing harm
People receiving and delivering healthcare across the continuum can experience harm.
Impact of harm
Healthcare harm can have cascading and long-lasting impacts on people and communities. Understanding and supporting those harmed by the healthcare system can help restore trust and contribute to healing. Their ongoing involvement is essential to shape our approach to safer care.
Let’s broaden our understanding of harm, together
Recognizing and reducing healthcare harm matters to those receiving and delivering care in any setting. As part of championing Rethinking Patient Safety, we encourage everyone to broaden their understanding of healthcare harm as an important step in delivering safer care for all.
How you can participate in CPSW 2024
Organized by Healthcare Excellence Canada, Canadian Patient Safety Week is an annual campaign to inspire extraordinary improvements in healthcare safety and quality. Between now and October, we’ll share many opportunities for you to get involved. Ready to jump in?
Learn something new
Sign up for webinars and explore harm with our resources.
Do a team activity
Facilitate a thoughtful discussion with our activity card.
Order free swag
Take your CPSW events and activities to the next level.
Spread the word
Share what you’re up to with our communications toolkit.
Register for CPSW 2024 webinars
Join the conversation as our panelists discuss healthcare harm and safety from multiple perspectives and across multiple settings. Registration is now open — sign up for as many as you like!
The webinars in this series include:
- Expanding Perspectives: Understanding and Reducing Healthcare Harm
- First Nations, Inuit and Métis Experiences with Racism in Healthcare Systems
- Let’s Talk About Safer Care in the Community
- Courageous Leadership: Enabling Safer Healthcare Environments
Engage teams with our activity card
Use our new healthcare harm activity card with your team to stimulate discussion and thoughtful reflection that inspires proactive action to prevent harm and create safer care for all.
Access other CPSW 2024 materials
Check out our other materials for you to download, use and share.
Poster
Help spread the word about the need to better understand healthcare harm.
Communications toolkit
Help raise awareness about CPSW 2024 with content and supporting graphic files for your channels.
Rethinking Patient Safety Guide
Get informed and kick-start conversations with this statement and discussion guide.
Infographic
An infographic to help you broaden your understanding of healthcare harm.
Strengthen your skills with our Patient Safety Essentials e-learning program
Sign up for a free, self-directed virtual learning program designed especially for healthcare providers to help you understand the fundamentals of patient safety.
It’s not too late to order your free swag
Take a moment to register to order swag for your own events and activities – and make it a success. Supplies are limited.
It’s not too late to order your free swag
Take a moment to register to order swag for your own events and activities – and make it a success. Supplies are limited.
