If something looks wrong, feels wrong or is wrong, speak up in the moment. Conquer Silence is the theme of Canadian Patient Safety Week 2019. A new website, www.ConquerSilence.ca will launch on October 21, 2019, where patients, providers, health administrators, policymakers and the public can share stories and advice on how to reduce patient harm.
Every single year 28,000 Canadians die from preventable harm when receiving care. This makes patient safety incidents the third leading cause of death in Canada, behind cancer and heart disease. One in three Canadians has had patient harm affect themselves or a loved one, yet collectively the public is unaware that the problem exists. That is the silent epidemic. If we do nothing, 1.2 million Canadians will die from preventable patient harm over the next 30 years.
Now in its 15th year, Canadian Patient Safety Week will be celebrated from October 28 to November 1, 2019 to help make patient safety a priority.
A new episode of the award-winning PATIENT podcast series asks patients, providers, and leaders how they are conquering silence and what we can do to stay safe. Two new webinars will take place during Canadian Patient Safety Week: a webinar for healthcare providers to learn how they can #conquersilence, and how they can lead a workplace culture to do the same; and a Mandatory Reporting webinar focusing on the new requirements for hospitals to report serious adverse drug reactions and medical device incidents under the Protecting Canadians from Unsafe Drugs Act. Tools and resources are now available at www.patientsafetyweek.ca, along with a Communications Toolkit on how to promote the week on social media and how to improve patient safety.
The Canadian Patient Safety Institute website hosts a series of 34 videos that showcase the great work happening in healthcare through the human-interest stories that profile patient safety champions and what they do to improve patient safety. These personal stories of heartache, loss, and frustration due to unsafe care are inspirational and a great motivator to improve the quality of healthcare in Canada.
Last year, almost 1,500 registrants signed up to participate in Canadian Patient Safety Week. Visit www.patientsafetyweek.ca to register and to order a free #ConquerSilence promotional package – you pay only for shipping.
