Patient safety and quality of care in EU public health systems

The European Union (EU) has a responsibility to ensure a high level of human health in all its policies and activities. It is expected to help national authorities, which are responsible for the organisation and delivery of health services and medical care, coordinate their efforts to protect public health.

ACT

Council conclusions on patient safety and quality of care, including the prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial resistance (2014/C 438/05) (Official Journal C 438 of 6.12.2014, pp. 7-11)

SUMMARY

WHAT DO THE CONCLUSIONS DO?

They invite EU countries’ national authorities to:

• fully implement Council Recommendation 2009/C 151/01 on patient safety, including the prevention and control of healthcare associated infections;
• implement guidelines, recommendations and good practices on patient safety;
• promote education and training of healthcare staff on patient safety and healthcare associated infections;
• encourage medical organisations to promote a patient-safety culture;
• develop measures to enable blame-free reporting by health professionals or patients;
• encourage participation and empowerment of patients, families and informal caregivers;
• strengthen measures for infection prevention and control;
• develop professional guidelines on prudent use of antibiotics;
• devote special attention to antimicrobial resistance (the fact that micro-organisms that cause infections have built up resistance because of the over-use or misuse of antibiotics).

National authorities and the Commission together should, among other things:

• promote the collection of information on adverse health reactions;
• develop EU guidance for patient and citizen involvement (e.g. information on patient rights, safety standards, complaint procedures and available redress);
• strengthen and coordinate research into antimicrobial resistance, including cooperation between human and animal health sectors;
• finalise by December 2016 measures for sustainable EU collaboration on patient safety and quality of care.

In addition, a patient safety package highlights how national authorities and the Commission are addressing patient safety. Input into the various policies also comes from the patient safety and quality of care working group.

BACKGROUND

Some 3.2 million patients every year in the EU suffer some form of adverse reaction when receiving medical treatment. These can come from healthcare infections, medical or surgical errors, failure of medical devices or wrong diagnoses. It is estimated that 20 % to 30 % of these are preventable.

For more information, see patient safety on the European Commission’s website.

last update 06.08.2015