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Found 222 results
  1. Content Article
    Despite comprising half of the global population, women’s health issues are underreported, underrepresented, and underprioritised. Women's health research receives a disproportionate share of funding. Contrary to popular belief, obstetrics and gynaecology alone do not encompass women’s comprehensive health needs. Women’s health encompasses all aspects of health care and research. In this video, experts from various fields—health-care professionals and researchers, charity founders, and Lancet Editors—examine the disparities, frequently exacerbated by intersectionality, that impact women globally.
  2. Content Article
    In the US, women die at a greater rate in pregnancy and during the postpartum period than in any other high-income country, and this rate has been increasing. Even if some of the apparent increase is attributable to changes in reporting, the fact remains that in the US, mortality rates are rising rather than falling, while disparities are widening.1Yet despite recent efforts to prioritise women’s health research, pregnancy research remains woefully underfunded. Much of the existing funding for pregnancy research focuses not on the health of pregnant individuals themselves; rather, they are considered hosts whose social, intrinsic biological, and environmental determinants affect fetal and child development: an important perspective, but not the only one. A recent report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine noted that National Institutes of Health (NIH) spending on women’s health research in the past decade has averaged only 8.8% of its total budget, of which only a fraction went to study pregnancy. Despite progress in the form of new initiatives—such as the NIH Implementing a Maternal Health and Pregnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone (IMPROVE) Initiative—funding for research regarding preconception, pregnant, and postpartum individuals remains a small proportion of the NIH portfolio.
  3. Content Article
    Digital health literacy comprises the ability to find, understand, and apply health information, and to manage one’s own health by using electronic tools and information sources. Digital health literacy is a foundational element of successful healthcare transformation and increasingly important to patients, caregivers, and the public. This toolkit compiles international learnings and practices to support the advancement of public digital health literacy. Developed by the Clinical and Human Engagement work stream of the Global Digital Health Partnership (GDHP), it is intended for anyone seeking to: Develop or procure resources to build digital health literacy skills among the general public. Contextualise their existing digital health literacy work within the international landscape. Understand the evolving definitions, impacts, and implications of digital health literacy. This toolkit draws together ‘learnings and practices to support the advancement of public digital health literacy’. The toolkit consists of 5 modules: Module 1: Introduction Module 2: GDHP digital health literacy survey findings Module 3: Case examples Module 4: Checklists and considerations Module 5: Collection of digital health literacy resources.
  4. Content Article
    No adverse event should ever occur anywhere in the world if the knowledge exists to prevent it from happening. However, such knowledge is of little use if it is not put into practice. Translating knowledge into practical solutions is the ultimate foundation of the safety solutions action area of the World Alliance for Patient Safety. In April 2007, the International Steering Committee approved nine solutions for dissemination: Look-Alike, Sound-Alike Medication Names (PDF) Confusing drug names is one of the most common causes of medication errors and is a worldwide concern. With tens of thousands of drugs currently on the market, the potential for error created by confusing brand or generic drug names and packaging is significant. Patient Identification (PDF) The widespread and continuing failures to correctly identify patients often leads to medication, transfusion and testing errors; wrong person procedures; and the discharge of infants to the wrong families. Communication During Patient Hand-Overs (PDF) Gaps in hand-over (or hand-off) communication between patient care units, and between and among care teams, can cause serious breakdowns in the continuity of care, inappropriate treatment, and potential harm for the patient. Performance of Correct Procedure at Correct Body Site (PDF) Considered totally preventable, cases of wrong procedure or wrong site surgery are largely the result of miscommunication and unavailable, or incorrect, information. A major contributing factor to these types of errors is the lack of a standardized preoperative process. Control of Concentrated Electrolyte Solutions (PDF) While all drugs, biologics, vaccines and contrast media have a defined risk profile, concentrated electrolyte solutions that are used for injection are especially dangerous. Assuring Medication Accuracy at Transitions in Care (PDF) Medication errors occur most commonly at transitions. Medication reconciliation is a process designed to prevent medication errors at patient transition points. Avoiding Catheter and Tubing Mis-Connections (PDF) The design of tubing, catheters, and syringes currently in use is such that it is possible to inadvertently cause patient harm through connecting the wrong syringes and tubing and then delivering medication or fluids through an unintended wrong route. Single Use of Injection Devices (PDF) One of the biggest global concerns is the spread of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), and the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) because of the reuse of injection needles. Improved Hand Hygiene to Prevent Health Care-Associated Infection (HAI) (PDF) It is estimated that at any point in time more than 1.4 million people worldwide are suffering from infections acquired in hospitals. Effective hand hygiene is the primary preventive measure for avoiding this problem.
  5. News Article
    Any cut in UK funding to a global vaccination group would damage soft power and could make Britain less resilient to infectious diseases, as well as causing avoidable deaths among children, leading vaccine and aid experts have warned. Scientists including Sir Andrew Pollard, who led the development of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine, said a major cut in money for the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi) could also make the UK less able to respond to a future pandemic. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has not yet set out its future funding for Gavi, a Geneva-based public-private organisation that has vaccinated more than a billion children in developing countries. The UK has previously been one of Gavi’s main funders, providing more than £2bn over the last four years. But with the UK aid budget cut back from 0.5% of gross national income to 0.3% and the focus shifting towards bilateral aid the expectation is that there will be a major reduction at Wednesday’s spending review. Pollard, who leads the Oxford Vaccine Group, said that as well as continuing to save lives in poorer countries, there was a self-interested case for continuing with similar levels of support. “It’s a safer place, obviously, for people who are in situations where they wouldn’t have been able to access these vaccines without the government support, but it also makes it a safe place for us, because it’s acting as part of the shield that we have against the spread of infectious diseases around the world,” he said. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 8 June 2025
  6. Content Article
    On the 28 March 2025, the Trump administration notified Congress that it planned to shut down USAID (United States Agency for International Development) by 1 July 2025. The State Department would assume responsibility for “certain USAID functions” that align with the administration’s priorities and discontinue the rest. Two weeks earlier, in a post on X, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the programmes being cut (including efforts to address emerging infectious diseases, famines, natural disasters, maternal and child mortality, HIV, and tuberculosis) “spent tens of billions of dollars in ways that did not serve, (and in some cases even harmed), the core national interests of the United States.” To date, however, neither Rubio nor the State Department has elaborated on how these cuts and the reduction of USAID’s staff (from about 10 000 employees to 15) will affect the health of people around the world—or in the US itself. Initial reports on the direct effects of the cuts have come from different sources. A leaked USAID document projected that if programmes were permanently halted, the world would see an additional 12.5 million to 17.9 million malaria cases and 71 000 to 166 000 additional malaria deaths annually. If US foreign aid is not restored before the end of 2025, it is estimated that at least 62 000 additional people would die of tuberculosis. Enormous harms to children are also expected because USAID spending has played a pivotal role cutting child mortality rates in half since 2000.
  7. News Article
    At a UN-run antenatal clinic in a camp for people displaced by Boko Haram, the colours stand out like the bellies of the pregnant women. Abayas in neon green, dark brown and shades of yellow graze against the purple and white uniforms of nurses attending to them in the beige-orange halls of the maternal healthcare facility. Within the clinic in Maiduguri in north-east Nigeria, midwives and nurses are handing out free emergency home delivery kits, “dignity kits” for sexual abuse survivors and reusable sanitary pads to curb exploitation of young girls who cannot afford them. A dozen women sit on a mat in the corridor, awaiting the start of a session on reproductive health and doing their best to stay focused in the unwavering 42C heat. Among them is Yangana Mohammed, a smiling 32-year-old mother of seven who knits bama caps for a living. “I like that the services are free,” she said, holding a yellow medical card while waiting to change her birth control implant. “I’m really glad for this clinic.” Experts say more resources are needed to sustain these services in a region struggling with high maternal mortality, child marriage and female genital mutilation rates. UN global data for 2023, the most recent available, shows that Nigeria recorded 75,000 maternal deaths that year – nearly a third of the total worldwide. Many of those cases are among north-east Nigeria’s estimated 45 million people. Ritgak Tilley-Gyado, an Abuja-based senior health specialist at the World Bank, said disparities were fuelled by inequities in health systems and socioeconomic and sociocultural status across the country. “As a result, a woman in the north-east of the country is 10 times more likely to die from childbirth than her counterpart in the south-west … [with] a systems approach that tugs on the right levers, we can turn these abysmal numbers around and improve the wellbeing of mothers,” she said. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 21 May 2025
  8. News Article
    Member States recognised the significant progress that has been made in implementing the resolution WHA72.6 on global action on patient safety and the Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021–2030 during a progress report session at WHA 78 on 23 May 2025. The World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted improvements made in 108 countries listed in the Global Patient Safety Report 2024, in advancing targeted policies, improving patient safety processes, strengthening incident reporting and learning systems, engaging patients, and building health workforce competencies to reduce avoidable harm in health care. To support countries, WHO has provided technical support and capacity building to Member States, continues to develop essential technical resources, and has actively engaged in establishing and leading strategic partnerships and global alliances. Despite improvements, important gaps remain. Only one-third of countries have specific national programmes or action plans in place, prompting WHO to initiate dialogue with 59 countries to address these issues. Progress has also been slow, with only 25% of countries fostering a safety culture and 23% adopting a human factors approach. WHO is developing guidance to address these challenges. WHO continues to support the Global Patient Safety Challenge: Medication Without Harm, with 74% of countries implementing the Challenge. Efforts to integrate patient safety into healthcare professional education and training remain limited, with only 20% of countries incorporating it into curricula. WHO is developing the WHO Academy Patient Safety Essentials course and updating the Patient Safety Curriculum Guide. Progress on patient and family engagement has been varied, with 80% of countries ensuring access to medical records but only 13% appointing patient representatives to hospital boards. WHO also supports the Global Patient Safety Network and the Global Patient Safety Collaborative to advance the patient safety agenda. To support World Patient Safety Day, observed annually on 17 September, WHO collaborates with Member States and stakeholders to develop global campaigns, technical resources, and flagship events. This year’s campaign theme is: Safe care for every newborn and every child. Read full story Source: WHO, 23 May 2025
  9. Content Article
    On 9 May 2025, the WHO Patient Safety and Quality of Care Unit hosted a webinar on Patient Engagement for Patient Safety, as part of the WHO Global Patient Safety Webinar Series, bringing together health care leaders and patient advocates from around the world. The webinar highlighted the importance of engaging patients and families, as emphasised in Strategic Objective 4 of the Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021–2030. Participants heard diverse global perspectives and real-world examples demonstrating how partnerships with patients and families are being operationalised to improve safety and quality of care. The panel featured speakers from Greece, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Uganda and the United States. Discussions focused on practical strategies, implementation challenges and opportunities for action in strengthening patient and family engagement.
  10. Content Article
    The US has traditionally been the largest donor to health programmes in low- and middle-income countries. In January 2025 almost all such funding was stopped and prospects for resumption are uncertain. The suddenness of the funding cuts makes it difficult for national programmes to adapt. This preprint* paper estimated the impact of these cuts on outcomes for four health areas that have been a focus of US assistance: HIV, tuberculosis (TB), family planning (FP) and maternal and child health (MCH). *Note: Preprints are early-stage research papers that have not been peer-reviewed.  The authors conclude that a complete cessation of US funding without replacement by other sources of funding would lead to dramatic increases in deaths from 2025-2040: 15.2 (9.3-20.8) million additional AIDS deaths, 2.2 (1.5-1.9) million additional TB deaths, 7.9 million additional child deaths from other causes, 40-55 million additional unplanned pregnancies and 12-16 million unsafe abortions. There has been great progress in improving global health in the last few decades. This progress has given hope of reaching many of the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. However, the recent funding cuts threaten to change these trajectories and lead to sharp increases in avoidable mortality for the poorest countries. Even a partial restoration of US funding would combat the most severe effects and provide time for national programs to adjust to the new funding landscape.
  11. News Article
    The World Health Organization's member countries on Tuesday approved an agreement to better prevent, prepare for and respond to future pandemics in the wake of the devastation wrought by the coronavirus. Sustained applause echoed in a Geneva hall hosting the WHO’s annual assembly as the measure — debated and devised over three years — passed without opposition. The treaty guarantees that countries which share virus samples will receive tests, medicines and vaccines. Up to 20% of such products would be given to the WHO to ensure poorer countries have some access to them when the next pandemic hits. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has touted the agreement as “historic” and a sign of multilateralism at a time when many countries are putting national interests ahead of shared values and cooperation. Dr. Esperance Luvindao, Namibia’s health minister and the chair of a committee that paved the way for Tuesday’s adoption, said that the COVID-19 pandemic inflicted huge costs “on lives, livelihoods and economies.” "We — as sovereign states — have resolved to join hands, as one world together, so we can protect our children, elders, frontline health workers and all others from the next pandemic," Luvindao added. "It is our duty and responsibility to humanity.” The treaty’s effectiveness will face doubts because the United States — which poured billions into speedy work by pharmaceutical companies to develop Covid-19 vaccines — is sitting out, and because countries face no penalties if they ignore it, a common issue in international law. Read full story Source: The Independent, 20 May 2025
  12. Content Article
    The US government’s decision to end programmes that treat and prevent communicable diseases will have serious consequences—not just for vulnerable communities that depend on this aid but also for public health in the US and beyond. Cutting funding to global health programmes isn’t just about withdrawing aid. It increases the risk of infectious disease outbreaks that could impact everyone. Without prevention and treatment efforts, diseases are more likely to spread unchecked, mutate and become harder to control. This creates a higher risk of future global health crises that could threaten lives worldwide. Investing in global health isn’t just humanitarian. It’s essential for protecting public health everywhere.
  13. Content Article
    Brooke Nichols has launched online tracking tools that capture estimated increases in mortality and disease spread for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and other diseases as a result of the near-total freeze in US foreign aid funding and programming.  Over the last two months, the Trump administration’s slashing of US foreign aid and systematic dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have severely disrupted the lives of populations abroad who rely on this funding for disease detection and treatment, nutrition assistance, and other vital public health services. After pausing all foreign aid assistance by executive order on Inauguration Day, the administration permanently cancelled 83 percent of USAID’s global contracts just weeks later—a decision that public health experts warned would lead to preventable deaths and accelerate disease spread. If this foreign aid is not restored before the end of 2025, more than 176,000 additional adults and children around the world could die from HIV, according to excess death estimates from a new digital tracking initiative by Brooke Nichols, associate professor of global health. Her tracker also indicates that at least 62,000 additional people could die from tuberculosis (TB)—roughly one death every 7.7 minutes—if foreign aid does not resume by the end of the year, and these figures are steadily increasing. These estimates are listed on Impact Counter, a real-time digital tracking website that Nichols utilises to quantify the real-world human impact of the recent US policy changes on humanitarian aid. On the site’s dashboard, Nichols provides up-to-date calculations of increases in mortality, disease spread, and healthcare costs for HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria, pneumonia, diarrhea, neglected tropical diseases, and malnutrition.
  14. Content Article
    US foreign aid plays a critical role in tackling poverty, hunger, and inequality worldwide, which is why the Trump administration’s recent cuts to foreign development assistance were met with public outrage and pushback from development and humanitarian organisations, including Oxfam. Despite widespread public support for US-funded foreign aid, Secretary of State Marco Rubio cut more than 80% of US Agency for International Development (USAID) programmes, which provide humanitarian and development assistance worldwide to people in some of the worst global crises. The effect of these cuts on people is dire: At least 23 million children stand to lose access to education, and as many as 95 million people would lose access to basic healthcare, potentially leading to more than 3 million preventable deaths per year. Oxfam has responded to the attacks on USAID by joining other humanitarian groups in a lawsuit to defend USAID and US foreign assistance, which is ongoing. So what does the Trump administration's decision to eliminate so much foreign aid mean, what impact could it have around the world, and why is it critical for the government to reverse this decision? Oxfam answers all of these questions and more.
  15. News Article
    People in at least 70 countries are missing out on much-needed medical treatment thanks to aid cuts by the US and other nations, the World Health Organization (WHO) director has said – in a stark warning about the colossal impact of these moves. The Donald Trump-sanctioned slashing of US-funded programmes under the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the most prominent example. But Germany, France and the Netherlands have also taken an axe to aid spending, while the UK is set to cut foreign assistance spending by billions of pounds. "Patients are missing out on treatments, health facilities have closed, health workers have lost their jobs, and people face increased out-of-pocket health spending," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in an address to the World Health Assembly. “Many ministers have told me that sudden and steep cuts to bilateral aid are causing severe disruption in their countries and imperilling the health of millions of people,” Dr Tedros added. Read full story Source: The Independent, 19 May 2025
  16. Content Article
    Stigma and misunderstanding of obesity are preventing people from receiving adequate treatment for the disease, which is increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), a new report from the World Heart Federation warns. The “World Heart Report 2025 – Obesity and Cardiovascular Disease” launched at the World Heart Summit, highlights the myths that hamper efforts to treat obesity. The problem is compounded by systemic healthcare gaps and is contributing to an economic burden worsened by the aggressive commercial practices of companies making cheap, processed food. The World Heart Report emphasises the trends that could send healthcare costs spiralling: As the rate of child obesity continues to increase, children with a high BMI are 40% more likely than their peers to suffer from CVD in midlife. The onset of obesity at younger ages can significantly reduce life expectancy while the psychological impacts of childhood obesity are profound – obesity is now the leading cause of bullying and discrimination in schools. CVD mortality attributable to high body mass index (BMI) is now highest among middle-income countries, with rates up to 67.5 deaths per 100,000 people in North Africa and the Middle East. Across the globe, obesity cases increased in nearly every country between 1990 to 2022 and global deaths from cardiovascular disease linked to high BMI have more than doubled. If current growth trends continue, data projects that almost 2 in 3 adults over 25 years of age could be overweight or obese by 2050. A shift in types of employment towards desk jobs is also associated with the development of obesity and CVD, as are long working hours and frequently working overtime. The report expresses concern that stigma experienced by people living with obesity is preventing them from receiving adequate treatment through guidance, lifestyle support and appropriate medication.
  17. Content Article
    More information about "#NavigatingHealth—Enabling every patient, every time, system-wide"
    In this blog, Siân Slade shares how, through her research interest into the difficulties of navigating the healthcare system in Australia, she created a policy and advocacy project: #NavigatingHealth. The aims of the project are to streamline the silos and address the fragmentation of healthcare by bringing together all those who are developing solutions to enable patients and carers to better navigate healthcare journeys.  Background About 10 years ago, I listened to a friend’s experience navigating cancer and puzzled over the challenges encountered. These made me question my prior assumption of 'patient-centricity' across healthcare. In 2015, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released a report highlighting the complexities of the Australian healthcare system. This led me to realise that while we do have patient-centred care, it is often provider dependent, not system-wide, and relies on the patient (or carer) to navigate the system; a time when individuals are at their most vulnerable. Given 'the standard you accept is the standard you walk past”, I decided to do 'my bit' to address this. I enrolled in a Master of Public Health, researching healthcare navigation in Australia. I found there was a fragmented approach to try and address an already fragmented problem. This led me to embark on a PhD as well as develop a policy and advocacy platform: #NavigatingHealth. Setting up a national network and community of practice My focus has always been on a practical approach that solves problems for individuals but also seeks to understand how to scale these at a systems level to sustain change in the long-term. If this was a known problem, why was nothing being done to address it? Surely this was something government were addressing... or there must be an app? I spoke to lots of people—patients, carers, speakers at conferences, those who had written books of their healthcare experience and, yes, those developing apps. Everyone agreed it was a problem, but nothing was addressing the totality of the problem. The problem was not just in navigating healthcare, but also the challenges navigating related systems, such as those for people with disabilities, or for aged care, as well as social services and education. #NavigatingHealth started life as two, 60-minute webinars held in mid and late September 2021, supported by the Australian Disease Management Association. The inaugural webinar speakers provided vignettes across a life journey—from childhood through to getting older—based on their own lived-experiences as patients, carers or professionals (not-for-profit, health services and government). The positive reception of the webinars led to setting up a bimonthly national network and community of practice in Australia that ran until the end of 2024. The meetings were deliberately not recorded to build a safe space for people to share ideas, build tacit (word of mouth) knowledge and a like-minded solutions focused community. Summaries of all the events and speakers are available on the #NavigatingHealth project page. In health, information and projects evolve. Building an online community was low-cost and accessible to everyone. The success of the Australian approach led to a series of global webinars using the same format of expertise provision from individuals in research, policy, and advocacy and health services. The first global webinar was held in 2022 attracting over 20 countries. Connecting and collaborating The 'glocal' community continues to grow. Projects are constantly evolving, elevating and expanding as well as exiting often impacted by funding constraints. In the spirit of a complex adaptive learning health system, core to our success is the community knowledge built through relationships, trust, like-values and non-linear interactions. Taking an approach that is resourceful versus one requiring constant resourcing (we use accessible tools such as LinkedIn and more recently Bluesky) to provide an effective, free platform to keep individuals in touch with one another. Our dedicated #NavigatingHealth project page on the Nossal Institute for Global Health website at the University of Melbourne acts as a central hub for events and resources. The genesis during the pandemic and expansion virtually through Teams and Zoom, as well as in-person post-pandemic, has enabled different ways to expand the national community, the global network and we welcome all-comers. The project is voluntary and our success is based on linking people, developing relationships, sharing expertise, maintaining momentum and the opportunity we all have to impact into #NavigatingHealth. The annual forums, 2024 #NavigatingHealth Simplifying Complexity and 2025 #NavigatingHealth Enabling Patients, System-Wide, focused on bringing together colleagues nationally in Australia. The in-person workshops created the opportunity to build community, share ideas, leverage learnings and also provide educational content. These collaborations have allowed development of materials for curriculum and teaching, and an evolving conversation about the importance of systems-thinking. We developed a short global project collecting stories from individuals who are happy to be involved. Our video, NavigatingHealth - why this matters, provides a glimpse of our approach. Looking forward The Future of Health Report published in 2018 highlights that our health systems, locally and globally, will change from 'one size fits all' to one that is personalised. The challenge is how? Future of Health Report, CSIRO 2018. The 'secret sauce' is that by working collaboratively we can all be part of evolving and effecting systems change. The work is underpinned by equity and a focus on enabling early access to care, addressing barriers, such as financial or cultural constraints, and helping to make visible information asymmetries and power imbalances to ensure effective collaboration and co-production. Building on the success of our past forums, planning for 2026 is underway. Block out 1 April 2026 in your calendar for the inaugural #NavigatingHealth Day! Our collective expertise is our power—let’s do this! Want to know more? Please get in touch with Siân at [email protected] or via LinkedIn. Further reading on the hub: The challenges of navigating the healthcare system How the Patients Association helpline can help you navigate your care Lost in the system? NHS referrals
  18. Content Article
    The global nursing workforce has grown from 27.9 million in 2018 to 29.8 million in 2023, but wide disparities in the availability of nurses remain across regions and countries, according to the State of the World’s Nursing 2025 report, published by the World Health Organization (WHO), International Council of Nurses (ICN) and partners. Inequities in the global nursing workforce leave many of the world’s population without access to essential health services, which could threaten progress towards universal health coverage (UHC), global health security and the health-related development goals.  The new report released on International Nurses Day provides a comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of the nursing workforce at global, regional and country levels. Consolidating information from WHO’s 194 Member States, the evidence indicates global progress in reducing the nursing workforce shortage from 6.2 million in 2020 to 5.8 million in 2023, with a projection to decline to 4.1 million by 2030. But, the overall progress still masks deep regional disparities: approximately 78% of the world’s nurses are concentrated in countries representing just 49% of the global population.   Low- and middle-income countries are facing challenges in graduating, employing and retaining nurses in the health system and will need to raise domestic investments to create and sustain jobs. In parallel, high-income countries need to be prepared to manage high levels of retiring nurses and review their reliance on foreign-trained nurses, strengthening bilateral agreements with the countries they recruit from.   
  19. News Article
    A staggering 18-20% of hospitalised patients in Pakistan lose their lives due to medical errors, negligence, misadministration of drugs, and deadly hospital-acquired infections, experts have warned. Speaking at a press conference ahead of the Patient Safety and Quality Healthcare Conference hosted by Aga Khan University (AKU) in April and organised by Riphah Institute of Healthcare, leading healthcare professionals called for urgent reforms to improve patient safety in hospitals across the country. The press conference was addressed by Executive Director of Riphah International, Asadullah Khan, Executive Director of NICVD, Prof Dr Tahir Saghir, Chairman of Patient Safety, Dr Zakiuddin, and Sayed Jamshed Ahmed. Dr Zakiuddin pointed out that several errors occur during medical treatment, including wrong drug prescriptions, incorrect injections, surgical complications, and hospital-acquired infections. “The World Health Organization (WHO) has been consistently raising awareness about patient safety, yet many developing countries, including Pakistan, continue to struggle with high rates of medical errors,” he said. He stressed the need for specialized training for medical staff and the adoption of modern patient safety systems to curb preventable mistakes. “There must be a culture where doctors and nurses acknowledge their errors and work toward rectifying them rather than concealing mistakes,” he added. Read full story Source: Business Recorder, 3 March 2025
  20. Content Article
    The Patient Safety Authority (PSA) 2024 Annual Report highlights PSA's commitment to safer care for Pennsylvanians. With over 5 million patient safety event reports, the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System (PA-PSRS)  is the largest repository of its kind in the United States and one of the largest in the world. PSA's accomplishments last year include: Analysed serious event reports identifying neonatal injuries or death related to labour and delivery, published our findings in a report, and shared evidence-based strategies for mitigating the risks associated with shoulder dystocia. Worked with ambulatory surgical facilities to improve surgical site infection surveillance and reporting, including regional, in-person symposia throughout Pennsylvania on the identification of infection through the application of criteria and using hospital-acquired infection data to evaluate infection prevention programs. Published monthly newsletter articles featuring Patient Safety Reporting System (PA-PSRS) reports, such as "What to Know About Glacial Acetic Acid: Stop Using It" and "Pica Behavior in Acute Care Hospitals: Strategies for Screening and Mitigating Risk of Harm." These were also disseminated in PSA's peer-reviewed journal, Patient Safety, which reaches more than 150,000 readers worldwide. Embarked on an ambitious five-year strategic plan, Reimagine Patient Safety 2029, built on three main pillars: push the boundaries of information science to identify and understand patient safety issues, leverage relationships to implement changes that improve patient safety, and maintain a strong organizational culture that focuses on people and continuous organisational improvement.
  21. Content Article
    More information about "WHO: World report on social determinants of health equity (6 May 2025)"
    WHO World report on social determinants of health equity confirms that our health and wellbeing depends on much more than our genes and access to health care. To reduce these avoidable and unjust health gaps we must address the non-medical root causes that shape most of our health and wellbeing. Unacceptable gaps persist in how long people can expect to live healthy lives depending on where they live, the communities they belong to, their education level, their race and ethnicity, their income and wealth, their gender and whether they have a disability. The social determinants of health equity - that is, the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age, and people’s access to power, money, and resources—have a powerful influence on these avoidable and unjust health gaps. This comprehensive World report on social determinants of health equity, as requested by resolution WHA74.16, reviews the insufficient progress on meeting the Commission on Social Determinants of Health’s targets on achieving health equity and focuses the narrative and action agenda on what produces and reproduces health inequities and what proven policy remedies are available. The report includes 14 specific recommendations for action within four action areas. Country examples throughout the report showcase actions and diverse strategies for actioning the report’s recommendations across different contexts. The report aims to inform global, national and local policymaking, providing a foundation for coordinated action and investment in social determinants of health equity. The report was developed with input from scientific and policy advisory groups, commissioned papers and evidence reviews, extensive internal contributions across the three levels of WHO, and consultation with Member States through the Executive Board and World Health Assembly.
  22. Content Article
    Although there have been significant advancements over the past decades, substantial gaps in safety and quality remain in healthcare delivery, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and the public sector. Even within the same country, there are notable geographical disparities in equitable access to safe care. Healthcare organizations (HCOs) and countries worldwide face numerous challenges and have competing priorities for focused interventions, often struggling to invest adequately in safety and quality. In alignment with the Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021-2030 and JCI’s vision, JCI introduces Patient Safety Pathways. This pioneering initiative aims to develop, strengthen, sustain, and enhance patient safety initiatives with actionable plans, especially for organisations in the early stages of establishing their patient safety and quality infrastructure. JCI is working in collaboration with countries and organizations to advance safer patient care. The Patient Safety Pathways initiative focuses on the needs of HCOs starting their journey towards eliminating avoidable patient harm by creating pathways for incremental improvements and transformative changes. This collaboration includes working with Ministries of Health (MOHs), national and international HCOs, and patient advocacy organizations at various stages of development to enhance the quality of healthcare and patient safety. The Pathways Initiative components: Patient Safety Grand Rounds A series of online discussions to engage thought leaders in patient safety at policy, systems, and healthcare delivery levels through open dialogue, collaborative learning, problem-solving, and sharing of best practices and success stories. JCI Training of Trainers Develop a cadre of trainers as “Patient Safety Champions.” These champions will be equipped with the necessary knowledge and tools who in turn can help develop skills and competencies for healthcare professionals, fostering a culture of safety at the national and organizational level. Needs assessment and technical support Tailored technical support to selected HCOs from LMICs, based on their identified needs and gaps.
  23. Content Article
    More information about "Does campaigning work to prevent infections? A blog for World Hand Hygiene Day 2025"
    Can you think of a campaign that has really got your attention, stuck with you and made you do something differently? Claire Kilpatrick has been involved in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) World Hand Hygiene Day campaign since its launch 17 years ago. In this blog, Claire gives her thoughts around campaigning, explains this year's World Hand Hygiene Day slogan, 'it might be gloves, it’s always hand hygiene', and shares some of WHO's campaign resources. All the outreach activities for a successful campaign take time and effort, and often considerable resources. But if it works, it can work for a long time! Do you know what campaign activities actually expect to achieve? How do you evaluate the reach and impact of any of your campaign efforts? Campaigning can ultimately help make up people’s minds with regards to what they think, how they will act and how they will continue to sell the message in the long term. Ideas exist about how you can undertake annual campaign evaluations. And even if your campaign impact expectations are not met, it doesn't mean your campaigning efforts aren’t worth it. You might still persuade people to change, in some way, at some point. You don't always dash out and buy those new running shoes immediately after you see the ad, but you might in a couple of month’s time because you remembered them… But, if people feel bombarded with information it makes it harder for them to become informed. This makes succinct campaign messaging and clarity even more important, in order to achieve the desired impact. For 17 years, since its launch, I have been involved in WHO's World Hand Hygiene Day campaign, commemorated every 5 May. Working with communications experts and colleagues in regions and countries around the world, I have learned so much about the importance of messaging and was inspired to come up with this year’s slogan: it might be gloves, it’s always hand hygiene. Why this theme? Because: Medical gloves used in healthcare—disposable gloves used during medical procedures—can get contaminated as easily as bare hands and do not protect 100%. When worn, gloves should be removed, for example, after touching a wound site/non-intact skin, and hand hygiene performed immediately. But not everyone knows or practices this. Regardless of whether gloves are worn, hand hygiene—at the right times and in the right way—is still one of the most important measures to protect patients and health workers. By 2026, hand hygiene compliance monitoring and feedback should be established as a key national indicator, at the very least in all reference hospitals. Currently 68% of countries report they are doing this. Do all countries know this is a mandate to be achieved? Excessive glove use contributes significantly to the volume of healthcare waste and does not necessarily reduce transmission of germs. An average university hospital generates 1,634 tons of healthcare waste each year and this number is increasing 2 –3% per year (especially since Covid-19); wealthier countries generate more waste. Appropriate glove use and hand hygiene can help minimise this waste. Some country efforts are evident in this regard, but more needs to be done. And there are more facts available that you can use to explain these topics to your colleagues. The great news is, WHO provides a range of resources to help meet the World Hand Hygiene Day campaign goal—to bring people together and to maintain the profile of life saving infection prevention action. By providing these, WHO helps to cut down on the time, effort and materials that countries and healthcare facilities have to find to maintain their own campaign efforts. Essentially the campaign is nothing without local action, without you. So, for 5 May 2025, and for long term impact, here are some of things you could do: A campaign badge Use it in your email signature, in your socials, or you can even print it and make real badges/pins – show that you are always part of the campaign community. An advocacy slide Drop it in to your presentations. Posters Your own ready to use poster maker. Place these in your work areas. Aim to reach different target audiences. Personalise the posters and remember to change them over time to continue to get attention. Two-minute educational video Embed this new short video into your training sessions. In this eye-opening short story, follow two nurses—one who always practices hand hygiene at the right moments and another who relies on gloves. Spoiler: Gloves aren’t the hero here. Video background Use this as your backdrop for virtual meetings to maintain the campaign profile. Social media messages Use the WHO FAQs to create messages. Repost WHO’s social media messages around 5 May. Remember to use #handhygiene so we can have a socials takeover and have maximum reach. Idea for an engagement activity Start discussions in an informal way, for example, in wards or clinics when you visit, or advertise more formal sessions, maybe including treats! Use the WHO FAQs and then ensure that conversations are informed by actual staff experiences of glove use and hand hygiene. Consider how you will share copies of FAQs for ongoing reference. Improvement documents and tools To show impact over time, use the Hand Hygiene Self Assessment Framework alongside other infection prevention assessment tools. The results guide you to available improvement tools. One of the most popular resources on the WHO YouTube channel remains the 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene training video. Some of the most visited WHO web pages remain the how to handrub, how to handwash and 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene posters. Implementation is also key A guide to implementation for hand hygiene explains the necessary on-going commitment. WHO has a number of guides to implementation for different infection prevention topics, and I have just co-led on a new guide for implementing an infection prevention national action plan – to be launched by WHO in June. Global IPC community of practice Chat with people from around the globe to share and learn more on IPC. As the world of global health evolves, we will need to get even more creative, in both what we say and how we disseminate our messages. Partnerships might help this going forward. In a 2021 paper by Storr et al, they highlighted some considerations for the future around environmental cleaning and infection prevention, including combining advocacy efforts. They noted that “the current melee of global campaigns that countries are called on to be involved in may be resulting in competition and dilution of messages, rather than being complementary.” There is still a lot of buzz around hand hygiene, but I am grateful to be issuing this blog with Patient Safety Learning because the campaign is more than just hand hygiene and to continue to get attention we can do more together. But now that it’s 5 May, as my colleagues in the Global Handwashing Partnership say – all the best for clean hands! Further reading on the hub: Top picks: Nine resources about hand hygiene
  24. News Article
    Less than 7% of people with severe drug-resistant infections in poorer countries get the antibiotics they need, a new study suggests, with researchers warning that not only is this causing suffering and deaths, but is also likely to be driving antimicrobial resistance (AMR). With AMR forecast to cause 1.9m deaths a year by 2050, they are calling for urgent action, akin to the fight earlier this century to get HIV drugs to Africa’s virus hotspots. “The stark reality is that most people with highly drug-resistant infections are not getting access to the antibiotics they need,” said Dr Jennifer Cohn, a senior author of the study. AMR is a process whereby bacteria and other pathogens evolve resistance to treatments typically used against them. One driver is the overuse of antibiotics, with greater exposure to drugs offering bacteria more chances to learn how to evade them. But a focus on overuse has meant access has been neglected, the experts warn. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 30 April 2025
  25. News Article
    Donald Trump’s slashing of foreign aid has derailed the projected end of the Aids pandemic and could lead to four million extra deaths by 2030, The Independent can reveal. New figures show the number of Aids-related deaths could jump from six million to 10 million in the next five years unless funding is reinstated, according to forecasts from the UN Aids agency (UNAIDS). The unprecedented disruption to global HIV programmes by the US is also projected to lead to more than three million more Aids orphans than previously expected by the end of the decade. Only last year, the UN said a goal to end the Aids pandemic by the end of the decade was in reach, equating to a 90% reduction in new infections and deaths. According to the UN figures, there will be 3.4 million more orphans, defined as children who have lost at least one parent to Aids. In addition, 600,000 more newborns could be infected with HIV by 2030 – more than double the number originally feared. That will bring the total number of infant infections to a million by the end of the decade, analysis of the figures by The Independent shows. Responding to the grim statistics, Professor Francois Venter, a leading HIV doctor at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, says: “All the gains that we’ve seen over the last 20 years will start being steadily reversed. “Our hospitals when I was training 25 years ago were absolutely, absolutely overwhelmed. People were dying on the floor and at the moment hospitals are full, but they will be easily overwhelmed with what’s coming.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 18 April 2025

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