Summary: ECRI and ISMP celebrated World Patient Safety Day 2024 by promoting diagnostic safety, providing free patient safety resources, and participating in advocacy events and initiatives, including Project PIVOT to improve patient-centered care.

Key Takeaways:

  • ECRI released new findings on diagnostic errors, identifying key drivers and offering strategies for improvement.
  • ECRI and ISMP joined Project PIVOT to advance patient safety, diagnostic accuracy, and equity through patient-centered initiatives.

ECRI and its affiliate, the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), joined the World Health Organization and healthcare leaders globally in celebrating World Patient Safety Day (WPSD) on Sept. 17, 2024. This year, the theme is “Improving diagnosis for patient safety,” emphasizing the importance of accurate and timely diagnoses in improving patient safety and health outcomes.

Advocacy and Initiatives on World Patient Safety Day

ECRI leaders are meeting with lawmakers, policy leaders, government agencies, and embassy leaders on Capitol Hill to discuss ways to make healthcare safer worldwide. In addition, ECRI and ISMP are participating in various research initiatives, partnerships, and events in Washington, D.C., in honor of WPSD.

ECRI’s Diagnostic Safety Data Findings

In alignment with the 2024 diagnostic safety theme, ECRI released new data analysis findings on common errors in the diagnostic process. The ECRI and ISMP PSO identified issues in processing medical tests, delays in referrals, and miscommunication among healthcare staff as key drivers of diagnostic errors.

ECRI found that most errors (nearly 70%) occurred during the testing process, including ordering, collecting, processing, obtaining, or communicating results. ECRI has provided its healthcare partners with specific strategies to mitigate risks and establish protocols to improve diagnostic safety using a systems-based framework.

For World Patient Safety Day 2024, ECRI offers free patient safety resources to help reduce risks to patients globally. These resources address the prevention of diagnostic errors, diagnostic excellence in dementia care, delayed identification and treatment of sepsis, navigating dementia diagnosis, and cognitive biases in diagnostic error. The resources are available on the ECRI Blog.

Participation in Project PIVOT

Project PIVOT, led by Patients for Patient Safety US (PFPS US), aims to improve patient safety, diagnostic accuracy, and equity in healthcare by promoting patient-centered PREs and PROs (Patient Reported Experience and Patient Reported Outcomes). ECRI and ISMP have joined Project PIVOT and will participate in kickoff meetings in Washington, D.C., with other organizations and experts.

PFPS US is hosting a series of events to mark WPSD, including a march down Pennsylvania Avenue, a remembrance ceremony on the Capitol Lawn, and a Leadership Briefing at the Bloomberg Center. Several ECRI leaders will join these events in solidarity with partners and safety advocates.

PFPS US aims to bring at least 150 patients to D.C. to participate in WPSD events. To support these efforts, ECRI sponsored two patients and family members to join the events through PFPS.