WPA Workshop: Patient Empowerment & Community Engagement in Patient Safety
Patient Empowerment and Community Engagement in Patient Safety
WPA workshop
May 25, 2022
The WPA online workshop, Patient Empowerment and Community Engagement in Patient Safety, took place on May 25, 2022. Speakers were WPA president Hussain Jafri, WPA Board member Regina Namata Kamoga, and WPA Patient Safety Committee member Helen Haskell. The speakers reprised issues they had introduced at the Saudi Patient Safety Conference in Jeddah in 2019.
The workshop was opened by Board Chair Andrew Spiegel, who introduced the speakers following a brief description of the WPA and its goals. Dr. Jafri then gave an overview of the global burden of healthcare harm, its causes and effects, as well as efforts by WHO to improve patient engagement as a patient safety strategy. He also gave an account of his own successful experiences organizing for patient safety and patient aid in Pakistan. Dr. Jafri was followed by Ms. Haskell, who discussed in detail the role of WHO in patient safety and patient engagement, including the Patients for Patient Safety programme and the Global Patient Safety Action Plan. She also discussed patient activism and patient materials including the WHO 5 Moments for Medication Safety and WPA’s Statement on Patient Rights on Patient Safety, Quality of Care, and Access to Information. Ms. Kamoga then discussed her experience with patient and community engagement in Uganda. She noted that challenges include lack of resources and a high burden of disease, but that the Ugandan government has undertaken various efforts including a bill of patient rights and responsibilities aimed at granting more power to patients in the medical system. Her own efforts have included working within local structures to educate and empower patients using broadly appealing tactics like dance and drama.
The workshop touched on many themes of significance to a global audience. The session was well attended and included a question-and-answer session at the end.
Resource Persons
Hussain Jafri Founding Director, World Patients Alliance, and Patients For Patients Safety Champion
Helen Haskell President, Mothers Against Medical Error & Consumers Advancing Patient Safety
Regina N. Kamoga Board Director, World Patients Alliance, and Executive Director CHAIN, Uganda
