Skip to main content

World Patient Safety Day is an annual event, taking place every year on September 17. The event is intended to promote patient safety by raising public awareness and fostering collaboration between patients, families, communities and healthcare workers, leaders, and policy makers.

This year the theme selected by the World Health Organization (WHO) is “Improving diagnosis for patient safety” and the slogan “Get it right, make it safe!”. It supports the WHO patient safety rights charter and advances the global patient safety action plan.

Patients for Patient Safety Canada (PFPSC) is concerned by the reports from WHO and United States that indicate that most of us will suffer a diagnosis error in our lifetime and that the burden of harm is profound.

Canada does not have the data to accurately define and determine the scope of the problem. That’s a gap that needs to be addressed so we know how big the problem is, who is most impacted and if diagnosis harm is decreasing.

We can make a difference now, while we wait for the reporting systems and the other evidence to show the impact of diagnosis harm.

Please use #WPSD2024 and #patients4safety to promote our united voices. Contact hello@patients4safety.ca if you have ideas, questions, or feedback.

“We can’t undo what has been done, we can’t get back what has been lost, but working together we can make improvements to make care safer for all.”
Donna Davis, Patients for Patient Safety Canada Member

Here’s how you can help:

Share your experience

Share your experience with diagnosis harm and thoughts to improve safety. Experiences are evidence. Especially those from people and communities who are often unheard. Videos: Watch some of our experiences, share them on social media, and add yours. | Art Gallery: Explore and share the experiences of patients, healthcare workers, leaders and others expressed through art.

Take Action

Take action so you or your loved one’s journey through care is as safe as possible. Experiences lead to change. Especially when combined with resources to guide it.

Access a list of resources to support a safe diagnosis:

Ask Questions

Ask questions and take the time to talk about diagnosis safety so EVERY patient experience is safe. Together we can make a lasting change for all.

Get in touch to start making a difference today.

“In honor of those who have died, those left disabled, our loved ones today and the world’s children yet to be born, we will strive for excellence, so that all involved in healthcare are as safe as possible as soon as possible.”
– LONDON DECLARATION