WHO Unveils Patient Safety Solutions

Nine areas where patient safety problems usually arise, along with suggestions to prevent those errors, have been identified by the World Health Organization's (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Patient Safety Solutions.

The individual Patient Safety Solutions identify the following challenges and strategies:

· Look-Alike, Sound-Alike Medication Names

· Patient Identification

· Communication During Patient Hand-Overs

· Performance of Correct Procedure at Correct Body Site

· Control of Concentrated Electrolyte Solutions

· Assuring Medication Accuracy at Transitions in Care

· Avoiding Catheter and Tubing Mis-Connections

· Single Use of Injection Devices

· Improved Hand Hygiene to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infection (HAI)

In 2005, WHO, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, designated the Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.-based Joint Commission and Joint Commission International as its Collaborating Centre on Patient Safety Solutions.