World Patient Safety Day 2022

This year, World Patient Safety Day ?is all about improving medication safety and reducing medication errors. Medication errors are caused by mistakes in the prescribing, dispensing, storing, preparing or administering a medicine and are the most common preventable cause of?adverse events?in medication practice with a major public health burden. It has been estimated between 18.7% and 56% of all adverse events that occur among hospitalised patients result from medication errors that should be preventable (1). It is important that we continue to increase awareness amongst healthcare professionals and empower patients to become actively involved in treatment decisions.

What EMA does to ensure safe medication for patients

At EMA, we take important steps to ensure medicines can be used safely without risk of medication error. ?EMA's?Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee?(PRAC) plays a central role in assessing the safety of medicines, evaluating potential new safety issues and proposing risk minimisation measures. It?assesses potential medication errors at all stages of a medicine's product life-cycle and makes recommendations on safety issues arising from medication errors. It also monitors the effectiveness of specific measures to prevent or minimise the risks, including those caused by medication errors. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the PRAC, which held its first meeting in July 2012. Since its establishment, the?PRAC?has held a total of 112 plenary meetings in which more than 3,900 safety topics have been discussed (2), highlighting the committee’s central role in safeguarding the safety of medicines in the European Union (EU).

EMA’s interactions with patients and healthcare professionals play a central role in assessing safety of medicines by contributing with independent expertise and real-world experience. We are committed to continue engaging and collaborating with patients and healthcare professionals as a priority to improve public health in Europe. Patients and healthcare professionals also play a key role by taking EMA’s message to the wider community across the EU and help to raise awareness.

Although regulators assess the potential risk of medication errors before marketing approval, medication errors may still occur after a medicine is authorised and used.?The monitoring of reports of suspected side effects received from patients or healthcare professionals is a fundamental tool and carried out continuously for all medicines to uncover rare side effects as well as side effects caused by medication errors.??

Today, I want to remind you that we all have a role to play in ensuring the safe use of medicines. I encourage you to get informed about your medicines using available sources such as the medicine’s package leaflet. EMA’s website also provides other useful information including active communication on measures to address the risk of?medication errors. In addition, I invite you to take the opportunity when you visit your doctor or pharmacist to ask questions about your medicine, such as the dose or potential side-effects of your medicine. In case you experience a side effect always report this to your healthcare professional or national competent authority.

?#WorldPatientSafetyDay #Safety #Patients #PatientSafety #SafeMedicines #MedicationSafety

(1) Good practice guide medication error recording coding reporting assessment (europa.eu)

(2) Meeting highlights from the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) 4-7 July 2022 | European Medicines Agency (europa.eu)