Alliance calls for better NCD patient care

• By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter

• • Add TT as Preferred Source

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About one in six people receiving care for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) experience preventable harm, the Taiwan Alliance of Patients’ Organizations said yesterday, calling for better patient safety governance through enhanced patient engagement.

As part of World Patient Safety Day, observed annually on Sept. 17, the alliance invited the Joint Commission of Taiwan, Taiwan Healthcare Reform Foundation and the Formosa Cancer Foundation to raise public awareness on safe care for people with NCDs.

NCDs are chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases, that affect people of all ages and mostly require continued care throughout life.

Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang, front right, Taiwan Alliance of Patients’ Organizations chairperson Wu Hung-lai, front left, pose for a photograph at a news conference in Taipei yesterday.

Photo: CNA

Alliance chairman Wu Hung-lai (吳鴻來) said a new WHO-commissioned analysis found that about one in six people living with NCDs experience preventable harm during their medical care.

The rate of preventable harm is about three times higher than that of the general population, and medication-related problems are the most common source of harm, he said.

The WHO proposed ways to improve care for people with NCDs, including partnering with people with lived experience of such diseases; improving prevention and risk assessment; and providing early detection, accurate diagnosis and integrated management, Wu said.

They also include securing access, and safe use of medicines and medical devices; and strengthening care coordination, continuity and transitions of care, he said.

“Patient participation is key to improving medical quality and patient safety, and that it should not only be limited to ‘encouraging patients to speak up,’ but also ‘engaging patients in patient safety governance,’” he added.

NCDs often require long-term, interdisciplinary and cross-setting care, he said, adding that people with NCDs are crucial partners who can identify risks throughout the care journey.

Institutionalized mechanisms should also be established to involve patients and advocacy groups in patient safety event reporting and improvement, and overall patient safety governance, he added.

Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said people with NCDs often require long-term medication, and comorbidities might also increase medication use, making them at high risk for safety events.

The commission has since 2003 made “medication adverse event control” an annual goal, he said.

That is still an important goal this year, but the focus has shifted from “avoiding giving the wrong medication” to “proper medication use,” he added.

The Healthy Taiwan Deep Cultivation Program launched last year also subsidized hospitals that introduced smart medical equipment, such as automated “three checks and five rights” to prevent medication errors, he said.

Patient safety requires patient participation, as relying only on the efforts of the government and healthcare providers yield very limited results, Shih said.

When establishing annual patient safety goals, the ministry invites patient advocacy groups to to help improve clinical environments and patient safety, he added.