LUTH, WHO seek elevation of patients voices to improve satisfaction, health outcomes
World Patient Safety Day 2023 was observed on September 17 under the theme “Engaging patients for patient safety”, in recognition of the crucial role patients, families and caregivers play in the safety of health care.
Evidence shows that when patients are treated as partners in their care, significant gains are made in safety, patient satisfaction and health outcomes. By becoming active members of the health care team, patients can contribute to the safety of their care and that of the health care system as a whole.
Through the slogan “Elevate the voice of patients!”, the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Idi-Araba, Lagos, and the World Health Organization (WHO), on Monday, called on all stakeholders to take necessary action to ensure that patients are involved in policy formulation, are represented in governance structures, are engaged in co-designing safety strategies, and are active partners in their own care.
They said this can only be achieved by providing platforms and opportunities for diverse patients, families, and communities to raise their voice, concerns, expectations and preferences to advance safety, patient centeredness, trustworthiness, and equity.
LUTH, at an event to Mark the World Patient Safety Day, on Monday September 18, invited experts from different fields in the hospital to talk from their various perspectives about patient care and patient management, according to how it affects them.
The first speaker at the event, Mr. Peter Oshikoya, who works at the LUTH Sickle Cell Foundation, talked about advancing patients’ safety through a patient support forum.
He said: “Patients’ safety is a fundamental aspect of health care, as it involves preventing harm or injury to patients while receiving medical care. It also encompasses a wide range of practices, strategies designed to ensure the wellbeing of patients throughout their health journey.
“It is just about creating an environment where patients are active partners”.
Oshikoya added that most health care practitioners don’t tell the parents what exactly they are doing to them. He said: “Doctors should engage family members of patients, carry them along with whatever they are doing to help the patients.”
Oshikoya also spoke about preventive measures as patients or as health care practitioners. “Preventive measures include advising our patients, letting them know what they should not do and when they ask you questions, it is important that you tell them. Engage them about their health, don’t generalise, because it discourages them from coming to the hospital, because they feel like they are being treated badly. If both the patients and the healthcare practitioner engage in a two-way communication, the patients would be able to confide in you more. We also need our healthcare workers to be constantly going for training, to upgrade their knowledge,” he said.
The second speaker at the event, Alex Nwagwu, a pharmacist at LUTH, talked about “Pharmacists as the gatekeeper of patient safety”.
She said: “Pharmacists are members of the healthcare practitioners who are specially trained to manufacture, store, preserve and dispense various medications and the primary role of a hospital pharmacists is to be a medication therapy expert in the healthcare system.”’
Nwangwu explained roles of the pharmacists in a patient’s life, their importance and ways in which drugs could be dropped from the system.
Next to speak was Dr. Ajibike Itegboje, from the LABA LABA foundation. She talked about her experience as a lupus patient, and how she started the foundation to create awareness for people that are not aware of the lupus disease, and also to support the people that have the lupus disease.
She said “The name of my foundation ‘LABA LABA’ came from lupus, because anyone who contacted lupus, usually has these patches on their face that have the shape of a butterfly, and LABA LABA in English means butterfly.”
Mrs. Alade Aduraseyi Abigail, a nurse from LUTH also talked about the role of nurses in promoting patients’ safety. “Nurses play a critical role in ensuring patients safety. We are seen as a patient advocate, because we are usually present at the patient’s bedside and we regularly interact with medical professionals, this puts us in a position of being able to influence patient’s safety,” she said. She further explained the important role of nurses.
Patients were also given an opportunity to voice their opinions, which most of them complained about the cost of care at the hospital and shortage of staff.
When asked about the complaints of the patients, Mr. Babawale Bello, the Deputy Chairman of Medical Advisory Committee in charge of clinical services at LUTH, said: “The government is taking steps and we can hear commitment from the government. But in the meantime the challenges remain and we have to operate within those challenges and the hospital management is doing everything in its power to address that issue of manpower shortages. So, it is a challenge that the solution is generally out of what management can do anything about.
“The other aspect about the cost of care, there is an existing law in the country that addresses that, it is the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Act. It has made health insurance mandatory, the benefit of it is what people have not seen, so they should understand that if you have health insurance, it pays for your care. So, you just have to pay a token for health insurance. Nigerians need to understand the importance of health insurance. If you have health insurance, then the direct cost of care for you is much more reduced.”
Meanwhile, patient and family engagement were embedded in the Resolution WHA72.6 – “Global action on patient safety” and the Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021-2030 as main strategies for moving towards eliminating avoidable harm in health care.
World Patient Safety Day is one of WHO’s global public health days. It was established in 2019 by the 72nd World Health Assembly through the adoption of resolution WHA72.6 – “Global action on patient safety”. Its objectives are to increase public awareness and engagement, enhance global understanding, and work towards global solidarity and action by Member States to enhance patient safety and reduce patient harm.
