Medication Without Harm

Unsafe medication practices and medication errors are a leading cause of injury and avoidable harm in health care systems across the world. Globally, the cost associated with medication errors has been estimated at $42 billion USD annually. Errors can occur at different stages of the medication use process. Medication errors occur when weak medication systems and/or human factors such as fatigue, poor environmental conditions or staff shortages affect prescribing, transcribing, dispensing, administration and monitoring practices, which can then result in severe harm, disability and even death. Multiple interventions to address the frequency and impact of medication errors have already been developed, yet their implementation is varied. A wide mobilization of stakeholders supporting sustained actions is required. In response to this, WHO has identified Medication Without Harm as the theme for the third Global Patient Safety Challenge.

The third WHO Global Patient Safety Challenge: Medication Without Harm will propose solutions to address many of the obstacles the world faces today to ensure the safety of medication practices. WHO’s goal is to achieve widespread engagement and commitment of WHO Member States and professional bodies around the world to reducing the harm associated with medication.

Medication Without Harm aims to reduce severe avoidable medication-related harm by 50%, globally in the next 5 years. It was formally launched at the Second Global Ministerial Patient Safety Summit in Bonn, Germany on 29 March 2017.

 

 

Strategic Framework

Four domains of the Challenge: 16 subdomains and  three key action areas

The Strategic Framework of the Global Patient Safety Challenge depicts the four domains of the Challenge: patients and the public, health care professionals, medicines and systems and practices of medication. The framework describes each domain through four subdomains.
The three key action areas –namely polypharmacy, high-risk situations and transitions of care – are relevant in each domain and thus form an inner circle. 

 

World Patient Safety Day

17 September 2022

Publication

Medication safety in polypharmacy

As part of the Global Patient Safety Challenge: Medication Without Harm, WHO has asked countries and key stakeholders to prioritize three areas for...

Medication safety in transitions of care

As part of the Global Patient Safety Challenge: Medication Without Harm, WHO has asked countries and key stakeholders to prioritize three areas for...

Medication safety in high-risk situations

As part of the Global Patient Safety Challenge: Medication Without Harm, WHO has asked countries and key stakeholders to prioritize three areas for...

Medication Without Harm

The WHO's Global Patient Safety Challenge: Medication Without Harm brochure outlines the vision and strategic direction of this global initiative...

Technical Series on Safer Primary Care: Medication errors

Medications are offered by health services throughout the world. However, with substantial and increasing medication use comes a growing risk of harm....

Reporting and learning systems for medication errors: the role of pharmacovigilance centres

This publication has been developed as part of the “Monitoring Medicines” project (http://www.monitoringmedicines.org/) funded by the Research Directorate...

MP-Curriculum-cover

The Multi-professional Patient Safety Curriculum Guide (2011) was developed to assist in the teaching of patient safety in universities and schools in...

Patient engagement tool

The 5 Moments for Medication Safety is a patient engagement tool developed to support the implementation of the third WHO Global Patient Safety Challenge: Medication Without Harm. The tool focuses on 5 key moments where action by the patient or caregiver can reduce the risk of harm associated with the use of medication/s. This tool aims to engage and empower patients to be involved in their own care. It should be used in collaboration with health professionals, but should always remain with the patients, their families or caregivers.

The 5 Moments for Medication Safety tool can be applied at different levels of care and in different settings and contexts. It can be used when patients:

  • visit a primary health care facility;
  • are referred to another health care facility or to another health care professional;
  • visit a pharmacy;
  • are admitted to a health care facility;
  • are transferred to another health care facility;
  • are discharged from a health care facility;
  • receive treatment and care at home or nursing home.

 

5 moments for medication safety

The 5 Moments for Medication Safety is a patient engagement tool developed to support implementation of the third WHO Global Patient Safety Challenge:...

The 5 Moments for Medication Safety is a patient engagement tool developed to support implementation of the third WHO Global Patient Safety Challenge:...

The 5 Moments for Medication Safety is a patient engagement tool developed to support implementation of the third WHO Global Patient Safety Challenge:...

The 5 Moments for Medication Safety is a patient engagement tool developed to support implementation of the third WHO Global Patient Safety Challenge:...

WHO Medsafe app

In addition to the paper tools, a mobile application is available to be used by patients, their families and caregivers. The app can be downloaded via the following links, depending on the operating system of your device:

Google Play Store (Android)   

Educational materials

Patient Safety Solutions

Assuring medication accuracy at transitions in care (High5s)

Safe management of concentrated injectable medicines (High5s)

Essential Medicine

Photo stories

This collection of stories from patients, families and health care providers shows how they have been affected by medication errors and harm, as well as other stories on what they have done to prevent such errors and harm from reoccurring.

Global campaign: Medication Without Harm

Everyone, including patients and health care professionals, has a role to play in ensuring medication safety.

Building on the launch of the third WHO Global Patient Safety Challenge: Medication Without Harm, WHO has developed a campaign to increase public awareness of the safety issues related to medication use and the need for safer medication practices.

The campaign also aims to engage key stakeholders in the development and implementation of strategies for medication safety; and call for global solidarity and concerted action by all countries and international partners for reducing severe avoidable medication-related harm.

The call for action of the global campaign is “KNOW. CHECK. ASK.” This encourages and empowers both patients and their caregivers and health care professionals (for example nurses, physicians, pharmacists) to take an active role in ensuring safer medication practices and medication use processes including prescription, preparation, dispensing, administration and monitoring.

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