To promote patient involvement and enhance patient safety, hospitals across the State are being motivated to set up Patient Advisory Councils (PACs). This body will include representatives from the patients and the hospital management.
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On World Patient Safety Day which is observed on September 17, the Consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organizations (CAHO), and the Patient for Patient Safety Foundation (PFPSF) have come together to emphasise the critical importance of patient engagement in healthcare. These organisations are advocating the establishment of PACs, and the promotion of Patient Reported Experience Measures (PREMs)
PREMs are self-reporting instruments that gauge patients’ perceptions of their care experiences and help assess whether healthcare providers are meeting patients’ needs.
Addressing persspersons here on Saturday, Alexander Thomas, founder president and patron of CAHO, said, “Instances of medical errors can erode this trust, not only impacting the patient’s confidence in their care but also undermining the broader healthcare system.”
“As of now, we are advocating this concept. In future, we hope this concept will be incorporated in the criteria for accreditation of hospitals by bodies such as National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH). We will also with the government to promote this in State-run hospitals,” he said.
Patient satisfaction
Nagendra Swamy S.C., patron of CAHO, stressed the importance of recognising patients as active collaborators in their healthcare journey. “Research has shown that when patients are engaged, there is a significant improvement in safety, patient satisfaction, and overall health outcomes,” he said.
Asserting that engaging patients in their healthcare is a crucial step toward addressing the issue of medical errors, Dr. Swamy said: “PACs are central to this effort, serving as platforms for patients to voice their concerns and influence decision-making processes. CAHO strongly advocates for the establishment of PACs to ensure that patients’ voices are heard, integrated, and valued within the healthcare system.”
Dr. Thomas said guidelines for rolling out the PACs will be unveiled by Kris Gopalakrishna, co-Founder and former vice-chairman of Infosys on Sunday (September 17) at Ramaiah Medical College. “We will chart the path forward for the seamless integration of PACs and PREMs within hospitals at the meeting that will be attended by opinion leaders from the healthcare industry and patient representatives,” he added.
