World Innovation Summit for Health to explore new patient safety measures

World Renowned Scholar Professor Peter J Pronovost Will Lead Multidisciplinary Study About Advancing Patient Safety

The World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), a global initiative of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), has appointed distinguished scholar Professor Peter J Pronovost to chair its Patient Safety Forum.

Professor Pronovost, MD, PhD, FCCM, Senior Vice President for Patient Safety and Quality, and Director of the Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality at John Hopkins Medicine in the United States, will oversee the work of a team of distinguished international experts, drawn from every field relevant to patient safety.

Patient Safety is one of seven research work streams to be presented at the 2015 WISH Summit taking place in February in Qatar, where leading international health experts will join an influential community of heads of state, government ministers, academics, clinicians, policy makers and business leaders to discuss innovative solutions to some of the most pressing global health challenges.

The seven Forums will collate and consider the latest evidence in order to produce practical recommendations for health policymakers around the world. The WISH Summit, which will play a key role in addressing and finding solutions to the most pressing health issues, is in line with QF's mission of launching initiatives as part of the nation's drive towards fundamental healthcare development and reform.

The issues addressed by the Patient Safety Forum will include an exploration of how a systems integration approach can improve patient safety; how health systems can be designed, procured and delivered to enhance patient safety, experience and outcomes; the human and economic costs of safety failings; and learning from other high-risk sectors such as aerospace and defence. The Forum will publish an evidence-based report for discussion at the 2015 Summit.

Professor Pronovost said: "Patient safety is - or should be - one of the fundamental building blocks of any healthcare system. However, incidences of avoidable harm remain high throughout the world and healthcare still has much to do to match the safety record of other high-risk industries, such as civil aviation or defence. I am pleased to lead such a distinguished team and feel confident that by collaborating, we can provide solid evidence and new perspectives that will support the efforts of policymakers trying to improve their healthcare system's safety record and patient experience."

Professor The Lord Darzi of Denham, Executive Chair of WISH and Director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London, said: "In most cases, patient safety failures involve avoidable harm. While raising standards is the responsibility of the entire global healthcare community, it is also a major policy issue. That is why WISH has decided to tackle patient safety this year, and I am delighted that Professor Pronovost has agreed to lead our work in this area."

With the appointment of Professor Pronovost as Chair of the Patient Safety Forum, WISH aims to examine how incidences of avoidable harm to patients can be reduced. It will review different approaches to improving patient safety, and provide recommendations enabling policy makers to better prioritise changes that will improve safety, experience and outcomes for patients.

Professor Pronovost is author of Safe Patients, Smart Hospitals: How One Doctor's Checklist Can Help Us Change Health Care from the Inside Out, as well as more than 400 articles and chapters related to patient safety and the measurement and evaluation of safety efforts. He developed a simple but effective checklist protocol that virtually eliminated central line catheter infections in ICUs across the state of Michigan, saving 1,500 lives and US$100 million annually.

Professor Pronovost serves in an advisory capacity to the World Health Organisations' World Alliance for Patient Safety, and frequently addresses the US Congress on the importance of patient safety, prompting a report by the US House of Representatives' Committee on Oversight and Government Reform strongly endorsing his ICU infection prevention programme. He is an elected member of the Institute of Medicine and honorary fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.

As well as Patient Safety, WISH will publish reports on Communicating Complex Health Messages, Diabetes, Delivering Affordable Cancer Care, Dementia, Universal Health Coverage and Mental Health and Well-being in Children and Young People.

WISH is spearheaded by Qatar Foundation to inspire and diffuse healthcare innovation and best practice. It remains closely aligned to the vision and mission of QF to unlock human potential and serve to underscore Qatar's pioneering role as an emerging center for healthcare innovation.

For more information about the Forum or the 2015 Summit, please visit www.wish.org.qa.