Dear Colleagues and Partners,

World Patient Safety Day is September 17, 2024 and I am proud to join the World Health Organization and the global healthcare community in shining a spotlight on this year’s theme: "Improving Diagnosis for Patient Safety." Under the powerful slogan, "Get it right, make it safe!" we are reminded of the critical importance of accurate and timely diagnoses in safeguarding patient lives, enhancing health equity and improving outcomes.



The ability to deliver the right diagnosis at the right time is fundamental to safe patient care. Every day, healthcare professionals are entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring that each diagnosis leads to the best possible treatment and the desired outcome. However, we recognize that achieving diagnostic excellence is a complex challenge, requiring not only clinical expertise but also effective communication, teamwork, and a deep commitment to addressing disparities in diagnosis. Indeed, some populations of patients are at increased risk of harm from diagnostic errors, and we must commit to dismantle race-based medicine.

At the Maryland Patient Safety Center, we are deeply committed to this cause. Our initiatives are designed to support healthcare teams in improving diagnostic processes, reducing errors, increasing health equity, and ultimately, protecting patients. We know that when we "get it right," we not only enhance the quality of care but also build trust and confidence in equitable healthcare systems.

This year, I encourage all of us to engage in open dialogue about how we can better support accurate and timely diagnoses. Let us use this day as a catalyst for change, ensuring that safety remains at the forefront of every patient interaction.

To our dedicated healthcare professionals, thank you for your unwavering commitment to patient safety. Your expertise, compassion, and determination are the backbone of safer healthcare, and your efforts are making a profound difference in the lives of those we serve.

Let us continue to work together, driven by our shared goal of making healthcare safer for everyone. Together, we can "get it right" and "make it safe."

Sincerely,

Stephanie Peditto

President & CEO

Maryland Patient Safety Center

TeamSTEPPS® for Diagnosis Improvement is designed to:

• Increase awareness of diagnostic safety
• Support the development of a multidisciplinary diagnostic team which should include non-clinicians, patients, and their families
• Provide tools necessary to train, assess, and reduce diagnosis-related harm and improve patient outcomes

Learn more about TeamSTEPPS® and other on-site training and consulting services available through MPSC: https://marylandpatientsafety.org/onsite/

Although errors are often multifactorial, most diagnostic errors involve failures of clinical decision-making or judgment, regardless of the underlying disease present. Key process failures most often occur in diagnostic assessment, test ordering, and test interpretation. These errors, as with others, are exacerbated by ED wait times, throughput issues, and boarding. 

During this one-hour webinar, scalable solutions to enhance diagnostic processes will be discussed, targeting the most commonly misdiagnosed clinical presentations to the ED with the potential

to cause serious harm.

Check out all of MPSC's Emergency Department Safety Series!