This year’s World Patient Safety Day has been commemorated at Pantang, Accra, with a call on healthcare professionals to deepen collaboration with patients along the entire healthcare chain to ensure improved patient safety, especially in the management of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).
Speakers at the event, which was on the theme: “Safe care for non-communicable diseases,” last Thursday, said effective communication, proper documentation, accurate patient identification, safe medication practices and regular monitoring were essential to preventing avoidable harm and improving health outcomes.
The symposium was organised by the Focos Hospital and brought together health professionals who discussed preventive healthcare, healthy lifestyles, early detection and patient-centred care in the management of NCDs.
The Head of the Orthopaedic Department of the Focos Hospital, Dr Arthur Sackey Fio, said patient safety was not the responsibility of one department or a particular group of healthcare professionals.
“Patient safety is not the responsibility of one department or group of healthcare professionals. It is everyone’s responsibility,” he said.
Dr Sackey Fio, therefore, urged health facilities to strengthen medication safety, clinical handovers, patient identification, documentation, monitoring and follow-ups as part of efforts to provide safer care for people living with NCDs.
He said safe care went beyond making the correct diagnosis, “it means ensuring the right patient receives the right treatment at the right time, supported by accurate assessment, safe medication practices, appropriate monitoring, effective communication, proper documentation and timely follow-ups”.
Dr Sackey Fio further called for a culture in which healthcare workers felt confident to speak up when they identified safety concerns, incidents and near-misses without fear of blame.
He also encouraged patients to become active partners in their care by asking questions, understanding their conditions and medications, communicating concerns and participating in decisions concerning their treatment.
Lifestyle changes
The Director of the La Nkwantanang-Madina Municipal Health Directorate, Dr Efua Commeh, also said lifestyle changes were contributing significantly to the increasing burden of NCDs in the country.
She identified unhealthy diets and physical inactivity as major risk factors, noting that the growing number of fast-food outlets and increasingly sedentary lifestyles make it necessary for people to consciously incorporate physical activity into their daily routines.
Dr Commeh cited a 2023 Ghana STEPS survey, which indicated that about 21.7 per cent of Ghanaian adults aged between 18 and 69 had hypertension. She expressed concern that many people were unaware of their condition.
During a panel discussion, a Family Physician at the Focos Hospital, Dr Francis Addai, stressed the importance of preventive health care and health education in addressing the country’s growing NCD burden.
“Diabetes can go for years without symptoms. By the time it starts showing symptoms, maybe an organ is already damaged,” he said.
For her part, a dietitian at the Focos Hospital, Edinam Aku Numadzi, advised the public to adopt healthy eating habits, practise portion control and eat in moderation to help prevent and manage NCDs.
