World Patient Safety Day

Calls to action

Calls to action and key messages

Don't miss opportunities for prevention. Learn about NCD risk factors, participate in recommended screening and preventive care, and seek help early when you notice warning signs.
Know your condition and safety risks. Understand your diagnosis, tests, treatments and possible sources of harm related to your condition. Follow basic safety practices such as hand hygiene and double-checking your medications.
Know your rights and be an active partner in your care. Take part in health care discussions and decisions about your care. Ask questions, confirm your understanding and speak up if you have concerns or notice safety practices being missed.
Be your own "information officer". Keep an accurate record of your symptoms, test results, medications and appointments, including when travelling or when away from home. Use tools like electronic records, reminders or trusted health apps to track your readings, medications, test results and appointments.
Navigate transitions safely. Stay alert during "handover" moments between health practitioners and during referrals and discharge. Make sure you are clear about your medications, follow-up appointments and who to contact if your symptoms worsen. Follow up on your test results — "No news" is not always good news.
Master your self-care. Know how to use your medications, medical devices and digital health tools correctly. Know your warning signs and when to seek help

Prioritize meaningful engagement. Partner with people living with NCDs as expert team members. Support shared decision-making. Empower people living with NCDs to recognize risks, manage their care safely and identify warning signs that require action.
Promote prevention and reduce risk. Identify and address modifiable risk factors, support healthy lifestyles and provide evidence-based preventive interventions.
Ensure early detection and accurate diagnosis. Reduce delays, avoid missed or incorrect diagnoses by maintaining a high index of suspicion about NCD-related risks, and interpret tests carefully, especially in people with multiple conditions.
Identify risks and prevent harm. Take proactive steps to prevent harm across the continuum of care, such as missed prevention opportunities, delayed or incorrect diagnoses, medication errors, procedural risks and device-related harm.
Ensure continuity and coordination of care. Communicate clearly, manage transitions safely and maintain follow-up across health practitioners and settings.
Learn and improve continuously. Report incidents, share good practices and contribute to a culture of safety and continuous improvement.

Prevent harm through early action. Establish systems that support evidence-based preventive services and risk assessment, early detection, timely management and ongoing follow-up.
Enforce rigorous safety standards. Standardize care and implement protocols to address the major sources of harm.
Ensure continuity and coordination of care. Establish standardized processes for handovers, referrals and discharge across practitioners and health care settings.
Embed meaningful engagement within facility governance. Involve people living with NCDs in facility boards, safety committees and the design of care processes.
Support and enable the workforce. Provide training, resources and supportive working conditions. Foster teamwork and open communication between staff members.
Use lived experience and data to improve care. Establish a safety culture, promote incident reporting by health workers and patients and use lived experience to drive continuous improvement.

Integrate safety into NCD policies and legislation. Ensure safety is embedded in national strategies to deliver on commitments from the 2025 UN Political Declaration on NCDs.
Promote prevention and early detection. Strengthen policies and programmes that support risk reduction, preventive services, screening and early detection of NCDs.
Strengthen primary health care for safe NCD care. Build integrated, people-centred systems that provide continuous and coordinated care, and address barriers that prevent people from accessing safe NCD services.
Ensure sustainable financing and financial protection. Mobilize and sustain resources and reduce financial barriers for accessing safe essential NCD services for all.
Invest in a capable health workforce. Train, support and retain health workers with the competencies needed to deliver safe NCD care.
Engage people with lived experience. Establish mechanisms to involve civil society in the design, delivery and accountability of NCD care.

Advocate for safer NCD care. Call for the prioritization of safety and quality in NCD policies, programmes and services.
Strengthen health literacy and promote early action. Provide trusted information and practical support to help people understand NCD risks, recognize early signs, and seek timely screening and care.
Support safe care in everyday life. Help people living with NCDs to follow their care safely, recognize risks such as medication errors or missed care, and identify warning signs that require action.
Break down barriers and promote equity. Help identify and overcome barriers such as stigma, discrimination and low health literacy that may be preventing people from accessing safe care for NCDs.
Empower people to speak up. Create a culture where people feel confident to ask questions, raise concerns and insist on being heard when they feel something is wrong with their care.
Collaborate for safety. Represent people with lived experience in policy dialogue and work with health workers to co-create safer systems.