Thursday 11 April 2024 | 11:00-12:15

Format: Networking

Stream: Safety

Content filters: n/a

Ralph So Albert Schweitzer Hospital, The Netherlands (Chair)

In the late 20th century, a powerful movement for patient safety emerged, gaining momentum through influential reports like “To Err is Human” (IOM, 1999). These revelations about medical errors sparked a collective commitment to improvement. Out of this dedication, Patient Safety Officers (PSOs) emerged, individuals passionate about ensuring patient safety. However, the establishment of their basic educational criteria, necessary competences, tasks, and effective integration within organisations is a work in progress. 

This session is a beacon of shared experiences, aiming to illuminate the path toward positioning a PSO as a transformative force. Let’s embark on this journey together, envisioning specific frameworks to seamlessly embed a PSO in healthcare systems, understanding the vital roles and competencies they embody. Through lively discussions, forge international connections with clinicians, nurses, pharmacists, and others, creating a community where “all teach, all learn” to elevate patient safety globally.

As a result of this session, participants will be able to:

• Envisage a specific framework for patient safety officers


• Understand tasks and requirements of patient safety officers 


• Forge contacts with clinicians, nurses and pharmacists who combine their work with that of a ‘PSO’ in their organisation 

Juergen Graf University Hospital Frankfurt, Germany

Kyra Schneider University Hospital Frankfurt, Germany

Iwan Meynaar Haga Hospital The Hague The Netherlands