Dubai: A one-day patient safety conference will be held in Dubai in November to present latest regionally relevant models from the UAE health sector, said officials on Monday.

The Dubai Healthcare City Best Practice Conference 2018, in partnership with the US-based Patient Safety Movement Foundation (PSMF), calls on hospitals and clinics in the UAE to share their patient safety best practices to help advance a culture of safety.

The conference drives DHCA’s commitment to bring the Patient Safety Movement to the Middle East. Globally, the movement is working towards its mission to reduce the number of preventable deaths in hospitals to zero by 2020.

The conference has three categories — infection control and medication management; advancing a safety culture and, enhancing a positive environment of care.

Best practice presentations will be evaluated by a council comprising members from UAE health authorities and international accrediting bodies.

A total of four presentations per category will be presented at the one-day conference on November 18, 2018, in Dubai Healthcare City. These best practice submissions will be compiled for the public, representing a valuable resource for the UAE’s health sector.

Dr. Ramadan Al Blooshi, CEO, Dubai Healthcare City Authority — Regulatory (DHCR), said: “We are proud to launch the first-of-its-kind conference under the patronage of Princess Haya Bint Al Hussain, wife of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The conference, which aims to advance safety in the health sector, provides a platform to identify and adopt effective mechanisms, initiatives, and policies for patient safety.”

In the Middle East, several best practice approaches are adopted from Western countries and may not address the needs of the regional population.

The outcome of the conference resonates with the goals of the Patient Safety Movement Foundation that has worked with leading medical experts, global leaders, and patient advocates to develop Actionable Patient Safety Solutions (APSS). The APSS are free, evidence-based solutions developed to address the 31 leading challenges to patient safety which have been proven to prevent hospital errors and increase patient safety. More than 4,500 hospitals from 44 countries have implemented the APSS, saving over 81,533 lives in 2017 alone.

Joe Kiani, founder of the Patient Safety Movement Foundation, said, “We cannot hope for zero preventable hospital deaths, we must take action and plan for zero. We are thrilled by the efforts of Dubai Healthcare City Authority. DHCA was the first group in the Middle East to make a public commitment through the PSMF to improve their culture of safety. By gathering to focus on patient safety and share best practices at this conference, they are setting an example for the world that reaching zero is possible.”