Patient Safety in the Primary Healthcare Settings

Abstract

To ensure quality healthcare, particularly in Primary Healthcare (PHC) settings, Patient Safety (PS) is a requirement. Since PHC facilities are typically where patients initiate their healthcare experience, it is essential to implement PS measures while providing an environment that enables capable clinicians to obtain accurate diagnoses, initiate effective treatment, and offer recommendations in a supportive and resilient setting for the continuation of care. Ultimately, the only way people can maintain and sustain their health is by receiving safe, effective, high-quality care tailored to their specific needs. PS is essential to the practice of care in primary, secondary, and tertiary care; however, there are limited PS studies conducted in primary healthcare settings, whereas most PS work has been done in secondary and tertiary healthcare settings. Nonetheless, PS events are generally lower in PHC settings compared to hospital environments. Each year, across the globe, countless individuals are dying, being injured, or being disabled from unsafe medical procedures, highlighting the urgent and global impact of patient safety. Although, statistics measuring the rates of PS events in the PHC systems of developed countries are limited, a 2011 study from the US estimated that PS events occur at a rate of 2.2%. Other estimates have suggested that up to 80% of PS events are preventable, and approximately 40% of patients experience harm during outpatient medical treatment. Safety strategies can help improve patient safety and the quality of care for patients, the effectiveness of healthcare systems, and the proficiency of healthcare workers, regardless of the care setting. Therefore, PS must always be the top priority in all healthcare settings.

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Certificate of Publication

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Copyright

© 2025 Alnaser FA, Distributed under Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0

How to cite this article

Alnaser FA. Patient Safety in the Primary Healthcare Settings. J Biomed Res Environ Sci. 2025 Jul 27; 6(7): 938-947. doi: 10.37871/jbres2148, Article ID: JBRES2148, Available at: https://www.jelsciences.com/articles/jbres2148.pdf

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