Igbinedion varsity moves to revolutionise healthcare delivery

The Federal Government has approved the move by the management of Igbinedion University, Okada (IUO) to establish a Patient Safety Institute at the ivory tower to revolutionise healthcare delivery in the country.

The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, gave the endorsement at the weekend in Okada, Edo State while delivering the Maiden Distinguished Guest Lecture Series of the institution’s College of Health Sciences entitled “Patient Safety in Nigeria.”

Emphasizing protection measures in all levels of healthcare delivery across the federation, he defined ‘patient safety’ as the reduction of unnecessary harm associated with healthcare to an acceptable minimum.

Adewole said patient safety as a discipline places premium on the protection of patients through prevention, reduction, reporting and analysis of medical errors, which often lead to adverse incidents.

He added that in medical practice, error could occur at the planning, monitoring or execution phase of healthcare, which according to him, is the failure to carry out a planned action or application of an incorrect plan to achieve a result through either doing the wrong thing (commission) or failing to do the right thing (omission).

To the minister, not all adverse events could be prevented given the knowledge, information and the state of the medical care at the time of the incident.

“For example, an allergic reaction to a drug administered for the first time is an adverse event but would be considered unpreventable given the lack of pre-existing knowledge of the patient’s idiosyncratic allergy,” he clarified.

Explaining the rising awareness on patient safety in the healthcare system, Adewole stated that accountability and application of safe science in the design and delivery of services would promote safety of Nigerians.

He added: “Although to err is human, patient safety is paramount in all healthcare settings and should not be compromised as it affects the quality of care.

“Clear policies, organisational and leadership capacity, data to drive safety improvements, skilled healthcare professionals and collaborations are all needed to ensure sustainable and significant improvements in patient safety.”

The vice chancellor, Prof. Lawrence Ezemonye, lauded the guest lecturer, pointing out that with the endorsement, the university was poised to raise the bar of healthcare delivery nationwide.