Supporting World Patient Safety Day

World Patient Safety Day was established in 2019 by the World Health Organization (WHO), to enhance the global understanding of patient safety, increase public engagement in the safety of health care, promote global actions and reduce patient harm.¹

At Bayer, we take great pride in always putting patient safety and well-being first, ahead of everything else. It is at the core of all that we do and more than just an obligation. That’s why we are proud to have supported World Patient Safety Day since the beginning. Over the years, we have developed various tools and supportive materials to educate and inform the public about patient safety.

Through the interviews we aimed to gain insights about their experiences in learning about side effects, talking with their doctors about reporting side effects, and general observations on what patient safety means to them.

KEY FINDINGS FROM IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS

• Overall, there isn’t a cohesive sensibility as to what “patient safety” represents; how communication around medication and side effects happens within medical settings; and how reporting processes function. 
• Participants discussed how some patient education material was difficult to understand, suggesting gaps in what information is communicated.
• Patients care about how side effects may impact them whether during their routine treatment plan, adjusting medications, or enrolling in a clinical trial. They like having as much information as possible through a wide variety of different formats in plain language so that they can go back and access materials throughout their patient journey. 
• Patient safety should be a topic of priority in helping patients understand how certain information is shared and the importance of open conversations around side effects.

Key message: Using non-medical language and simplified explanations can enhance patient understanding and inclusivity!

The survey was designed to gather patient insights regarding patient safety and overall engagement, and was centered around questions of information-finding, definitions of patient safety and what it means for patient safety to be considered across conversations with doctors, patient engagement, and clinical trials.

KEY FINDINGS FROM THE SURVEY

• When it comes to patient safety, there seems to be a lack of clear information as to what defines patient safety as well as how to understand what safety means in the context of trying a new treatment, participating in a clinical trial, or making sense of information received at the doctor’s office or hospital. Even though doctors are trusted, there may still be frustration around doctors using technical medical terminology or not providing adequate explanatory materials during conversations. Adapting language to reach a wide variety of patients and care partners will help people comprehend the different facets of patient safety in a way that will empower them.
• Patients want to be involved in their care, and they want patients to participate in the creation of materials that will be used to educate people about the safety of any new medications in a way that is simple for non-medical professionals to understand. Keeping patients involved and letting them know what patient safety is, as well as why it is important and how to discuss it, are aspects of engagement that survey participants mentioned as well. Engagement depends on trust, based on responses, so working with patients on drafting materials could foster both trust and further engagement.

Key message: Patients are open to being involved in initiatives. Patient input through surveys and involving patients early in the development of educational materials ensure their understandability and relevance and make them more patient-centered.

In 2022, Bayer was conducting various activities to raise awareness on Patient Safety Day across the globe. In Germany for example, the team was sharing infographics on how to stay safe when taking multiple medications for chronic heart failure. This was in line with the official theme for World Patient Safety Day 2022 – ‘Medication Safety’, with the slogan ‘Medication Without Harm’.¹

At a Global level, our activities were focusing on healthy aging, a highly relevant topic and an important one for Bayer.

Click here to read an article written by Michael Devoy and Alexander Biedermann about the global challenges of an aging demographic, both at a societal and healthcare level.

Healthy Aging

With age, the chance of developing illnesses such as heart failure or chronic kidney disease increases.^2,3 There are several known risk factors for developing chronic heart and kidney conditions, which could be avoided or at least minimized.^4,5 People cannot always protect themselves from becoming ill. However, if these risk factors are managed well and preventative lifestyle measures are adopted, the likelihood of developing future illnesses decreases.⁴

Most of us are aware of the measures we should take to lead a healthy life – such as eating a healthy diet and being active regularly. It can, however, be hard to recognize the importance of doing so when we are young.

Click below to watch the following short videos that contain tips for how to keep healthy as you get older:

[To view the videos with subtitles in your preferred language, please click on the gear icon in the YouTube settings, select “subtitles/CC.”, choose the language you want to use from the list, and the captions will appear on the video.]

We recently conducted a survey asking 50 heart failure and chronic kidney disease patients to share guidance for the younger generation about healthy aging, and suggestions for fellow patients on how to manage their condition. The quotes below capture their advice:

Managing existing conditions, for example, diabetes and high blood pressure, is also crucial for maintaining healthy, functioning hearts and kidneys.^4,5 Did you know that developing heart failure increases the likelihood of getting chronic kidney disease – and vice versa?^4,5

To help raise awareness of the importance of healthy aging, Bayer has enrolled the help of two wise old friends, Mrs H and Mr K, who have remained in great health as they have gotten older. Click through their story below to see the important guidance they have provided to the younger generation of hearts and kidneys on how to age healthily and protect themselves from illness.

The story contains the following four chapters:

Chapter 1: What do we do and why are we important?

Chapter 2: What can happen when we get older?

Chapter 3: What can we do to stay healthy?

Chapter 4: What can we do if we do get sick?

We hope you enjoy exploring the materials created for Patient Safety Day 2022, and that you will use the various hints and tips to help you lead a healthy and happy life!

References

1. World Health Organization. World Patient Safety Day 2022. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2022/09/17/default-calendar/world-patient-safety-day-2022. Last accessed: May 2022.
2. Strait JB, Lakatta EG. Aging-associated cardiovascular changes and their relationship to heart failure. Heart Fail Clin. 2012 Jan; 8(1):143-164.
3. Prakash S, O’Hare AM. Interaction of Aging and CKD. Semin Nephrol. 2009 Sep; 29(5):497-503.
4. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Heart & Kidney Disease. Available from: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/kidney-disease/heart-disease. Last accessed: May 2022.
5. National Kidney Foundation. Heart Failure and CKD: What you need to know. Available from: https://www.kidney.org/sites/default/files/Heart_Failure_and_CKD_2018.pdf. Last accessed: May 2022
6. https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2023/09/17/default-calendar/world-patient-safety-day-2023--engaging-patients-for-patient-safety

Job codes: MA-OTH-ALL-0046-01 and MA-OTH-ALL-0049-01

Date of preparation: August 2022