Patient safety, defined as freedom for a patient from unnecessary harm or potential harm associated with healthcare, is an issue
of increasing concern all over the world. It is estimated that in EU Member States between 8% and 12% of patients admitted to
hospitals suffer from adverse events whilst receiving healthcare.
Frequently occurring adverse events include healthcare-associated infections that affect an estimated one in twenty hospital
patients on average every year, medication-related errors such as patients receiving the wrong medicine, or the wrong dose,
surgical errors, medical device failures and errors in diagnosis or the failure to act on the results of tests.
More often than not, adverse events in healthcare are the result of systems errors rather than the negligence
or incompetence or individual health professionals. Much of the harm to patients is preventable.
According to Article 152 of the Treaty, the EU can lend support to Member States in their efforts to increase patient safety
and can coordinate their action.
