Plan your own campaign

Below are some ideas and tips for planning your World Patient Safety Day campaign this year. These are the proposed options only, while we encourage creativity and innovative ideas, particularly if you are unable to plan in person events within the COVID-19 pandemic context.

This year the theme of the World Patient Safety Day is “Safe maternal and newborn care” and the slogan is “Act now for safe and respectful childbirth!”

In case your setting does not include maternal and newborn services, you may consider the slogan “Speak up for patient safety!” using messages and activities that highlight the importance of patient safety in all health services.

Tips for a successful campaign

  • Follow the designated to the WPSD 2021 WHO webpage https://covid.comesa.int/campaigns/world-patient-safety-day/2021
  • Use WHO’s global campaign resources, adapt them to suit your national and local context, including their translation into local languages to ensure wider outreach.  
  • Engage key stakeholders, including patients, patient and civil society organizations, healthcare leaders, professional associations, academic and research institutions in the planning and organization of activities.
  • Build strategic partnerships and encourage more people to join the call for action.
  • Identify your network of influencers to amplify campaign messages, such as, patient representatives, professionals, celebrities, innovators, entrepreneurs, and social media influencers.
  • Remember to be inclusive. Everyone has a role to play in safe maternal and newborn care!

Key stakeholders

Reach out to a range of stakeholders to join your campaign, including:

  • Women in pregnancy, around the time of childbirth or immediately after birth or with past experience
  • Spouses/partners, family members or community members
  • Health workers
  • Policy makers
  • Programme managers
  • Organizational leaders
  • Patient safety advocates/representatives
  • Academia and research organizations
  • Professional associations
  • UN agencies
  • Development partners
  • Non-governmental organizations

Activity ideas

Please note any events or activities plead for commemoration of the World Patient Safety Day 2021 should be carried out according to national and/or local regulations, including within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic (following safety e.g., safe  protocols and procedures to minimize transmission of infection). Creative approaches and virtual events should be considered in these times, in particular. 

Light up a monument or landmark

  • Arrange lighting up in orange a prominent monument, public space or natural feature in your local area, town or city on 17 September, in collaboration with your local or national authorities.
  • Illuminate in orange monuments, hospitals or buildings as a gesture of respect and gratitude to all health and care workers that provide safe, respectful maternal and newborn care.
  • Explore possibility to have lit up in orange those buildings or monuments that are usually lit up in your local area, town or city (the more the better).
  • Share photos of your lit-up monuments at patientsafety@who.int and through your social media channels using #PatientSafety and #WorldPatientSafetyDay.

Note: In case orange color is not acceptable in your local setting, please, consider lighting up in different color, as applicable.

Acknowledge patient safety champions

Organize awards or a "Hall of Fame" in health care facilities to recognize maternal and newborn care champions who go above and beyond to ensure all women have a safe and respectful childbirth.

Organize events

  • Organize public and technical events at national and sub-national level on the importance of safe maternal and newborn care, including prevention of stillbirths.
  • Organize an open day for the media and patients at the healthcare facility level to showcase the initiatives taken to reduce patient harm by investing in maternal and newborn safety. Share your initiatives with the public.
  • Ask health care leaders and influencers to promote World Patient Safety Day on social media, websites, television and radio interviews and use the slogan ‘Act now for safe and respectful childbirth!’ in their speeches and interviews.

Organize policy and advocacy activities

  • Introduce a pledge related to the theme of World Patient Safety Day 2021.
  • Use World Patient Safety Day as an opportunity to launch national policies and technical products related to maternal and newborn safety particularly around the time of childbirth.

Organize educational and training activities.

  • Reach out to academic and research bodies and promote the organization of scientific conferences, webinars, symposia and seminars.
  • Organize special editions of newsletters and journals dedicated to maternal and newborn safety leading up to 17 September 2021 or throughout the year until the next World Patient Safety Day, in September 2022.
  • Organize “virtual student events” on the day.
  • Invite health workers, women and families to your events to share their testimonials.
  • Advocate for patient safety, including aspects of maternal and newborn safety, to be a part of the educational curricula.
  • Recognize “Young champions of patient safety” or “Young champions of safe maternal and newborn care” to inspire research in their area.
  • Organize quizzes and competitions related to safe maternal and newborn care or patient safety in general.

Social media

  • Use #PatientSafety #WorldPatientSafetyDay hashtags and the slogan ‘Act now for safe and respectful childbirth!’ on social media.
  • Follow WHO on our official Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, You Tube, SnapChat, TikTok and Pinterest channels. Share, subscribe and amplify our World Patient Safety Day messages.
  • Use the WHO social media materials and messages to make your own social media campaign and to show your support (social media frame, tiles, banners, infographics, GIFs, selfie board).
  • Request celebrities, influencers, health workers and leaders to take their photo with “Act now for safe and respectful childbirth!” signs and post them on social media.
  • Identify maternal and newborn safety champions and get their consent to tell their stories on your social media channels.

Media

  • Contact media in advance of World Patient Safety Day to secure their interest and support; provide them with information and impactful testimonials. Use information from the WHO website such as fact sheets on improving survival and well-being of newborns, maternal mortality, and patient safety.
  • Produce television or radio spots promoting safe maternal and newborn care and calling on all stakeholders to “Act now for safe and respectful childbirth!”.

Art

  • Approach artists to create artwork (for example paintings, handcrafts) related to safe maternal and newborn care.
  • Create songs or jingles.
  • Choreograph dances and organize flash mobs.
  • Use poetry and creative writing to pay tribute to World Patient Safety Day 2021.

Visual displays and souvenirs

  • Produce and display World Patient Safety Day banners, posters and electronic visual displays.
  • Produce and distribute World Patient Safety Day souvenirs.

Health care industry

  • If your company produces medical devices, applications or other medical products, demonstrate to your customers, through activities and events, how you are prioritizing maternal and newborn safety.