Theme: Safe care for every newborn and every child
Rooted in a key principle of medicine – “First, do no harm” – World Patient Safety Day aims to increase public awareness and engagement, enhance global understanding, and drive global action to improve patient safety.
Every child has the right to safe, quality health care – from the very beginning. Newborns and children remain especially vulnerable to patient safety concerns due to their rapid development, evolving health needs, and different disease patterns. Although the reported incidence of adverse events in newborns and children receiving medical care varies, studies suggest that adverse events occur across all care settings, with higher risks in intensive care units.
To bring attention to this critical issue, this year’s World Patient Safety Day theme is “Safe care for every newborn and every child”, with a special focus on those from birth to nine years old, with the slogan “Patient safety from the start!”, recognizing the vulnerability of this age group to risks and harm caused by unsafe care.
The World Health Organization (WHO), including in the Western Pacific Region, calls on parents, caregivers, health practitioners, health-care leaders, educators and communities to unite in action to prevent avoidable harm in paediatric care and to build a safer, healthier future for every child, as part of the global effort to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3 on achieving good health and well-being for all.
Objectives of World Patient Safety Day 2025
- Raise global awareness of safety risks in paediatric and newborn care in all health-care settings, emphasizing the specific needs of children, families and caregivers.
- Mobilize governments, health-care organizations, professional bodies and civil society to implement sustainable strategies for safer care for newborns and children, as part of broader patient safety and quality initiatives.
- Empower parents, caregivers and children in patient safety by promoting education, awareness and active participation in care.
- Advocate for strengthening research on patient safety in paediatric and newborn care.
Spread the word: Calls to action and key messages
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