NPSIF-National Patient Safety Implementation Framework

The Union health ministry has come up with a draft framework aimed at ensuring patient safety while undergoing any medical intervention and it proposes measures such as setting up of an online grievance system. The draft National Patient Safety Implementation Framework (NPSIF) states that patient safety is a fundamental element of healthcare.

Definition of Patient safety

Patient safety is defined as ‘freedom for a patient from unnecessary harm or potential harm associated with the provision of healthcare’.

Issues covered

It is about safe drugs dispensing, surgical care, safe childbirth, injection safety, blood safety, medication safety, medical device safety, safe organ, tissue and cell transportation and donation. It is also about bio-medical waste management, prevention of healthcare-associated infections and much more.

Need for NPSIF

The Consumer Protection Act deals with medical negligence and deficiency of services but has failed to define the rights of the patients. Failure to deliver safe care is attributed to unsafe clinical practices, unsafe processes and poor systems and processes. Challenges in patient safety in India are numerous, ranging from unsafe injections and biological waste management to medication and medical device safety, high rates of healthcare associated infections, anti-microbial resistance etc.The provisions of healthcare services have significantly grown in the public sector over the past few years and there is a large unregulated private sector. Therefore, the quality of services and its legal aspects need to be taken up at this point

Pillars of NPSIF

The framework is based on six main pillars —
1. Health system strengthening
2.Improvement in adverse events reporting
3.Training of healthcare personnel
4.Research
5.Vertical campaigns which includes injection safety, blood safety, surgical safety, maternal and child healthcare
6.Quality of healthcare services through accreditation.

Major provisions of draft NPSIF:

• The draft NPSIF proposes setting up of a web-based grievance system and toll-free helplines for patient safety in all healthcare facilities and introducing anonymous reporting system to be used by the staff, students, patients and their families.
• It also suggests setting up of a national-level steering committee for patient safety on the basis of a patient safety expert group.
• The draft proposes incorporating patient safety principles and concepts in the Public Health Act and streamlining patient safety in different insurance schemes.
• To strengthen quality assurance mechanisms, including accreditation system, the draft suggests incorporating selected patient safety indicators within the accreditation system for hospitals and laboratories.
• It also proposes establishment of a culture of safety and improving communication, patient identification and handing over transfer protocols in healthcare facilities.
• The draft calls for ensuring that patient safety processes are clearly communicated to patients and caregivers prior, during and after the medical intervention using different communication means such as videos, mobile apps, etc

By: Dr. Vivek Rana