Patient Safety
In June 2015 Regina Kamoga from Community Health and Information Network (CHAIN Uganda) visited Poland at the invitation of Jolanta Bilinska of Patients Safety Foundation for a Patient For Patient safety event.
Regina and Jolanta are both patient safety champions and Regina is also member of the Advisory Group of the WHO PFPS programme. The two are collaborating to increase awareness of patient safety in healthcare systems and the general public. During this visit a number of activities were held including a session on how to prepare tailor made patient safety materials and how to improve health worker/patient relationship.
Other issues discussed with a group of patients and board members of the Patient Safety Foundation included models of patient safety in hospitals, formation of National Networks of Patient Safety Leaders/advocates to spear head patient safety campaigns in both countries. They also took part in special session on eldery people what to do for senior 65 + people, how to help them to move in health system.
Regina and Jolanta were invited to talk about Non communicable diseases (NCDs) in an elementary school in Lodz at Podmiejska street . NCDs are becoming a public health challenge, accounting for 60% of all deaths worldwide, with 80% occurring in low and middle income countries. Regina talked about the need to adopt health lifestyles including health diets, regular exercise, avoid smoking and taking alcohol. She emphasized the important role of patients in preventing and managing NCDs in order to avoid many preventable deaths.
Jolanta did short quiz how to prevent NCD, she asked about lifestyle in childrens families, what they do with partents on weekends, what they eat at home, at school etc.
Regina and Jolanta also made a hand washing demonstration to promote hand hygiene among the school children. A quiz was conducted to determine and increase the level of knowledge on hand washing. The children participated fully and acquired knowledge.
