The World Health Organization's (WHO) European office has released a groundbreaking report highlighting the connection between healthcare quality and overall health outcomes in its 53 Member States. The report, titled “Taking the pulse of quality of care and patient safety in the WHO European Region,” reveals significant links between quality healthcare and life expectancy, as well as the rates of death from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and preventable patient harm.

The assessment shows that only one-third of the countries in the WHO European Region have established national action plans for quality of care and patient safety. WHO considers these action plans to be crucial in ensuring that countries provide safe and effective healthcare to their populations. This lack of national strategies has profound consequences, as countries with such plans have been found to have healthier populations, with a 0.57-year increase in life expectancy and a 1.34% lower chance of dying from NCDs for every additional national action plan in place.

While healthcare quality is a shared responsibility among patients, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and funders, the report emphasizes the importance of trust in healthcare systems. Dr. Natasha Azzopardi Muscat, WHO/Europe’s Director of Country Health Policies and Systems, warned that poor-quality care severely damages this trust, undermining the foundation of healthcare systems. Though some progress has been made, the report underscores the need for greater efforts to ensure that all individuals receive high-quality care.

The report also sheds light on the scale of harm patients experience. Estimates suggest that around one in ten patients in the Region suffers harm during healthcare, with primary and ambulatory care settings being particularly hazardous, as up to 40% of patients are harmed in these settings. The report further reveals that at least half of these injuries are avoidable, highlighting the urgent need for action to improve patient safety.

A concerning finding in the report is the variation in healthy life expectancy due to NCDs, which can differ by as much as 11 years between the best- and worst-performing countries. It also highlights the lack of patient representation in national health governance, with only 13% of countries incorporating patient or public input into their health policies.

Despite these challenges, the report also identifies some positive trends, such as the fact that 80% of countries have developed plans to tackle antimicrobial resistance, a growing concern in global healthcare.

WHO’s recommendations for improving quality of care include increased investment in national action plans, ensuring that patient and public voices are heard in health policy decisions, and redesigning healthcare models to prioritize patient needs. The organization also stresses the importance of better budgeting for healthcare, noting that public spending on health varies widely across the Region, with some countries spending as little as 4.6% of their total public budget on healthcare, while others spend as much as 22.4%.

The report calls on governments and policymakers to act on this data to strengthen healthcare systems and improve public trust. Dr. João Breda, head of the WHO Office on Quality of Care and Patient Safety, emphasized that addressing quality and safety in healthcare will not only reduce morbidity and save lives but will also play a vital role in restoring trust in health systems—an essential element in achieving WHO’s goal of Health for All.

Source: WHO Europe