The World Patients Alliance (WPA), in collaboration with the European Patient Safety Foundation (EUPSF), organized a webinar titled “Medical Errors in Europe: Breaking Barriers and Strengthening Reporting Systems” on March 20, 2025. The webinar brought together patient advocates, expert and healthcare professionals from across Europe to explore the persistent issue of medical errors, share innovative practices, and advocate for systemic reforms in reporting and learning mechanisms.

The webinar was made accessible through AI-powered simultaneous translation in over 50 languages.

Welcome and Opening Remarks:
The webinar began with a welcome address by Hussain Jafri, CEO of the WPA. He highlighted the urgent need to tackle medical errors, not as isolated incidents but as indicators of deeper systemic issues. Hussain then introduced the webinar moderator, Helen Haskell, Chair, WPA Patient Safety & Quality Council, who outlined the key objectives of the session:

Key Objectives of the Webinar:
• Highlighting the scale and impact of medical errors across Europe and the urgency for reform.
• Encouraging non-punitive, transparent reporting cultures within healthcare systems.
• Empowering patient organizations and individuals to engage in safety improvement initiatives.

Key Presentations

Overview of Medical Errors and Patient Safety Culture in Europe

Katherine de Bienassis and Dr. David Kelly from the OECD analyzed medical errors in Europe, noting that 1 in 10 hospitalizations involve safety failures, consuming 15% of hospital expenditures. They highlighted the widespread impact of misdiagnosis and delays, citing OECD surveys where 30% of patients reported harm. Key findings included misdiagnosis trends in cancer, mental health, and adult ADHD. They stressed integrating patient-reported outcomes into safety frameworks to rebuild trust in healthcare.

Unlocking the Potential of Medical Error Reporting

Prof. Sven Staender, University of Zurich discussed shifting from blame-based to learning-based healthcare cultures, emphasizing the Swiss Cheese Model, where errors stem from system failures, not individuals. Citing anaesthesia safety and the Helsinki Declaration, he stressed incident reporting as a learning tool, requiring leadership support and follow-ups. He highlighted the shift from Safety-I (failure-focused) to Safety-II (success-focused), urging healthcare to learn from both mistakes and achievements.

Panel Discussion and Q&A

The panel discussion brought together the diverse voices of all speakers. Key discussion areas included:

Synnøve Serigstad from UKOM highlighted Norway’s non-punitive, learning-focused patient safety model, which avoids blaming individuals and instead drives systemic improvement through root cause analysis and peer reviews.

Anupoma Haque stressed the need to address medical errors beyond hospitals, particularly in home-based and long-term care, advocating for inclusive safety policies.

Jolanta Bilińska shared her journey from journalism to healthcare reform, emphasizing how public concern and advocacy in Poland led to stronger patient-centered policies.

Key points included building trust for transparent reporting, integrating home-based error tracking, and using AI for diagnostics. The session reinforced that meaningful change requires collective responsibility and investment in safety infrastructure.

Key Takeaways and Recommendations

1. Education and Awareness:
Patients and caregivers must be equipped with knowledge about medical errors and reporting systems to advocate for safe and appropriate care.

2. Policy Advocacy:
Government policies must support the development and implementation of transparent, non-punitive error reporting systems across all care settings.

3. Collaboration:
Stronger partnerships between patient organizations, healthcare professionals, researchers, and policymakers are vital to strengthening patient safety frameworks.

4. Sustainability and Funding:
Efforts should be made to secure sustained funding for patient safety infrastructure, training, and support programs, especially in under-resourced regions.

Mirka Cikkelova, General Secretary of EUPSF, emphasized the need to recognize patients as partners, support patient organizations, and promote a no-blame learning approach through independent investigative bodies. She highlighted that investing in patient safety and quality care is key to building resilience and restoring trust in healthcare, especially during crises. She also stressed the importance of ongoing collaboration and thanked the speakers, panelists, moderator, and participants for their contributions.

Conclusion
The webinar underscored the urgent need for cultural and structural reform in medical error reporting across Europe. By learning from international best practices and fostering patient-cantered solutions, healthcare systems can become safer, more accountable, and transparent. The WPA and its partners remain committed to championing patient safety and amplifying the voice of patients in every policy conversation.