N.B. moves to strengthen patient safety and health care quality
New legislation aimed at improving patient safety is being proposed in New Brunswick.
Health Minister John Dornan has introduced changes designed to strengthen quality of care across the province’s health system.
“Patient safety is not the responsibility of any one individual or organization,” said Dornan. “It is a reflection of how the entire system works together.”
A news release from May 5 says Dornan introduced An Act Respecting Health Quality and Patient Safety. If passed, it would build upon the Health Quality and Patient Safety Act, which is a framework for reviewing and learning from patient safety incidents in the health system.
The proposal would improve how patient safety incidents are reviewed, shared, and used to support learning across the system. Dornan says the goal is to ensure lessons from incidents lead to meaningful improvements and enhanced transparency.
Key elements of the legislation include:
- Clearer definitions for patient safety incidents.
- Improved processes for reviewing serious incidents.
- Expanded opportunities for joint reviews between health-care organizations.
- Enhanced use of data to identify trends and guide improvements.
The legislation would also establish a provincial advisory committee focused on quality of care and patient safety.
“By strengthening how we learn across the system and ensuring information is shared more effectively, we are building a health system that continuously improves and delivers safer care for patients and families,” said Dornan.
