Spotlight Series: Patient Safety and Hospital Quality

PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre Spotlight Series

Reference Number: CUB-21*

Official Title: PAHO/WHO CC in Hospital Organization, Management and Quality
Institution: Unidad Organizativa de Calidad, Hospital Gustavo Aldereguia Lima

Reference Number: MEX-25

Official Title: PAHO/WHO CC on Quality of Care and Patient Safety
Institution: Comisión Nacional de Arbitraje Médico (CONAMED), Secretaria de Salud

Reference Number: CAN-100*

Official Title: PAHO/WHO CC for Patient Safety and Patient Engagement
Institution: Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI)

Category 4 (SP 14-19)

Outcome 1 (SP 20-25)

Dr. Jonas Gonseth-Garcia, Advisor, Quality in Health Systems and Services, is the PAHO staff member who acts as the Region’s focal point and also has a supporting role to the WHO focal point to coordinate the collaboration between the institution and the Organization.

The Centres’ main activities include: (1) strengthening health networks with a focus on primary health care and rural areas and improving quality of care in health service delivery; (2) advocating and training for specific needs of populations under conditions of vulnerability; (3) contributing to the development of the Strategy and Plan of Action to Improve Quality of Care in Health Service Delivery; and (4) supporting social participation of patients with adverse events.

The Centre at the Unidad Organizativa de Calidad, Hospital Gustavo Aldereguia Lima focuses on strengthening health networks in primary health care and rural areas and improving quality of care in health service delivery. For example, since 2018, the Centre has made several visits to Venezuela and conducted structured triage trainings for personnel in 51 Type 3 and 4 (high complexity) hospitals to help implement triage in emergency rooms. These trainings allow categorization of patients according to the degree of urgency of symptoms and signs, prioritize patient care and eliminates a prolonged wait for clinical examination and treatment. The Centre has also applied the Essential Conditions for the Delivery of Health Services in Hospital (VCE) tool to rural and hard to reach areas involved in quality and patient safety compliance and evaluation.

The Centre at CONAMED has advanced the components of prevention and control of AMR by supporting 25 hospitals to implement Antimicrobial Use Optimization Programs and the Global Point Prevalence Survey of Antimicrobial Consumption. The Centre is also working on advocating and training to address specific needs of populations under conditions of vulnerability by providing resources in numerous indigenous languages for patients, available at:

The Centre at the Canadian Patient Safety Institute has participated in several WHO Patient Safety consultations and gives support to a global patient network called “WHO Patients for Patient Safety Network.” The network functions as a secretariat for patient networks. The Centre has supported patients for this network by providing teleconference services to the participants, 2-3 times each year.

Webnotes such as these serve to inform how Collaborating Centres are contributing to the Organization’s priorities and mandates.

* CC Expired.