National Patient Safety Award Tracks

Purpose: This track aims to engage and inspire the next generation of healthcare professionals by encouraging university students and researchers to develop and submit innovative ideas and solutions for patient safety.

Description: This track is for students and researchers in healthcare-related fields. Participants are invited to present projects, research, or initiatives to improve patient safety. Creative thinking and the use of new technologies, processes, or educational tools are encouraged to strengthen safety practices.

Topics and criteria:

• All issues related to patient safety.
• Innovation and practical solutions.
• Expected impact on patient safety.
• Feasibility and practicality of implementation.
• Clear methodology and relevance to current patient safety challenges.

Purpose: This track honors initiatives that improve patient participation in care for their own safety through programs, projects, strategies, or innovative technologies that actively involve patients in co-designing safety strategies.

Description: The track focuses on improving patient and family engagement in developing high-quality, integrated, and people-centered health services. Treating patients as partners in healthcare can produce significant gains in safety, satisfaction, and health outcomes.

Topics:

• Engaging patients in designing safety policies and strategies.
• Improving communication between care providers, patients, and families.
• Improving long-term patient health and well-being.
• Using technologies that empower patients.
• Supporting community involvement and patient empowerment for safety.

Purpose: This track highlights achievements that improve the safety of maternity and midwifery services through new and innovative programs or technologies. It aims to reduce maternal and newborn mortality, minimize risks and harm during childbirth, and improve the quality and safety of care provided to women and newborns.

Description: The track focuses on improving continuity and safety in healthcare, given the substantial burden of risks and harm that unsafe care can pose to mothers and newborns.

Topics:

• Promoting respectful care for safe childbirth.
• Reporting and analyzing safety incidents during childbirth.
• Preventing and managing postpartum hemorrhage.
• Reducing unnecessary and harmful practices affecting women and newborns during birth.
• Training on safe caesarean protocols and strengthening healthcare worker capabilities.
• Improving detection and management of high-risk pregnancies.
• Enhancing safe medication use and blood transfusion during childbirth.
• Improving newborn screening and genetic-management outcomes.

Purpose: This track recognizes significant progress in medication safety through programs, projects, strategies, or innovative technologies that support the safe use of medications without causing harm.

Description: Unsafe medication practices and medication errors are major causes of preventable harm in healthcare. The economic and psychological burden of unsafe medication care is substantial, making medication safety an essential area for healthcare improvement.

Topics:

• Improving medication safety during transitions of care.
• Reducing risks in high-risk situations.
• Reducing inappropriate medication and pharmacy practices.
• Reporting medication errors and learning from them.

Partnership: This track is presented in partnership with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties.

Purpose: This track focuses on initiatives that improve training, effectively integrate patient safety concepts, and demonstrate excellence in patient safety education.

Description: Continuous training is essential for all healthcare professionals. As healthcare practices evolve, education and training must support practitioners in delivering high-quality and safe patient care.

Topics:

• Integrating patient safety learning and practice into educational and training curricula.
• Innovative education strategies, including interprofessional education.
• Collaborative learning based on practitioner needs and patient safety standards.
• Training interventions that enhance leaders' understanding of patient safety.
• Organization-based programs measuring skill development, behavior change, and outcomes.

Purpose: This track highlights the Choosing Wisely initiative and recognizes successful projects that apply this approach.

Description: The track focuses on projects that enhance communication between clinicians and patients to reduce unnecessary and low-value interventions, empower patients to choose safe evidence-based care, and prevent unnecessary repetition of tests and procedures.

Recognized application areas may include:

• Emergency departments.
• Primary healthcare.
• Pharmacy.
• Radiology.
• Laboratories.
• Other healthcare areas.

This track recognizes significant progress in patient safety through new and innovative systems, programs, initiatives, and technologies. Projects should demonstrate high-quality outcomes and strong patient safety practices.

Topics may include:

• Innovation in diagnostic and surgical techniques.
• Improving patient safety through technology.
• Mental health in the workplace.
• Patient safety in primary and remote healthcare.
• Safety in urgent care, emergency care, and referrals.
• Care for older people and home healthcare services.

Purpose: This track recognizes individuals, teams, and healthcare institutions that have achieved measurable progress in preventing, detecting, and effectively managing infection-related risks, including bacterial sepsis.

Description: Healthcare-associated infections and sepsis are serious threats to patient safety. This track encourages programs showing measurable improvements in early detection, reduced mortality, stronger prevention practices, and improved patient experience within the Saudi healthcare context.

Topics:

• Early recognition and rapid response.
• Early screening protocols in emergency, intensive care, and inpatient settings.
• Nationally approved prevention bundles such as CAUTI, CLABSI, SSI, and Sepsis.
• Antimicrobial stewardship and optimized antibiotic use.
• Training clinicians and pharmacists on national treatment guidance.
• Technology and innovation supporting infection prevention and reduction.

Purpose: This track honors outstanding leaders in health sectors and institutions who demonstrate exceptional commitment and a clear vision for supporting innovation and empowering healthcare practitioners and patients to advance patient safety.

Target group: Senior executives and decision-makers, including hospital or facility directors, sector managers, medical directors, executive directors, and chief executives.

Topics:

• Leadership initiatives that establish a strong organizational safety culture.
• Supporting practitioners in applying patient safety best practices.
• Programs supporting healthcare professionals after patient safety events.
• Leading patient and family engagement initiatives.
• Adopting innovative solutions and advanced technologies.
• Effective leadership in managing patient safety crises.

Purpose: This track recognizes innovative programs, systems, and practices that strengthen emotional safety as a core dimension of patient safety. Projects should demonstrate progress in reducing fear, distress, trauma, or psychological harm, particularly for children, adolescents, and vulnerable populations.

Description: Emotional safety is foundational to high-quality care. Fear, unmanaged anxiety, poor communication, and traumatic healthcare experiences can have long-term consequences and reduce trust and engagement. Projects may range from frontline clinical interventions to institutional policy and culture change.

Topics:

• Identifying psychosocial risks, strengths, coping needs, trauma history, and distress.
• Delivering emotionally safe, developmentally appropriate, trauma-informed care.
• Creating physical and organizational environments that support emotional well-being.
• Building workforce capability and sustaining an emotional safety culture.