World Patient Safety Day 2025
Newborns, and children deserve safe care tailored to every stage of their lives.
Health professionals: your role is key to preventing avoidable harm.
Illness
World Patient Safety Day 2025
Families play a key role in ensuring that newborns and children receive safe health care.
Mothers, fathers, and caregivers can contribute by keeping records of medications and symptoms, staying informed, asking questions, and voicing any concerns.
Join the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) for a regional webinar to mark World Patient Safety Day 2025 under the slogan “Patient safety from the start!”.
World Patient Safety Day 2025
On World Patient Safety Day, it’s critical to highlight the need for safe care from the very beginning of life. Newborns and children require care tailored to their age, weight, developmental stage, health needs, and social context to prevent avoidable harm.
World Patient Safety Day
Every child and every newborn have the right to safe, quality health care from day one.
A single safety incident can have lifelong consequences for a child’s health and development.
Join the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) for a regional webinar to mark World Patient Safety Day 2025 under the slogan “Patient safety from the start!”.
When: 23 September 2025
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (EDT)
Neonatal transport: What equipment and medications are necessary?
The equipment used in transport must comply with several general characteristics:
• Appropriate for the age group and for the health problems to be managed.
• Lightweight, portable, rugged and easy to clean
• It must be securely fastened in the transport vehicle for patient and equipment safety.
• Tested in transport conditions (temperature, altitude, vibration).
It is essential to have equipment that allows for:
How does the International Code of Marketing of Human Milk Substitutes apply in the context of HIV infection?
El Código se aplica en todos los países, con independencia de lo establecido en las políticas nacionales sobre la alimentación de los lactantes cuyas madres están infectadas por el VIH. La aplicación del código es fundamental para que no disminuyan las tasas de lactancia materna.
Why is human milk the best food for small, sick or premature newborns?
Human milk is the best food for newborns, even if they are small, premature or sick. Breastfeeding improves infant survival, health and development. It is also associated with better neurodevelopmental outcomes and less obesity, hypertension and insulin resistance in adolescence, among many other benefits.
Should any type of promotion of substitutes be prohibited?
Any type of promotion of breastmilk substitutes, bottles and teats should be completely prohibited at health care facilities, as established by the International Code of Marketing of Human Milk Substitutes and subsequent relevant resolutions of the World Health Assembly. In addition, no free or subsidized donations of breast milk substitutes or other products, gifts or samples may be given to health workers at any health system facility.
In neonatal inpatient units, what aspects should be included in the written breastfeeding policy regarding the feeding of preterm infants?
Regarding the administration of feeding the premature newborns in intensive care areas, the written breastfeeding policy should explicit issues related to the:
When to initiate skin-to-skin contact between premature, small and/or sick newborns and their mothers or fathers
If the newborn’s clinical condition is favorable, skin-to-skin contact should be initiated immediately after birth.
The vital signs of mother and baby should be checked regularly to monitor their well-being. The person accompanying the patient, family member, doula or health care staff should monitor the woman’s wakefulness to protect the newborn’s safety in this vulnerable period.