Honoring Patient Safety Awareness Week

In 2002, the National Patient Safety Foundation initiated a week-long observation for patient safety, with the goal of encouraging important conversations about how we safeguard patients in our healthcare system.

Last week, we observed this special occasion, shining a spotlight on patient safety and emphasizing its importance in every healthcare discussion.

But as state legislatures continue to unpack their legislative priorities, right to repair for medical devices continues to take a font seat in the conversations.

This legislation often empowers consumers to fix everything from smartphones to farm equipment themselves. Yet, it’s crucial that medical devices be excluded from such legislation for the sake of maintaining patient safety.

Permitting laypersons or unregulated technicians to access sophisticated medical machinery could lead to catastrophic outcomes, undermining device reliability and possibly leading to fatal consequences. The ‘right to repair’ might inadvertently invite unqualified individuals into a domain where expertise is non-negotiable – a true recipe for disaster.

Reflecting on Patient Safety Week serves as a reminder: protecting patients shouldn’t just be an annual event, but an everyday imperative.

Let’s keep patient safety not just in the conversation but as a guiding principle.