Improving patient safety in Libya: insights from the British health system perspective

Purpose: The overall aim of patient safety is to make health care safe for both patients and health professionals. The purpose of this paper is to explore the UK’s patient safety improvement programmes over the past 15 years and whether lessons can be learnt to improve patient safety in Libya. Design/methodology/approach: Publications focused on patient safety in the UK were searched in academic databases. A content analysis was conducted on the selected publications. Findings: In Britain, several initiatives have been undertaken over the past fifteen years to improve patient safety and the British health system. Many stakeholders are involved including regulatory and professional bodies, educational providers and non-governmental organisations. Lessons can be learnt from the British journey in improving patient safety in Libya Research limitations/implications: Practical implications: Developing a national patient safety strategy for the country which reflects the context and needs is paramount. Above all, patient safety strategy in Libya should reference internationally approved guidelines, evidence and policy as well as learning from the unique British experience. Social implications: Originality/value: This review is first to examine patient safety improvement strategies that were adopted in Britain to help developing countries develop local strategies based on lessons learnt from Britain’s unique experience