Calls for the patient to become a co-decision maker about his treatment

In the Association of Patient Organizations of Slovenia, this year’s World Patient Safety Day, which will take place on Sunday, was also marked by a conference on patient safety. Vice President of the Association of Patient Organizations of Slovenia Franci Gerbec argued that health care should be a collaborative process between professionals, patients, families and support groups. At the same time, he emphasized that patients must become empowered, that is, they take responsibility for their health, and seek help only when it is necessary.

An informed patient is a demanding patient who wants to get the most from a doctor, and doctors want him, he said Miran Rems from the Medical Chamber of Slovenia. He added, however, that doctors must be smiling and in a good mood when receiving each patient. “Despite the fact that a colleague once wrotel: I’m not paid for smiling, I think that smiling is also part of coming to the clinic,” he explained.

Head of the service for cooperation with the World Health Organization at the Ministry of Health Vesna Kerstin Petrič however, she said that organized patients can make a big difference and that they have absolute power. “Being organized means that we are active, that we not only raise awareness, but also react on platforms, in public debates, and that we resolutely point out our strengths and demand that something happen.” she said.

She called on those gathered to connect with young people who are connected to organized groups in their efforts. “Young people have very strong views on what they want in the future in society,” she explained and added that the employees of the ministry also want changes.

Professional supervision of medical and midwifery activities is carried out by the Chamber of Medical and Midwifery Care of Slovenia, and they usually deal with comments and complaints of patients, said a professional associate of the Chamber Dear Stromajer. “It would make more sense for health institutions to recognize their own deviations and take action themselves,” she said and warned that the security system in the institutions was not established.

They also talked about the problems of security systems in hospitals. A participant in the round table shared the story of her mother, who was tied down in the hospital due to instability and restlessness, and was not informed by the medical staff, but by her mother. Štromayer wishes that such events would not happen, but she explained that there is a shortage of nurses and that it is a big problem to create a work schedule that would meet the needs of patients.

Rems said that he welcomes the standard that patients are not bound, but in Slovenia this is supported by law and allowed in certain cases. The biggest problem is usually in notifying the relatives, who understand why the patients are tied up when they are properly informed, and complaints follow when they are not informed about this by the medical staff.

At the round table, the interlocutors and participants also touched on the issue of small companies that are not included in the discussions, and companies that have insufficient financial resources. Namely, they find that among the first hundred companies that are successful in Slovenian tenders, there is none that deals with the field of health.