World Patient Safety Day: Patient safety must start from the very first dose
17 September 2025
On World Patient Safety Day, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) is urging Australians to reflect on the importance of keeping children and adolescents safe from medicine-related harm.
The global theme for this year “Patient safety from the start” resonates strongly in Australia, where PSA’s Medicine Safety: Child and Adolescent Care report revealed that:
34,000 children present to Emergency Departments every year due to medicine-related problems — that’s almost 93 presentations every single day.
40 children are admitted to hospital daily from medicine-related harm.
Around half of these incidents are preventable.
PSA National President, Associate Professor Fei Sim FPS, said medicine safety in children must remain front of mind for all health professionals, caregivers, and policymakers.
“World Patient Safety Day is a reminder that safe care begins at birth and continues throughout childhood. Every medicine prescribed, dispensed, or administered to a child is an opportunity to prevent harm and protect health,” Associate Professor Sim said.
“Pharmacists see first-hand the risks children face — from accidental poisoning to dosing errors.
“By working together with parents, carers and the broader health system, we can make a real difference in reducing preventable harm.
“Patient safety from the start is not just a theme, it’s a responsibility we all share.”
The World Health Organization has called for global action to improve safety in paediatric and newborn care.
PSA stands with the international health community in highlighting the importance of safe medicines use as a cornerstone of child health and wellbeing.
In Australia, Quality Use of Medicines and Medicines Safety is Australia’s 10th National Health Priority Area.
PSA’s Medicine Safety: Child and Adolescent Care report is available at: https://www.psa.org.au/advocacy/working-for-our-profession/medicine-safety/medicine-safety-child-adolescent-care-report/
Media contact: David Westman M: 0480 099 798 E: david.westman@psa.org.au
