Special Interest Groups

A SIG is a group of PHASA members who share a passion for a particular area within the discipline of public health.

Healthcare Quality and Safety

Overview

The PHASA Special Interest Group (SIG) on Healthcare Quality and Safety (HQS) aims to elevate the importance of quality and patient safety as a national public health priority in South Africa.

It will be a collaborative platform for public health professionals, researchers, academics, and civil society to exchange ideas, share research, and strengthen capacity in HQS. The SIG will advocate for patient-centred care, influence policy and practice, and promote the integration of patients in the design and monitoring of healthcare services.

Through annual meetings, workshops, webinars, and active stakeholder engagement, the SIG will contribute to PHASA’s objectives by fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, driving research and policy dialogue, and building partnerships across Africa and other low- and middle-income countries. 

Purpose of the SIG

  • To raise the profile of healthcare quality and patient safety as a public health priority in the South African national health system;
  • To provide a platform for public health practitioners, researchers, academics and civil society for networking and collaboration, and to support a community of practice in health care quality and safety (HQS) in South Africa;
  • To share research and practice to build knowledge and expertise in HQS;
  • To support capacity building and skills development in HQS
  • To influence policy and practice in HQS;
  • To advocate for HQS within the SA health system;
  • To advocate for the inclusion of patients in the planning, design and monitoring of health service delivery to ensure their quality expectations are acknowledged, considered and met;
  • To advocate for the integration of patients in the monitoring of the quality of health care services;
  • To build collaborations around HQS with like-minded institutions in the Africa region and in low and middle income countries (LMICs) in other regions.

Contribution to PHASA objectives

  • Create a multi-disciplinary environment of professional exchange and debate, study and activity in relation to quality in healthcare;
  • Hold annual meetings of the SIG at the PHASA conference;
  • Host an annual workshop and/or organised sessions on HQS at the PHASA conference;
  • Organise periodic webinars on HQS topics between conferences;
  • Establish a mailing list of SIG members to share information on HQS, notices, publications, funding calls and other relevant activities;
  • Host discussions to define research and policy priorities in HQS;
  • Review and comment on relevant policy and legislation relating to HQS or which impact on HQS;
  • Actively engage with a range of stakeholders involved in HQS within the SA health system;
  • Encourage publication of rigorous research studies on quality improvement and patient safety activities in South Africa, and collaborate on publications within the Africa region and with LMIC partners in other regions;
  • Encourage presentation of publications at PHASA conferences and other public health conferences in MICs;
  • Raise awareness and interest in the science of healthcare quality and safety;
  • Encourage and create opportunities for members to network with other similar groups on the African continent and in LMIC’s in other regions.

Contact information

  • Dr Grace Labadarios
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  • Prof Lilian Dudley
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