T.N. approves governance framework for ensuring patient safety, positive experience

The Tamil Nadu government has approved a comprehensive governance framework to guarantee patient safety and positive patient experience across government health facilities in the State.

Over the past decade, Tamil Nadu has implemented several quality improvement initiatives including National Quality Assurance Standards, Labour Room Quality Improvement Initiative, Kayakalp, Infection Prevention and Control Programme, Biomedical Waste Management and Patient Rights Charter, strengthening the quality of healthcare delivery.

However, patient safety and patient experience encompass multiple interdependent domains including accessibility, environmental hygiene, support services, infection prevention, patient-centred communication, digital monitoring and quality governance. Presently, these activities are implemented through multiple programme-specific committees and monitoring mechanisms, resulting in fragmented oversight and limited integration across departments, a government order said.