High 5s Project Makes Significant Progress

The High 5s Project continues to make progress toward its stated goal of implementing innovative, standardized operating protocols for five patient safety solutions in hospitals over five years.

JCI, The Joint Commission, and WHO have combined to administer the WHO Collaborating Centre for Patient Safety, which, in tandem with the Commonwealth Fund, and the WHO World Alliance for Patient Safety, has established the High 5s Project, established the High 5s in December 2006 to leverage the implementation of solutions that would have broad impacts in preventing avoidable catastrophic adverse events—death or serious injury—in hospitals. The areas of focus are the following:
► Prevention of patient care handover (handoff) errors
► Prevention of wrong site/wrong procedure/wrong person surgical errors
► Prevention of continuity of medication errors
► Prevention of high concentration drug errors
► Promotion of effective hand hygiene practices

The High 5s Project Steering Group met 17–18 March 2010 at the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland to discuss specific countries’ experiences with the Standard Operating Protocols including lessons learned, implementation challenges, and requests for adaptation or revision. The Steering Group is now expected to have the guidance it needs to reach full implementation in 2010.