In August 2005, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated the Joint Commission and Joint Commission International as the world's first WHO Collaborating Centre dedicated solely to patient safety. The Collaborating Centre will focus worldwide attention on patient safety and best practices that can reduce safety risks to patients, and coordinate international efforts to spread these solutions as broadly as possible. This will be accomplished by collaborating internationally with ministries of health, patient safety experts, national agencies on patient safety, health care professional associations, and consumer organizations.

Since its launch in August 2005, the Collaborating Centre has established a growing international network to identify, evaluate, adapt and disseminate patient safety solutions worldwide.

The Collaborating Centre is identifying existing solutions that would be applicable to a wide variety of countries and health-care settings. Linkages are being created with key organizations and individuals with expertise in patient safety. These include accrediting bodies, national patient safety agencies, professional societies, and others.

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What is a WHO Collaborating Centre?

A WHO collaborating centre is a national institution designated by the Director-General of the World Health Organization to form part of an international collaborative network carrying out activities in support of WHO's mandate for international health work and its programme priorities.