All Voices for Safer Care
Each October, Canadian Patient Safety Week (CPSW) brings together healthcare professionals and organizations across Canada to focus on what truly matters—making care safer for all.
This year’s theme, All Voices for Safer Care, reflects a truth that defines ECRI’s work: patient safety depends on listening, learning, and acting together. Every voice matters—whether it comes from a patient, family member, caregiver, nurse, physician, or leader.
Why Voices Matter in Safety
Communication failures remain among the most common causes of patient harm worldwide. Yet the power to prevent them lies in the simple act of listening.
When a patient or caregiver expresses concern, they’re not just sharing information—they’re offering a chance to intervene early and save lives.
ECRI’s on-demand webinar, Risks of Dismissing Patient, Family, and Caregiver Concerns, highlights real-world cases where early listening could have prevented harm—and offers strategies for building a culture that takes every concern seriously.
Empowering Clinicians to Speak Up
The theme “All Voices” applies equally to clinicians and staff. Too often, hierarchy, fear, or burnout can silence team members who notice safety risks.
Through the Ask ECRI resource, Disagreement among Providers Regarding Patient Care, we help organizations navigate professional differences and build systems that support open, respectful dialogue.
When clinicians trust that their voice matters, teamwork strengthens—and patients receive safer, more coordinated care.
Including Families and Addressing Equity
Families and caregivers are integral to safe care, particularly in pediatrics. ECRI’s Tools for Measuring Equity in Pediatric Safety Programs help hospitals identify disparities and ensure that every family’s voice is heard and respected in safety planning.
Equity in patient safety isn’t just a metric—it is a moral imperative. When we amplify underrepresented voices, from families in rural areas to those facing language barriers, we move closer to the promise of healthcare that serves everyone fairly.
Leadership: The Voice that Sets the Tone
Safety culture begins at the top. Leaders who listen—not just to data, but to their people—create environments where everyone feels responsible for safety.
ECRI’s Healthcare Leadership Engagement for Improving Patient Safety provides actionable strategies to strengthen leadership accountability and ensure open communication across departments.
When leaders amplify the voices of staff and patients alike, safety culture flourishes.
Inclusion and Neurodiversity in Safety
Patient safety must include neurodiverse populations. Our resource, Taking Action: Strategies to Promote Equitable Healthcare for Autistic Patients, provides frameworks for improving communication, reducing sensory barriers, and fostering inclusive environments where autistic patients feel heard and supported.
Inclusion is not an optional element of safety—it is safety.
A Shared Commitment
As Canadian Patient Safety Week reminds us, safer care is a shared responsibility—and a shared opportunity.
By listening deeply, communicating openly, and acting collaboratively, healthcare organizations can ensure all voices are part of the solution.
ECRI is proud to partner with healthcare leaders worldwide to transform these conversations into measurable change.
Explore all free resources and join the conversation: ecri.org/CANPatientSafetyWeek