During the covid-19 pandemic, reports of new daily cases and deaths have dominated the headlines. In areas hardest hit by the virus, citizens and their leaders anxiously await the latest daily figure. If the number of deaths increases from the prior day, the result is despair or panic; if the number of deaths decreases, the result is optimistic hope that the tide is turning.

Tuesday, 28 April 2020 12:00 UTC+1 - join our live webinar with Dr Jamie M. Lachman, Research Associate at the University of Oxford Department of Social Policy and Intervention and Research

We were delighted to have world leading experts in improvement and change implementation, Rocco Perla and Lloyd Provost, join us for a webinar to discuss how we can use improvement science and data to better understand and manage the COVID-19 crisis.

Dr David Bates joined us for a special webinar to present on his paper 'Two Decades Since To Err Is Human: An Assessment of Progress and Emerging Priorities in Patient Safety'. 

Thursday, 23rd April 2020 15:00 UTC+1 - Join us for a live webinar on healthcare worker safety during global pandemics with Chris Power, CEO of the Canadian Patient Safety Institute.

We were delighted to welcome Dr Sara Albolino, Director at the Centre for patient safety of the Tuscany Region, and Chair of the WHO Collaborating Centre Collaborating Centre in Communication and Human Factor for Delivery of Safety and Quality Care, along with her colleagues. 

ISQua's Brian Cahill, spoke with Dr Stephen Brennan, a GP based in Ireland, on how his General Practice has responded to the COVID-19 crisis; how the crisis has altered the patient journey in order to maintain good quality care, and how they are ensuring the safety of both staff and patients.

On 22 January 2020, a 65-year-old Chinese man with a history of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease for which a stent had been implanted, and lung cancer was admitted to the emergency department of Cho Ray Hospital, the referral hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam, for low-grade fever and fatigue.

The coronavirus pandemic is challenging health systems and societies. The measures for restricting interpersonal contact that are being taken are aimed at flattening the COVID-19 infection curve, to prevent the health system from being overwhelmed by a sudden increase in the number of those infected and to continue to provide the best possible care for all patients.