Background:

Mistakes in diagnosis and medical care that cause damage to patients and occur both in hospitals and community medical institutions are one of the challenges facing health systems around the world.

According to estimates, errors as a result of medical activity are the third leading cause of death in the United States, responsible for the deaths of about 251,000 people per year on average. In Israel, some 5,000 people die every year due to medical malpractice and mistakes in treatment.

The Ofek Association has undertaken the responsibility to help increase safety in hospitals and increase public confidence in order to prevent cases of medical malpractice through training and information in hospitals.

In cooperation with the Patient Safety Department of Israel, the organization prepares volunteers who experienced medical malpractice with a close family member, taught to lecture managers and responsible doctors and nurses in hospitals throughout the country.

The training will include:

Professional information from the Ministry of Health, analysis and description of medical malpractice cases, description of “almost injured” cases that have been corrected, recommendations for ways to increase hospital safety, and training for facing the public. Simulations will also be conducted and the volunteers will receive a kit that includes a professional presentation designed to serve them in lectures.

In coordination with the Patient Safety Department, the volunteers will be assigned to regular lectures in hospitals throughout the country, including geriatric hospitals and mental health hospitals.

In an age in which the power of workers in the Ministry of Health and in hospitals is limited both due to lack of standards and due to lack of ability to gather professional information, Ofek volunteers can fill in the gaps after having undergone professional training in cooperation with the Ministry of Health.

This activity will include the arrival of the Ofek officers to the hospitals after prior coordination, the transfer of lectures and the provision of professional feedback by the medical teams and risk managers to improve the lectures.

The objectives of the project:

1. Prevention of medical malpractice through information and personal meetings with families of victims.
2. Increasing public confidence.
3. Increased patient safety in hospitals.

We believe and know that this project will save lives and is of economic, moral and social importance.