ANNOUNCEMENT: 20 SEPTEMBER 2025
EUPSF CONTRIBUTION TO
THE EU CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH PLAN
Placing patient safety at the heart of Europe’s response to cardiovascular disease
As part of the policy process leading to the development of the EU Cardiovascular Health Plan, the European Patient Safety Foundation (EUPSF) has prepared, together with its Affiliates, a dedicated contribution outlining why patient safety must be embedded as a core pillar of the future Plan. This contribution reflects priorities developed over several years through EUPSF conferences, exchanges with Affiliates, thematic campaigns, and collaborative projects across Europe.
The document positions patient safety as both an ethical imperative and a strategic necessity. Avoidable harm undermines trust in healthcare systems, worsens outcomes for patients, places additional psychological and organisational pressure on healthcare professionals, and wastes scarce resources at a time when health systems are already facing workforce shortages and financial constraints.
Understanding the Cardiovascular Disease Burden in Europe
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) remain the leading cause of death and disability across Europe, responsible for an estimated 1.7 million deaths each year. Beyond mortality, CVD places a substantial and growing burden on individuals, families, and healthcare systems, generating significant social and economic costs across all Member States .
As populations age and treatments become increasingly complex, cardiovascular care relies on high-risk interventions, long-term medication management, and frequent transitions between care settings. These factors increase the risk of avoidable harm. Across OECD countries, evidence shows that 1 in 10 patients experiences harm during hospital care, while 4 in 10 patients are harmed in primary or ambulatory care, illustrating the scale of patient safety challenges in complex care pathways such as cardiovascular services .
The impact extends beyond patients. Unsafe care consumes scarce resources at a time when health systems face mounting pressure: approximately 15% of hospital expenditure in high-income countries is linked to treating patient safety failures. In parallel, workforce shortages and fatigue further weaken system resilience, undermining both safety and public trust in healthcare systems
WHY PATIENT SAFETY MUST BE CENTRAL TO THE EU CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH PLAN
This contribution highlights why patient safety should be embedded as a foundational element of the future EU Cardiovascular Health Plan:
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Cardiovascular care involves high-risk interventions, complex pathways, and frequent transitions of care, increasing exposure to avoidable harm.
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Unsafe care undermines outcomes, erodes public trust, and places additional pressure on healthcare professionals and systems already under strain.
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Patient safety is both an ethical imperative and a strategic lever to improve quality, efficiency, and sustainability of cardiovascular care across Europe.
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Addressing patient safety supports broader EU objectives related to health system resilience, workforce retention, and innovation governance.
For EUPSF, integrating patient safety into the Cardiovascular Health Plan is essential to ensure that prevention, innovation, and care delivery translate into safer outcomes for patients and professionals alike.
KEY PRIORITY AREAS IDENTIFIED BY EUPSF
The EUPSF contribution focuses on four interconnected priority areas:
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Strong patient safety governance and shared learning, including accountability, coordination, and cross-border learning mechanisms
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Healthcare workforce well-being, recognising fatigue and burnout as systemic patient safety risks
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Safe integration of innovation and digital technologies, ensuring that new tools enhance care without introducing new harms
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Patient and family engagement, particularly across transitions of care and long-term cardiovascular pathways
Together, these areas provide a practical framework for embedding safety into cardiovascular policies and programmes at EU and national levels.
LOOKING AHEAD
As the EU Cardiovascular Health Plan continues to take shape, EUPSF will:
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engage with European and national stakeholders to promote patient safety as a core policy priority,
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contribute expertise to discussions on governance, workforce, innovation, and patient involvement,
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support alignment between European ambitions and real-world implementation, and
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share updates as the policy process progresses.
EUPSF remains committed to ensuring that the future EU Cardiovascular Health Plan delivers not only better outcomes, but safer care for all.
LEARN MORE - DOWNLOAD THE DOCUMENT
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