In August 2017, Aspetar, the Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine hospital, received the Patient Safety Friendly Hospital (PSFH) Level 3 designation. The award is administered by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), in partnership with the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (WHO/EMRO).

The PSFH assessment is based on a review of 140 patient safety standards covering five core areas including Leadership and Management, Patient and Public Involvement, Safe Evidence-Based Clinical Practice, Safe Environment and Lifelong Learning. Across these five areas, the standards are then subdivided into three categories – critical (compulsory), core, and developmental.

After a rigorous process of self-assessment, external assessment and new safety process implementation over 18 months, Aspetar achieved this important designation.