Saudi Patient Safety Center Holds Co-Design Workshop to Engage Patients and Families in Care Planning

The Saudi Patient Safety Center, in collaboration with the National eLearning Center, held a workshop titled “Co-design for Engaging Patients and Their Families in Care Planning” as part of the activities marking World Patient Safety Day 2026, which is observed this year under the theme “Safe Care for Non-communicable Diseases” The workshop aimed to strengthen the role of patients and their families as active partners throughout the healthcare journey and to engage them in developing care plans and making related decisions. This contributes to the delivery of safer, higher-quality health services that are responsive to beneficiaries’ needs and experiences. The workshop brought together healthcare practitioners and patient safety specialists, alongside patients and their families, to discuss the patient journey from diagnosis through ongoing follow-up. It also explored key challenges and opportunities to strengthen communication and partnership between patients and healthcare providers. The workshop included three interactive stages. It began with exploring challenges and gaining an understanding of patients’ and families’ experiences and needs, followed by co-creating solutions through group work and the exchange of ideas. It concluded with an experimentation stage focused on developing and testing solutions to produce practical models that can be implemented in healthcare settings. The workshop was held to activate the existing partnership between the Saudi Patient Safety Center and the National eLearning Center. The National eLearning Center hosted the workshop, reflecting the integration between the two entities in supporting relevant initiatives and activities, and in employing co-design methodologies and interactive learning to advance healthcare practices and promote a culture of beneficiary engagement in improving the services provided to them. His Excellency Dr. Ali bin Tala’a Asery, Director General of the Saudi Patient Safety Center, affirmed that engaging patients and their families in healthcare is a fundamental pillar for strengthening patient safety and service quality. He noted that drawing on their experiences and perspectives contributes to the development of solutions that are better aligned with their needs, improves service effectiveness, and strengthens trust and partnership between beneficiaries and healthcare providers. He added that such workshops reflect the importance of collaborative efforts in advancing healthcare and contribute to embedding practices that place the patient’s voice and needs at the heart of service improvement, positively impacting health outcomes and the beneficiary experience. The workshop forms part of the Saudi Patient Safety Center’s ongoing efforts to support the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 and the Health Sector Transformation Program, towards a safer and higher-quality healthcare system.