WHO/Europe, through its Office on Quality of Care and Patient Safety in Athens, will hold the WHO 4th Autumn School on Quality of Care and Patient Safety on 19–23 October 2026 in Athens, Greece.
Building on the experience and achievements of the previous editions, the 4th Autumn School continues to support health-care professionals, managers, policy-makers, researchers and other stakeholders in strengthening their capacity to advance quality of care and patient safety across the WHO European Region.
Why quality of care and patient safety matters
Quality of care and patient safety are essential to achieving universal health coverage and ensuring that people receive safe, timely, equitable and effective care. Globally, an estimated 8.6 million people die each year from treatable conditions in low- and middle-income countries, with around 60% of these deaths linked to poor-quality care. Across the WHO European Region, disparities in quality of care and patient safety remain, while up to 10% of patients experience adverse events during health-care delivery. Strengthening quality improvement approaches can help reduce avoidable harm, improve outcomes and support more resilient and efficient health systems.
Achieving sustainable improvements requires more than well-designed health systems; it depends on a culture of continuous improvement, effective use of data, strong leadership, innovation and meaningful engagement of patients and communities. Building the capacity of health-care professionals, managers and policy-makers through evidence-based learning and practical application is critical to advancing safer, more people-centred care and ensuring that quality improvement efforts translate into action across health systems.
About the 4th Autumn School
The WHO 4th Autumn School will bring together health and care professionals, policy-makers, managers, researchers and patient representatives to explore current challenges and opportunities in quality of care and patient safety. Through expert-led discussions, interactive lectures and collaborative workshops, participants will examine key topics, including systems approaches to quality, outcomes that matter to people, leadership for change, data and transparency, and digital innovation.
A key feature of the programme is a collaborative policy design exercise, where participants will work in multidisciplinary groups to develop practical solutions to quality of care and patient safety challenges. Combining evidence, real-world case studies and peer learning, the Autumn School aims to strengthen participants’ capacity to translate knowledge into action, foster cross-country collaboration and build lasting professional networks that support quality improvement across the WHO European Region.