Patient Safety Awareness Week 2026

[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]

Join Us in Highlighting and Promoting Patient Safety

It’s Patient Safety Awareness Week!

March 8–14, 2026, marks Patient Safety Awareness Week — an opportunity to highlight and reaffirm our shared commitment to protecting patients from harm while receiving care. Patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals all play a role in patient safety.  CDC works to protect patients and healthcare professionals through the promotion of safety, quality, and value in both national and international healthcare delivery systems. Actions such as preventing healthcare-associated infections and improving antibiotic use, strengthening sepsis recognition, and supporting the healthcare workforce all contribute to safer outcomes.

CDC supports partners with practical, evidence-based tools to advance patient safety. To learn more about how you can play a role in patient safety, visit the following CDC resources.  For Healthcare Professionals & Facilities Infection control and antibiotic stewardship resources: Prevent or stop the spread of infections in healthcare settings and promote appropriate antibiotic use.  Targeted Assessment for Burnout (TAB): Help healthcare facilities assess and address workforce burnout—an important factor linked to adherence to safety practices and quality of care.  Respiratory Virus Toolkit for Nursing Homes: Help prepare for and respond when symptoms of respiratory viral infections (e.g. SARS-CoV-2, influenza, RSV) occur among nursing home residents or healthcare personnel.  Sepsis Program Assessment Tool (SPAT) for Nursing Homes: Identify gaps in sepsis prevention, recognition, and response to improve resident outcomes.  Core Elements of Hospital Diagnostic Excellence: Implement practices to improve diagnoses, including diagnostic reasoning, testing, and communication activities.  For Patients and Families  Tips for Being a Safe Patient: Understand how to stay safe while you or your family receive care and help reduce your risk of infections.  Clean Hands Count: Encourage patients to ask their healthcare providers to clean their hands if they don’t see them do so before providing care.  Get Ahead of Sepsis: Many sepsis cases start outside of the hospital. Learn how to prevent infections that can lead to sepsis and how to spot sepsis. Ask, “could this infection be leading to sepsis?”  Be Antibiotics Aware: Help improve antibiotic prescribing and use to protect patient safety and combat drug resistance.  Medical Test Checklist for Hospitalized Patients and Caregivers to Support Diagnostic Excellence: Key questions to ask healthcare providers and empower patients as they go through the diagnostic process.

	It’s #PatientSafety Awareness Week! @cdcgov is committed to keeping you safe from healthcare-associated infections and making health care safer for everyone. Learn how you can be a safe patient during all stages of your health care: https://www.cdc.gov/patient-safety/about/index.html

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