Objective and method: Safer care is a strategic priority for healthcare organisations. Yet, the detail of how to improve patient safety is complex. To this end the Royal College of Ophthalmologists has provided guidance to improve ophthalmic patient safety, and is presented in this paper. Which patient safety incidents to report and analyze in ophthalmic practice are outlined and how to do so is also discussed. The focus and setting of this review is on the current organisation of healthcare in United Kingdom and primarily--but not exclusively--within the National Health Service (NHS) provision, as relevant to ophthalmology.
Conclusions: Efforts for improvement in ophthalmic patient safety and quality of care are vital and require professional leadership and engagement. The Royal College of Ophthalmologists' role and position in this regard is outlined.