Updates

On 1 November 2024, Estonia established the legal foundations for patient safety in the Health Services Organization Act. Previously, managing preventable complications and safety incidents, including their registration and prevention, was solely the responsibility of healthcare providers. Whereas these incidents included only hospital infections, severe adverse drug reactions, and incidents related to medical devices requiring central reporting. The new law defines patient safety [1] and mandates the documentation and reporting of patient safety incidents to the national patient safety data repository (Riikliku patsiendiohutuse andmekogu, POHAK) [2, 3]. These changes support the introduction of mandatory non-fault liability insurance for healthcare providers, known as “patient insurance” in Estonia. Furthermore, healthcare staff who document patient safety incidents in good faith are protected from disciplinary action unless there is evidence of misconduct, substance abuse, or severe clinical malpractice.