Every fourth patient suffering an injury during hospitalization, but now a number of students from health education programs do their best to ensure that the figure in the future will be smaller. Therefore, using the students spend two weeks of their summer holidays to attend a course in patient safety, as Aalborg University is organizing together with the Danish Society for Patient Safety and Students for Safe Patients.

A team of students from nursing has chosen to devote 14 days of their summer vacation to learn how they can help to prevent errors in health care. It is a known phenomenon that patients in large numbers suffer from adverse events and injuries, such as medication errors, hospital infections, pressure ulcers or errors associated with surgical operations. But mistakes can be largely avoided and there are a variety of procedures and techniques to improve patient safety.

- We have long called for that patient becomes a regular and mandatory part of the health professional education. But the teaching continued sporadically in the subject, and to remedy the shortcomings we have decided to put together this course. It's great that there is a team of dedicated students who have chosen to spend their summer holidays to learn more about the subject, says Beth Lilja, director of the Danish Society for Patient Safety .

It is the first time organized Summer School in patient safety. Teaching is organized in collaboration between Aalborg University, Danish Society for Patient Safety (DFSP) and Students for Safe Patients (SFSP). The course is offered throughout the Nordic region, and there are students from Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Most of the participants come from practitioners, nurses, folkesundhedsvidenskab-, farmaciuddannelserne and from the program "medicine with industrial specialization" at Aalborg University.

- The participants have quickly found together in project teams across their educational and geographic background, so I look forward to some very exciting and innovative projects, says Pia Elberg , who is project coordinator of the summer school and teaching associate professor at the Department of Health Science and Technology at Aalborg University.

In the two weeks of training, the students among other things learn how to prevent errors and adverse events, to communicate clearly in acute and critical situations and to involve patients and relatives as resource persons.

Summer School'en takes place at Aalborg University (Fredrik Bajers Road 7, 9220 Aalborg East) on 6 - 17 August 2012. The teachers are highly qualified experts in patient safety from Denmark and Norway.