Dr. Huda bint Salim Al-Nou’mani

Dean of the College of Nursing

World Patient Safety Day, observed on 17 September, invites us to consider a fundamental question: What does safe care really mean for someone living with a chronic disease? This question is especially relevant in 2026, as the World Health Organization (WHO) marks the day under the theme “Safe care for noncommunicable diseases,” with the slogan “Safe care for Life!”

For people living with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other noncommunicable diseases, treatment may continue for years or even a lifetime. Much of this care takes place beyond hospitals and clinics. Patients manage their medicines at home, at work, while travelling, and within the demands of everyday life. Patient safety must therefore extend into these settings, making medication adherence an important part of safe long-term care.

Prescribing the right medicine at the right dose is essential, but the prescription is only the beginning. Medicines cannot achieve their intended benefit when doses are repeatedly missed, medicines are used incorrectly, or treatment is stopped without appropriate guidance. This may happen unintentionally because of forgetfulness, misunderstanding, or complex treatment regimens. At other times, patients may alter or stop treatment because of side effects, concerns about long-term use, or uncertainty about whether a medicine is still necessary.

Medication adherence is therefore more complex than simply classifying a patient as “adherent” or “non-adherent.” Research internationally, as well as studies conducted in Oman among people living with different chronic conditions, shows that multiple interacting factors shape medication-taking behaviour. These include patients’ understanding and beliefs about treatment, adverse effects, treatment burden, health literacy, communication with health care professionals, family circumstances, and continuity of care. Adherence may also change over time as health status, treatment experiences, and life circumstances evolve. Understanding why patients have difficulty taking their medicines is therefore more meaningful than simply labelling them as non-adherent.

For this reason, asking “Are you taking your medicine?” matters, but it is rarely enough. We also need to ask what makes taking it difficult, what concerns the patient may have, and what support could make treatment safer and more manageable. This moves the conversation away from assigning responsibility to the patient alone and towards a therapeutic partnership. This approach closely reflects the WHO’s 2026 emphasis on engaging people living with noncommunicable diseases as partners in safe care. Patients need to understand why their medicines are prescribed, how to use them correctly, and what to do when difficulties arise. Health care professionals, in turn, need to listen, communicate clearly, and identify barriers that may compromise safe, ongoing treatment.

Digital technologies can support this partnership. Medication reminders and trusted health applications can help patients manage long-term treatment, but they cannot replace communication. A reminder may signal that it is time for a dose; it cannot address concerns about side effects, uncertainty about treatment, or difficulties managing multiple medicines. As Oman continues to address the burden of noncommunicable diseases, medication adherence deserves greater recognition within the patient-safety agenda. Responsibility is shared among patients, families, nurses, physicians, pharmacists, health care organisations, and policymakers. World Patient Safety Day 2026 reminds us that safe care does not end when the correct medicine is prescribed; it continues wherever that medicine is used. Achieving “Safe care for life” therefore requires recognising medication adherence not simply as a patient behaviour, but as an integral part of safe, effective, and person-centred chronic disease care.