Safety progress called 'abysmal' by Leapfrog
Progress toward meeting key patient safety goals is "abysmal" at most hospitals, according to The Leapfrog Group, a patient safety advocacy organization in Washington, DC.
The group recently released a report that said the use of practices to protect patients from harm still is very bad at most hospitals, citing these examples:
- Ninety percent of hospitals have not implemented computer physician order entry to Leapfrog's standard.
- Ninety percent fail to meet the standards for performing two high-risk procedures: coronary artery bypass graft surgery (90%) and abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (96%).
- Seventy percent do not enlist intensivists (intensive care specialists) to oversee patient care in the intensive care unit according to Leapfrog's standard.
- Fifty percent do not have an explicit protocol to ensure adequate nursing staff or a policy to check with patients to make sure they understand the risks of their procedures.
- Thirty percent lack procedures for preventing malnutrition in patients and do not vaccinate their health care workers against the flu.
The statistics come from the Leapfrog Hospital Quality and Safety Survey, which the group says is the only national survey that provides a full assessment of hospital quality and safety. (The Leapfrog web site at www.leapfroggroup.org displays the results of each participating hospital. On the home page, click on the link that says "Click here for our hospital quality ratings." The data can be viewed by anyone at no charge, and it is updated each month with data from additional hospitals.)
The survey results from more than 1,200 hospitals do show some progress toward meeting the 30 "Safe Practices for Better Healthcare" endorsed by the National Quality Forum. For instance, 90% of the hospitals have implemented procedures to avoid wrong-site surgeries, and 80% require a pharmacist to review all medication orders before medication is given to patients.
Only 7% have fully implemented computerized physician order entry (CPOE), and another 7% have plans for implementing it soon. The group reports that this represents "little progress since Leapfrog began tracking implementation in 2002, when the figure was 3%."
Progress toward meeting key patient safety goals is "abysmal" at most hospitals, according to The Leapfrog Group, a patient safety advocacy organization in Washington, DC.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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