Most health providers say patient safety is improved
Despite a work force shortage that contributes to medical errors, 90% of poll respondents at a national gathering of hospital patient safety experts said they believe their organizations have made a credible effort to improve patient safety. More than a third of the respondents said that hospital pharmacies are addressing patient safety the best within their organizations.
According to 27% of respondents, emergency departments still need the most improvement dealing with patient safety and medical errors. The assessment comes from the patient safety leaders and innovators from health care organizations across the country attended the recent Partnership Symposium 2002: Smart Designs for Patient Safety in Washington, DC. The symposium was the third annual event to bring the patient safety community together with experts from diverse fields to share best practices, approaches and solutions to the patient safety crisis in health care. Of the more than 400 people in attendance, 94 responded to the poll, says Nancy Wilson, MD, MPH, chief medical officer of VHA Inc.
"Remarkably, just a year ago, 92% of the attendees said health care wasn’t moving fast enough to reduce medical errors," Wilson says. "The results of this poll are truly a positive sign that hospitals are elevating the issue of patient safety and are getting traction."
Patients also are adding to the safer environment. Seventy-seven percent of the respondents indicated that patients have taken a more active role in their care by marking surgical sites and asking more questions.
"The increase in patient involvement is quite reassuring," says Martin Hatlie, JD, president of the Partnership for Patient Safety. "There is a lot of rhetoric in the patient safety movement about making the health care system patient-centered, but we cannot achieve that goal until patients become actively involved as partners in adopting a systems approach to ensuring safety. Health care systems need to invite and encourage patients and their families to play that role, and these poll results suggest progress in doing that."
Sixty-four percent of attendees responding to the poll indicated that in addition to a committed effort to improve patient safety, health care organizations have embraced technology as a tool to facilitate improvements. According to the survey, the most commonly used tools include bar coding, bedside computer stations, robotic pharmacy carts, and on-line error-reporting mechanisms.
Despite a work force shortage that contributes to medical errors, 90% of poll respondents at a national gathering of hospital patient safety experts said they believe their organizations have made a credible effort to improve patient safety. More than a third of the respondents said that hospital pharmacies are addressing patient safety the best within their organizations.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
- Award-winning Medical Content
- Latest Advances & Development in Medicine
- Unbiased Content