News: New report details developments and challenges in patient safety

Sage Growth Partners has released a new report, featuring commentary from five industry leaders in patient safety, according to Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare.

The report, entitled “Because Patients Deserve More,” is part of Sage Growth’s “Leading Through Change” initiative. Here are some of the key takeaways of the report:

• Current state of hospital safety in the United States: The majority of respondents agreed that there is much work to be done in terms of patient safety in U.S. hospitals. For instance, one industry leader observed that U.S. patient safety “needs improvement.” Another respondent argued that the “forward momentum to decrease rates of harm” has been “delayed” by “substandard or inadequate care.” “To summarize it in one sentence, one expert noted, “We haven’t really made significant progress overall.”
• Weak spots and key opportunities for patient safety: The report’s contributors argued that the majority of U.S. patient safety blind spots occurred in the form of “diagnostic errors and harm related to decompensation,” and the “fear of proprietary knowledge, fear of retribution, or poor reporting capabilities.” Accordingly, hospitals ought to be “eliminating” these types of “preventable safety problems” to ensure maximum patient health and security.
• Culture of safety: The surveyed leaders emphasized that making sure “employees are not punished for errors that are not negligent” is a crucial aspect in facilitating an organizationwide safety culture. For example, one respondent noted the success of “safe table” programs that allow for “non-punitive open dialogue between […] staff and safety leaders.” However, as another industry leader noted, these types of programs require “executive leadership support” to work effectively.
• Biggest developments in patient safety: When asked about the biggest developments in patient safety in the past decade, respondents gave a wide selection of responses ranging from dealing with hospital acquired infections, to information “mobility,” to “health equity.”

Editor’s note: To read Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare’s coverage, click here. To read the Sage Growth Partners report, click here.