ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Patients

Healthcare

  • Learn about the 10 commandments for patient centered treatment

  • Never Events include those medical errors that are both serious and were likely preventable. The federal government has listed these and some states require that these events are reported. Accounting for these instances can improve quality of care. Health care facilities should correct the root causes leading to these events.
    →

    –

    According to the OIG, 1 in 4 Medicare patients experienced patient harm during their hospital stay, based on 2018 data. Additionally, physician-reviewers determined that 43 percent of harm events were preventable, with preventable events commonly linked to substandard or inadequate care provided to the patient.
    →

    –

    The most common type of medical harm event was related to medication (43 percent).

    –

    Harm during patient care (e.g. pressure injuries, blood clots and falls) as well as harm during procedures and surgeries resulted in 23 % and 22 % respectively of other harm events.

    –

    Infections contributed to 11 percent of harm events.

  • FOR HEALTHCARE WORKERS TO REPORT THEIR CONCERNS:

    Internal Reporting Systems
    Most healthcare facilities have established internal reporting systems for adverse events, errors, near misses, and other concerns. These systems include incident reporting forms, electronic reporting tools (sometimes even with their electronic health records), or a designated person or department to contact.

    Speak with Immediate Supervisors
    Staff can also inform their immediate supervisors or department heads about concerns or errors. This is an informal way to report and address issues quickly.

    Morbidity and Mortality (M&M) Conferences: Some hospitals and healthcare institutions hold regular M&M conferences where doctors and other medical staff discuss patient cases, complications, and errors in a non-punitive and educational manner.

    Patient Safety Committees: Many hospitals have patient safety committees or quality improvement teams where doctors and other healthcare professionals can discuss and report concerns. These committees often work on finding solutions and implementing changes to prevent future errors.

    Anonymous Reporting: In some cases, facilities offer anonymous reporting systems to encourage open reporting without fear of retaliation. These can be valuable for reporting concerns.