Most of the time, health care in the U.S. is delivered safely and without harm to the patient. However, medicine is a complex field, and humans sometimes make mistakes. Patient safety is the field of expertise that hospitals and other health care organizations use to protect their patients from harm, such as errors, injuries, accidents and infections. Strong health care teams stay current with accreditation standards, reduce infection rates, put checks in place to prevent mistakes and ensure strong lines of communication between hospital staff, patients and families. Check out the areas below to learn more about how Vizient® is partnering with our members to prevent patient harm.
Sources:
Graber ML. The incidence of diganostic error in medicine. BMJ Qual Saf. 2013;22(suppl 2):ii21-ii27. doi:10.1136/bmjqs-2012-001615.
McDowell SE, Mt-Isa S, Ashby D, Ferner RE. Where errors occur in the preparation and administration of intravenous medicines: a systematic review and Bayesian analysis. Qual Saf Health Care. 2010;19(4):341-345. doi:10.1136/qshc.2008.029785.
James JT. A new, evidence-based estimate of patient harms associated with hospital care. J Patient Saf. 2013;9(3):122-128. doi:10.1097/PTS.0b013e3182948a69.
Study suggests medical errors now third leading cause of death in the US [press release]. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Medicine; May 3, 2016. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/study_ suggests_medical_errors_now_third_leading_cause_of_death_in_the_us. Accessed March 6, 2019.