What’s happening: The Hospital Quality Institute (HQI) has released a new analysis identifying five patient safety areas that continue to recover after being derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
What else to know: HQI’s analysis found that workforce challenges like turnover and burnout contributed greatly to a rise in these incidents. Prior to the pandemic, there had been steady improvement.
The five patient safety areas identified in the analysis are:
- Falls
- Medication events
- Catheter-associated urinary tract infections
- Central line-associated bloodstream infections
- Pressure injuries
Future improvement will hinge on hospitals’ ability to renew their dedication to patient safety, offer comprehensive education for new staff, and adequately support staff as they continue to deliver high-quality health care services. HQI is committed to helping members in this journey through ongoing education events and special programming that advances the overall culture of safety. More information is available on the HQI website.