Stephen Littlejohn detailed patient safety in the United States and how the National Patient Safety Foundation is working to improve patient safety in a STAT article.
Mr. Littlejohn is a member of the National Patient Safety Foundation’s advisory board.
Here are five things to know:
1. Every year, more than 12 million patients encounter a diagnostic error in outpatient care. Of these instances, almost 50 percent cause patient harm.
2. Thirty-three percent of Medicare beneficiaries in skilled nursing facilities experience an adverse event.
3. National Patient Safety Foundation’s advisory board recently released a Call to Action which referred to healthcare harm as a public health crisis. The foundation is seeking a national coordinated response to combat these events.
4. National Patient Safety Foundation encourages patients to actively engage with their physician during visits. The foundation wants officials to remove limits on family visiting hours and organizations to conduct root cause analyses on harm or mistakes.
5. Mr. Littleton gives patients the following recommendations to improve safety:
● Ask questions
● Bring a trusted friend or relative when receiving care
● Be aware of your medications
● Repeat what a clinician tells you to ensure you fully understand
More articles on quality and infection control:
Practice setting may impact providers’ likelihood of prescribing unnecessary tests
Diabetes in the US: 5 facts
5 things to know about immigrant nurses in the US
