This week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued two reports that are simultaneously scary and encouraging. First, the scary news: A national survey conducted in 2011 found that one in every 25 U.S. hospital patients experienced a healthcare-associated infection. That’s 648,000 patients with a combined 722,000 infections. About 75,000 of those patients […]
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To gauge hospital quality, patients deserve more outcome measures
Posted by Peter Pronovost | Measurement of Safety and Quality, Preventing Patient HarmPatients, providers and the public have much to celebrate. This week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Hospital Compare website added central line-associated bloodstream infections in intensive care units to its list of publicly reported quality of care measures for individual hospitals. Why is this so important? There is universal support for the idea that […]
Feb 10, 2012 3 comments
Translating safety in Spain
Posted by Peter Pronovost | Preventing Patient HarmCaregivers’ potential to reduce preventable harm and improve patient outcomes is profound. Consider the news that came out of Spain last week from a collaborative of nearly 200 intensive care units. This nationwide effort, with support from the Armstrong Institute at Johns Hopkins, the World Health Organization, the Spanish Health Minister and clinicians across the country, […]
Nov 1, 2011 1 comment