Patient safety remains a top concern of healthcare organizations, according to the 2019 Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare Industry Outlook Survey. While 40% of the 228 respondents said their organization was already very strong in patient safety, a full 90% said there is room for improvement. Rounding out the top three patient areas cited for improvement are patient satisfaction (79%) and clinical outcomes (57%).

Top 3 Patient Areas for Improvement

top 3 patient areas for improvement

To improve the culture of safety, facilities need to work most on communication openness (47%), hospital handoffs (39%), and feedback and communication about errors (38%).

Other issues raised in the survey include:

  • Second victim support.
    More than half of organizations (55%) do not have a support program for clinicians affected by adverse events.
  • Staff burnout.
    The vast majority of respondents (95%) reported that their organizations aren’t doing enough to help burned out employees.
  • Suicide risk.
    Healthcare organizations are making progress in assessing and addressing suicide risk, with 38% of respondents rating their hospital’s efforts as highly effective.

To learn more about the current status of patient safety and what healthcare organizations are doing to achieve their goals,please watch our on-demand webinar today. Riskonnect’s healthcare industry experts Paul Briker and Shane Yerkes host a practical discussion on the survey results, the current status of patient safety, and what areas are ripe for improvement.

The 2019 Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare Industry Outlook Survey was conducted by PSQH and sponsored by Riskonnect. Click here to download the report.