In a report that explored the important role of patient “engagement”, that is open communication with respect and dignity, Consumer Reports found a striking link between respectful treatment in the hospital and preventable medical errors. It examined the relationship between patient communication and hospital errors, including hospital-acquired infections, drug errors, and other types of preventable harm.
The article, featured in the February 2015 issue of Consumer Reports, included findings from a new, national survey of patients’ hospital experiences and a list of the U.S. hospitals that score the highest in both patient respect and safety. Consumer Reports’ survey of 1,200 people who were recently hospitalized, found those who said they rarely received respect from hospital staff were two and a half times more likely to experience a preventable medical error – such as a hospital-acquired infection, drug error, or an unplanned trip back to the hospital – as those who felt they were usually treated with respect.
The full report, “How Not to Get Sick(er) in the Hospital,” which includes Ratings of almost 2,600 U.S. hospitals, was featured in the February 2015 issue of Consumer Reports, and at ConsumerReports.org.