Highlights
- Across hospitals in 34 States, the overall number of patient safety and adverse events for the 13 selected AHRQ Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs) declined from 2011 to 2014, with one exception.
- The hospital risk-adjusted rates per 1,000 discharges of all 13 PSIs decreased in 34 States from 2011 to 2014. Among the selected PSIs, average hospital rates for in-hospital falls with hip fracture decreased the most (73.9 percent).
- The percentage of hospitals in 34 States with no patient safety and adverse events increased between 2011 and 2014 for each of the 13 risk-adjusted PSIs analyzed. The percentage of hospitals with no catheter-related blood stream infections increased the most, from 52.3 percent in 2011 to 71.3 percent in 2014.
- In 2014, more than 90 percent of hospitals in 34 States had average or better-than-average risk-adjusted patient safety and adverse event rates for 11 of the 13 PSIs analyzed.
- Hospital improvements in patient safety and adverse events were noted from 2011 to 2014 in 34 States-there was a decrease in the percentage of hospitals classified as worse than average (from 9.5 to 6.7 percent) and an increase in the percentage of hospitals classified as better than average (from 3.4 to 5.5 percent).
Source: AHRQ, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Statistical Brief #237: Patient Safety and Adverse Events, 2011 and 2014.