“It is not acceptable for patients to be harmed by the health care system that is supposed to offer healing and comfort.”
from To Err is Human, an investigation by the Institute of Medicine into patient safety and medical errors,
November 1999
Medical errors in the hospital setting are the third leading cause of death in Canada and the United States.
They add needless emotional trauma and distress to millions of families.
They produce billions of dollars in avoidable costs to our healthcare systems.
With medical errors taking thousands of lives every year in Canada and the United States, we think our healthcare systems need a second opinion and a more innovative approach to combating this public health crisis.
Let's start by listening to what patients and families say they really need to stay safe, and remove the barriers that are permitting this harm to continue. The Center for Patient Protection is a voice for patients and families everywhere that is leading the way.
THE STARTING POINT FOR ACTION
THE STARTING POINT FOR SAFER CARE
THE STARTING POINT FOR TRUE PARTNERSHIP
Did you know?
Medical errors are the third leading cause of death in Canada and the United States.
30,000 hospitalized patients lose their lives to medical errors in Canada every year. That’s the equivalent of a fully loaded jumbo jet crashing and killing everyone on board each week.
The risk of avoidable death in a U.S. hospital with a D or F patient safety grade is 92 percent higher than it is in hospitals with than an A grade.
Canada has no similar hospital rating tool to allow patients and families to make informed decisions about the safety of their healthcare provider.
Canada does, however, have a system where taxpayer dollars are used to fund a legal defense scheme for doctors who harm patients. The U.S. has no such system and, unlike hospital safety scores for Canada, there is no demand that such a scheme be created in the U.S.
It is predicted that 12 million Canadians in hospital and home-care settings will be harmed by the healthcare system over the next 30 years, costing the health-care system an additional $2.75 billion per year. Another 1.2 million people will lose their lives.
An informed patient is a safer patient. Hospital safety ratings are an important tool for empowering patients and families to make the right decisions. So why doesn't Canada have a similar system? Patients are less safe when they are left in the dark.
Everyone, regardless of age, should have the right to try — not just the duty to die.
The single most important step healthcare workers can take to protect patients and themselves is washing their hands before and after every patient-related contact. So why do many fail to comply?
Protecting doctors by having the public pay part of their insurance premiums harms true accountability to patients and families.
Apology after harm should be the rule, not the exception.
Black boxes would make surgery more transparent and safer.
Make public reporting of medical errors and harmful incidents mandatory.
Reducing parking costs can assist with patient care and recovery.
