PA Hospitals Rank Low In Patient Safety
Hospital safety is an important issue that affects patients’ well-being, and it is crucial for hospitals to take measures to ensure patient safety. In the United States, there are various organizations that monitor and rank hospitals based on their safety records, including the Leapfrog Group, which publishes hospital safety grades based on performance in various safety measures.
It is possible that PA hospitals may have received low grades in the past, but have since improved. While a low safety score points to problems, some hospitals use this as guidance to help correct existing issues.
Group Publishes Patient Safety Report
Leapfrog Group is an independent, non-profit watchdog group that analyzes the quality and safety of healthcare in the United States. According to Leapfrog, hospitals in PA ranked low in areas like patient safety, risk of slip and fall, and serious treatable/preventable conditions that resulted in death. This report using data from 2022 is shocking and raises questions about patient safety in these specific hospitals. Before anything can improve at these hospitals, it is important to understand why and how the ratings got so low in the first place.
Areas Where Hospitals Ranked Lowest
Among the low-ranked hospitals in this survey, all of them have low ratings in fixable areas. One hospital scored below average in death from serious treatable complications. This means the complications were treatable, but were not properly treated.
Another hospital ranked very low in falls and injuries. Falls are preventable. Hospitals need to work on their safety rankings, and the fact that some of their lowest-ranked areas are avoidable should be a good sign of potential improvement in the future.
Why Safety Fails At Hospitals
Given that a majority of the lowest-ranked areas in these hospitals were avoidable, how did safety get so bad in the first place? The survey highlights low staffing and lack of training as serious contributing factors. Hospitals are responsible for hiring and properly training all staff.
One of the main reasons that hospitals have been understaffed is directly related to low wages and working conditions. In tandem, low staffing also contributes to a lack of proper training.
Hospitals must address the decline in staffing and training to increase safety for every patient. Surveys like this are important in shedding a light on this very real, and dangerous problem in the healthcare industry.
Profits Over Patient Safety
It’s important to remember most hospitals are a business, driven by profits. Hospital groups are reporting large profits year-over-year. But, hospitals have a duty to provide safe care for every patient. If you have been harmed by medical malpractice, an experienced attorney may be able to help.
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