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Americans unsatisfied with medical care

Patient Safety Monitor Alert, December 10, 2004

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When it comes to patient safety, hospitals still face an uphill battle, according to a new survey conducted this summer. Out of a total of 2,012 adults, 40% say that the quality of healthcare in the United States is getting worse, while 17% say it's getting better.

Three leading healthcare organizations sponsored the survey--the Harvard School of Public Health, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Members from each met last week with policymakers and reporters in Washington, DC, to discuss the results.

The nation's healthcare system has introduced many positive changes within systems and strategies to enhance patient safety and care after a report five years ago by the Institute of Medicine. The results are published in To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System. It listed hospital-based medical errors as one of the top 10 leading causes of death in the United States, which prompted the Clinton administration to set up a quality improvement task force. In addition, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations drew up a number of patient safety goals for its accredited hospitals.

Some members of the healthcare system believe that these results are more of a public relations issue than anything else. They feel that there hasn't been enough advertisement to convince the public that real progress is being made. Others feel that there is progress, but we still have a long way to go. For more about this study, visit Forbes.com.

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