The Oregon Patient Safety Commission found that 30% of state residents have experienced some form of medical error or harm in the past few years.
The report is based on survey responses of 1,041 individuals gathered in March. The commission — which was created in 2003 by the state legislature to advocate for patient safety — said it is the first comprehensive review of post-pandemic patient safety data in the state.
Here are four things to know:
1. About 52% of patient-reported medical harm incidents occurred in a hospital setting, 31% in primary or specialty doctor offices, 7% in urgent care and 6% in nursing homes.
2. Patients expressed desire to be informed about errors and receive an apology promptly, but only a third reported receiving such a response. Fifty-five percent who experienced medical harm or error were not informed of the issue.
“The combination of transparency and apology after medical harm is what patients want and expect,” TJ Sheehy, director of programs for the Oregon Patient Safety Commission, said in a statement to Central Oregon Daily News. “And while this can be challenging in practice, other studies show that providers do want to disclose when harm has occurred.”
3. Only about 21% of the state’s hospitals met the highest safety grade, a significant decline since 2020, according to the Daily News.
4. More than 90% of surveyed physicians supported the disclosure of errors, research has found. The report encouraged healthcare organizations to adopt a communication and resolution program to address medical harm and errors.
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