Health systems are navigating a rapidly evolving healthcare environment where patient safety is shaped by both longstanding challenges and emerging risks.
From the accelerated adoption of artificial intelligence to rising care complexity and capacity constraints, healthcare leaders are reexamining how safety and quality are defined, measured and sustained.
Below are five key patient safety priorities guiding health system strategies in 2025.
Artificial intelligence. AI’s growing role in healthcare is creating both new challenges and opportunities for patient safety. Many systems are using AI to improve early detection of serious conditions. For example, West Orange, N.J.-based RWJBarnabas Health is piloting an AI tool that analyzes operating room footage and wound photos submitted by patients post-discharge to identify early signs of surgical site infections and support surgical quality improvement efforts, the system’s Chief Medical and Quality Officer Andy Anderson, MD, told Becker’s in March.
Gaithersburg, Md.-based Adventist HealthCare is using an AI-based tool to streamline triaging in the emergency department and help verify care plans for patients who are at a higher risk of serious conditions. Meanwhile, UC San Diego Health is assessing the possibility of using AI-supported cameras in patient rooms to detect patient falls or pressure injuries before they occur, noting any such initiative would prioritize the protection of patient data privacy and security.
At the same time, health systems are also grappling with new threats posed by AI. ECRI identified insufficient governance of the technology as the second most pressing patient safety challenge this year. In response to these challenges, The Joint Commission is poised to release its first set of guidelines and best practices on the use of AI in healthcare operations this fall.
Capacity strain. Hospitals are facing mounting inpatient capacity and patient flow challenges that pose risks to patient safety. Rising inpatient days, high-acuity admissions and increased emergency department volumes are straining resources and delaying care, which can heighten safety and quality concerns. Annual inpatient days are projected to reach 170 million by 2034 — a 9% increase from current levels — while ED visits are expected to rise 4% to 125 million annually within the next decade, according to a 2024 Vizient report.
To address these pressures, hospitals are implementing various patient flow strategies and length-of-stay initiatives, including centralized command centers to boost operational efficiency and ease capacity strain. For example, UC San Diego Health has launched a mission control center to oversee inpatient flow, supported by daily multidisciplinary huddles and real-time dashboards. The health system has also implemented estimated discharge dates within its EHR and secure messaging tools to proactively resolve delays in imaging, procedures or care coordination. These efforts have allowed UC San Diego Health to maintain stable length-of-stay metrics despite rising patient acuity and volume this year, according to Brian Clay, MD, associate chief medical officer of inpatient care and hospital operations.
Communication breakdowns. Breakdowns in communication between care teams or between clinicians and patients remain a common root cause of safety events. At least 10% of patient safety events — including adverse events, medical errors and near-misses — stem from poor communication among these stakeholders, according to a meta-analysis published this April in Annals of Internal Medicine.
ECRI cited the dismissal of concerns from patients, families and caregivers as the No. 1 patient safety threat for 2025. These communication failures can fuel delayed diagnoses, worsened patient outcomes and deepened disparities. Among patients who felt their concerns were dismissed by a provider, 55% reported worsened symptoms and 28% experienced a health emergency due to lack of response, according to the report. ECRI said health systems must adopt a systems-based approach to improve communication, address cognitive biases and foster greater trust among patients and family members.
Healthcare-associated infections. HAIs remain a top threat to patient safety, and a persistent cost driver for hospitals. This year, hospitals are doubling down on infection prevention efforts with new surveillance technologies, standardized workflows and other strategies to close gaps exposed during the pandemic.
Some have made impressive gains. Mercy Health St. Elizabeth Youngstown (Ohio) Hospital, a level 1 trauma center, has gone more than 100 days with an HAI and surpassed more than 200 days with a central line-associated bloodstream infection. Leaders attribute the success to a strong culture of transparency, shared accountability and continuous recognition, with staff members across disciplines engaged in infection prevention efforts.
At San Diego-based Scripps Health, cross-functional “sprint teams” tackle specific patient safety issues by developing and piloting evidence-based checklists, then scale successful practices systemwide with strong front-line engagement and visible progress tracking. This strategy led to a 67% reduction in surgical site infections since 2020 — their most significant result — alongside major declines in other infection rates.
Workplace violence. Workplace violence against healthcare workers has increased in recent years, with healthcare staff five times more likely to suffer a workplace violence injury than workers overall. However, only 61.4% of hospitals reported having a workplace violence prevention initiative, according to 2021 data from the American Hospital Association, the most recent available. In June, AHA estimated that the total annual financial cost of violence to hospitals in 2023 was $18.27 billion.
Many hospitals are prioritizing prevention and response efforts this year, recognizing that a safe work environment is crucial for staff to provide high-quality care for patients. For example, York, Pa.-based WellSpan Health has invested more than $20 million in safety and security improvements over the last two years, including metal detectors, armed officers and real-time incident notification system, achieving a 55% reduction in workplace violence injuries requiring time off in the past year.
