29 January 2010
New data on mistakes occurring within hospitals should be used to improve patient
safety rather than isolating and blaming individual institutions or organisations,
according to the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association (AHHA).
"While Australia's hospitals are very safe, by international standards, we can always do
more to prevent mistakes from occurring. Even one patient harmed in the process of
receiving care is one too many and our aim should always be to reduce the numbers of
adverse events to zero," Ms Prue Power, AHHA Executive Director, said today.
"This requires an ongoing effort from all involved in the process of delivering and
receiving care, including clinicians, hospital managers, governments and the community.
By working together to identify problems and by continually reviewing all processes and
procedures including communication practices, we can make our hospitals as safe as
possible.
"Data, such as the report from the Productivity Commission on sentinel events, can play
an important role in achieving this aim. However, this data needs to be seen in context
and used constructively to reduce the rate of similar incidents in the future
"Public reporting is an essential component of improving hospital safety and AHHA
believes that the community has a right to know how hospitals – both public and private
–
are performing.
"However, in order to make accurate comparisons between states, there needs to be
national consistency in the collection and reporting of adverse event data. Currently,
there is no uniform system across the country which makes such comparisons
impossible.
"It is also essential that adjustments are made for the risk profile of the patient
population treated by a hospital. Clearly, hospitals which treat large numbers of very
complex and high risk patients can be expected to have higher rates of adverse events
than those who treat mainly low-risk patients and perform routine procedures.
"There are also other indicators of patient safety – such as re-admission rates - which
need to be considered when assessing the overall performance of a hospital. Sentinel
events, although important, are just one indicator and need to be considered within this
broader context.
"AHHA welcomes the report from the Productivity Commission which will play an
important role in improving patient safety throughout the hospital system,” Ms Power
said.
For further information/comment:
Ms Prue Power 0417 419 857
Data crucial to improve
hospital safety
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