Despite Increased Attention, Patient Safety Unimproved since 1990s?

Patient safety goals are no closer to being met today than they were more than 10 years ago, determined a large-scale healthcare system review in Ottawa, Ontario (Canada), the findings of which were published in the December 2012 Canadian Journal of Surgery. The authors suggest that “the failure to systematically measure patient safety” is to blame for a lack of progress. They note that some initiatives, such as checklists, have demonstrated a positive impact but conclude that patient safety efforts have largely not succeeded as well as hoped.