Patients Feel Hospital Safety Has Improved, Poll Finds
The majority of Pennsylvanians feel that hospital safety has improved or stabilized in the last 10 years, according to a poll conducted by the Pennsylvania Medical Society’s Institute for Good Medicine.
The poll was conducted in honor of National Patient Safety Week, beginning March 2. It found:
- 41 percent of those polled think hospital safety has improved in the past decade
- 42 percent think hospital safety is about the same
- 17 percent think safety has declined
Since Act 13 of 2002 was passed, Pennsylvania has developed several initiatives aimed at reducing medical errors, preventing hospital-acquired infections, and improving health care through use of electronic information. Pennsylvania physicians also must take continuing medical education (CME) credits related to patient safety as part of their licensing requirement.
“Pennsylvania has become one of the national health care leaders in protecting our residents from preventable mistakes,” said Peter S. Lund, MD, president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society and founder of the Institute for Good Medicine.
For more information on patient safety CME and patient safety topics, visit the Pennsylvania Medical Society website. Also visit:
Last Updated: 8/6/2008