High Tolerance for Medical Errors in Hospital Settings

Despite efforts like the Hospital-Acquired Conditions Reduction Program, the rate of hospital-acquired conditions in US hospitals is still startlingly high. In a new interview, Becker’s Hospital Review spoke with Patricia McGaffin, RN, VP of safety programs at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement about the underlying causes of medical mistakes. The first is what can be described as a “whack-a-mole” approach to safety.

According to Mackenzie Bean, “It’s not uncommon for healthcare organizations to address patient safety via piecemeal initiatives, versus broader, systemic efforts, Ms. McGaffigan said. Standalone safety efforts are typically guided by goals to reduce a complication by a specific percentage. Often, once that target is hit, hospitals take the win and move on to other projects, according to Ms. McGaffigan. This approach can set up a “whack-a-mole” type mindset that makes it easy for progress to slip in certain areas.”

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(Source: Becker’s Hospital Review, August 10th, 2022)