OHA Patient Safety Initiatives Will Continue to Support the Directions Set by the Canadian Adverse Events Study
Ontario Hospital Association
200 Front Street West, Suite 2800
Toronto, Ontario, M5V 3L1
Tel: (416) 205-1345 Fax: (416) 205-1360
Visit our Web Site: http://www.oha.com
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
Toronto – Ontario hospitals are committed to enhancing patient safety and using essential information such as the Canadian Adverse Events Study to guide system improvements.
Information from the study will appear in an article in the next edition of the Canadian Medical Association Journal which will be publicly released on May 25th. The data used in the Canadian study is from the year 2000. The final study will be released later this year. The release of this article will mark the first time that statistics will be published suggesting the number of adverse medical events in Canada. Similar studies have already been published in Denmark, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia.
"Hospitals are extremely complex organizations and we know adverse events happen. Our hospitals feel even one preventable death is too many," said Hilary Short, President and CEO of the Ontario Hospital Association. "Our hearts go out to patients, their families and the health care providers who have found themselves involved in an adverse event."
"The people of Ontario should know that their hospitals are already moving forward with meaningful changes and reforms that over time will help reduce the number of adverse events and make our hospitals even safer."
Information on OHA and hospital safety measures are in the attached backgrounder.
"Ontario's hospitals are among the safest in the world. This study indicates the issue in Canada is similar to other medically advanced countries. The people of this province should be confident that they are well served by teams of dedicated health care professionals," said Ms. Short.
"The people of Ontario have to look no further than to the battle against SARS for the commitment of hospitals and health care providers to improve patient safety. Hospital staff displayed great heroics and dedication during the SARS crisis. Physicians and staff continually made improvements in their efforts to prevent the spread of this new and deadly disease to hospital patients and the community at large," she said.
Adverse events are often the result of system failures. Ontario's hospitals have been working aggressively over the past four years to improve their systems and their reporting of adverse events so that the information can be used as a learning opportunity to prevent them from re-occurring.
Ontario hospitals participated in the Canadian Adverse Events Study to demonstrate their commitment to improving patient safety. Twenty Canadian hospitals were chosen at random. A new study has been launched by the same research team and will involve several Ontario hospitals.
For many years OHA has conducted educational events and seminars for members addressing a wide range of patient safety issues including the reuse of single use medical devices and preventing the spread of drug-resistant superbugs.
Last March OHA and Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care jointly announced Canada’s first Patient Safety Support Service (PSSS) which will provide hospitals with assistance to improve patient safety practices. The PSSS will also provide internet-based resources for immediate access to information and will also offer on site education, training, and promote the sharing of information between hospitals.
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For further information:
Anthony Dale, OHA Public Affairs
416-205-1348