Tessa Quinn
The Hospital Harm Indicator Project is a partnership between the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) and Healthcare Excellence Canada (HEC). The project aims to answer the question, How often do patients experience harm in the hospital? The Hospital Harm measure looks at unintended occurrences of harm in acute care hospitals that could have been prevented by implementing evidence-informed practices. The project provides a single estimate of the overall rate of hospital harm and allows for tracking and monitoring of the rate over time. The latest data from CIHI highlights the urgency of improving patient safety, with 1 in 17 hospital stays in 2023-24 involving unintended harm.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Aim | To provide a single estimate of the overall rate of hospital harm and to allow for tracking and monitoring of the rate over time |
| Indicator | Measures the rate of acute care hospitalizations with at least one occurrence of unintended harm during a hospital stay that could potentially have been prevented |
| Desirable Rate | Lower rate |
| Expression | Number of hospital discharges with at least one occurrence of harm per 100 discharges |
| Limitations | Differences in processes, documentation, and resources across hospitals may result in varying abilities to capture data about harmful events; results are not risk-adjusted |
| Clinical Groups | 31 groups, including health care and medication-associated conditions, healthcare-associated infections, patient accidents, and procedure-associated conditions |
| Focus | Patient safety improvement efforts, implementing evidence-informed practices to reduce the rate of harm |
| Partners | CIHI and Healthcare Excellence Canada (HEC) |
| Target Area | Acute care hospitals in Canada |
| Reporting | National results reported annually |
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What You'll Learn
- The Hospital Harm Indicator aims to provide a single estimate of the overall rate of hospital harm
- The project is a partnership between CIHI and Healthcare Excellence Canada (HEC)
- The indicator is expressed as the number of hospital discharges with at least one occurrence of harm per 100 discharges
- The Hospital Harm Framework includes 31 clinical groups
- The project aims to inform healthcare providers in their efforts to develop systems and processes to prevent harm to patients
The Hospital Harm Indicator aims to provide a single estimate of the overall rate of hospital harm
The Hospital Harm Indicator is a project that aims to address patient safety in hospitals by tracking and monitoring occurrences of unintended harm during hospital stays. The project is a partnership between the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) and Healthcare Excellence Canada (HEC). It seeks to answer the question, "How often do patients experience harm in the hospital?"
The indicator measures the rate of acute care hospitalizations where patients experienced at least one occurrence of unintended harm that could have been potentially prevented. This includes various types of harm, such as healthcare and medication-associated conditions, healthcare-associated infections, patient accidents, and procedure-associated conditions. The indicator aims to provide a single estimate of the overall rate of hospital harm and allow for tracking and monitoring of the rate over time.
The Hospital Harm Indicator is expressed as the number of hospital discharges with at least one occurrence of harm per 100 discharges. While this indicator provides a valuable estimate, it is important to recognize its limitations. Differences in documentation and resources across hospitals may impact their ability to capture data accurately, and the results are not risk-adjusted, which is crucial when comparing health system performance across different patient populations.
Through this project, CIHI and HEC aim to support patient safety improvement efforts. By understanding the rate and nature of hospital harm, decision-makers, hospital executives, clinicians, and policymakers can access vital information to enhance patient safety in acute care settings. This includes implementing evidence-informed practices and developing strategies to prevent harm, ultimately reducing the rate of preventable adverse events in hospitals.
The Hospital Harm Indicator is part of a broader movement to enhance patient safety and reduce preventable harm in healthcare settings. Various organizations, such as the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, have developed patient safety indicators and tools to track and improve patient safety in hospitals. These initiatives emphasize the importance of measuring and addressing harm to ensure positive health outcomes for patients.
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The project is a partnership between CIHI and Healthcare Excellence Canada (HEC)
The Hospital Harm Project is a collaboration between the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) and Healthcare Excellence Canada (HEC). The project aims to answer the question, "How often do patients experience harm in the hospital?"
CIHI developed the Hospital Harm measure, which identifies unintended occurrences of harm in acute care hospitals that could have been potentially prevented by implementing evidence-informed practices. This indicator aims to provide a single estimate of the overall rate of hospital harm and to allow for tracking and monitoring of the rate over time. The rate is expressed as the number of hospital discharges with at least one occurrence of harm per 100 discharges. A lower rate for this indicator is desirable. The Hospital Harm Framework includes 31 clinical groups and classifies harm into actionable clinical groups. While not all instances of harm captured by this indicator are preventable, the adoption of evidence-informed practices can help reduce the rate of harm.
HEC compiled the Hospital Harm Improvement Resource, which provides evidence-informed practices to support patient safety improvement efforts. Through this partnership, decision-makers, hospital executives, clinicians, and policymakers have access to critical information on patient safety in acute care hospitals and how to enhance it. National results of the Hospital Harm measure are reported annually.
CIHI continues to work with stakeholders to ensure that the information is beneficial for improving patient safety in Canada. While there are no plans to develop the Hospital Harm measure into a comparable indicator, CIHI provides resources such as data tables, infographics, and the Indicator Library to support patient safety improvement efforts.
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The indicator is expressed as the number of hospital discharges with at least one occurrence of harm per 100 discharges
The Hospital Harm Indicator Project is a collaboration between the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) and Healthcare Excellence Canada (HEC). The project aims to answer the question, "How often do patients experience harm in the hospital?" and to improve patient safety in Canadian hospitals. The indicator is expressed as the number of hospital discharges with at least one occurrence of harm per 100 discharges. This standardises the data, allowing for tracking and monitoring of the rate over time.
The Hospital Harm Indicator aims to provide a single estimate of the overall rate of hospital harm. This indicator measures the rate of acute care hospitalizations with at least one occurrence of unintended harm during a hospital stay that could have been potentially prevented. This includes many types of harm at a system level and classifies harm into actionable clinical groups. While not all instances of harm can be prevented, the adoption of evidence-informed practices can help reduce the rate of harm.
The indicator is based on data from hospitals across Canada, with results aggregated at the national level (excluding Quebec). The data includes information on categories and types of harm, such as healthcare- and medication-associated conditions, healthcare-associated infections, patient accidents, and procedure-associated conditions. The most recent data from CIHI shows that in 2023-24, the rate of potentially preventable harm to patients in Canadian hospitals was 6 per 100 hospitalizations, which has increased for the fourth year in a row.
To improve patient safety, HEC compiled the Hospital Harm Improvement Resource, which provides evidence-informed practices to support patient safety improvement efforts. This resource, along with the Hospital Harm Indicator, provides important information on patient safety in acute care hospitals to decision-makers, hospital executives, clinicians, and policymakers. By adopting evidence-informed practices and implementing systemic changes, hospitals can work towards reducing the rate of hospital-acquired harm and improving patient outcomes.
It is important to note that the Hospital Harm Indicator has some limitations. Differences in processes, documentation, and resources across hospitals may impact their ability to capture data accurately. Therefore, hospitals with better documentation may appear to have higher rates of harm. Additionally, the results are not risk-adjusted, and it is crucial to consider the different patient populations served by hospitals when comparing health system performance.
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The Hospital Harm Framework includes 31 clinical groups
The Hospital Harm Project is a partnership between the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) and Healthcare Excellence Canada (HEC). The project aims to answer the question, "How often do patients experience harm in the hospital?". To achieve this, CIHI developed the Hospital Harm measure, which identifies unintended occurrences of harm in acute care hospitals that could have been prevented by implementing evidence-informed practices.
The Hospital Harm Indicator has some limitations that may affect the interpretation of results and comparisons across organizations. Firstly, differences in processes, documentation, and resources across hospitals may result in variations in their ability to capture data about harmful events, with hospitals with better documentation potentially showing higher harm rates. Secondly, the results are not risk-adjusted, and it is important to consider that hospitals serve different patient populations when comparing health system performance.
The Hospital Harm Measure is designed to monitor variations in patient safety in inpatient acute care settings at the national level across facilities over time. It reflects hospitalizations with at least one occurrence of potentially preventable harm, defined as harm that could be prevented with the use of known, evidence-based practices. The measure is expressed as the number of hospital discharges with at least one occurrence of harm per 100 discharges, with a lower rate being desirable.
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The project aims to inform healthcare providers in their efforts to develop systems and processes to prevent harm to patients
The Hospital Harm Indicator Project is a collaboration between the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) and Healthcare Excellence Canada (HEC). The project aims to answer the question, "How often do patients experience harm in the hospital?" and to inform healthcare providers in their efforts to develop systems and processes to prevent harm to patients.
The CIHI developed the Hospital Harm measure, which identifies unintended occurrences of harm in acute care hospitals that could have been prevented by implementing evidence-informed practices. This includes many types of harm at a system level, and it also classifies harm into actionable clinical groups. The HEC compiled the Hospital Harm Improvement Resource, which provides evidence-informed practices to support patient safety improvement efforts. Decision-makers, hospital executives, clinicians, and policymakers can access important information on patient safety in acute care hospitals and how to enhance it through this collaboration.
The Hospital Harm Indicator aims to provide a single estimate of the overall rate of hospital harm and to enable tracking and monitoring of the rate over time. It is expressed as the number of hospital discharges with at least one occurrence of harm per 100 discharges. The indicator measures the rate of acute care hospitalizations with at least one occurrence of unintended harm that could have been prevented. While not all instances of harm captured by this indicator can be prevented, adopting evidence-informed practices can help reduce the rate of harm.
The project provides a comprehensive understanding of patient safety in acute care hospitals and offers guidance for improvement. It highlights the urgency of enhancing patient safety, as the latest data from CIHI indicates that 1 in 17 hospital stays in 2023-24 involved unintended harm. The rate of potentially preventable harm in Canadian hospitals remained at 6 per 100 hospitalizations, an increase for the fourth consecutive year. Harm rates were primarily driven by healthcare- and medication-associated conditions and healthcare-associated infections.
To further enhance patient safety, the project emphasizes the importance of person-centred care, effective communication, and creating safe and equitable spaces within hospitals. Additionally, the project works closely with stakeholders to refine the methodology used to calculate hospital harm and ensure that the information provided is beneficial for improving patient safety in Canada.
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Frequently asked questions
The Hospital Harm Indicator Project is a partnership between CIHI and Healthcare Excellence Canada (HEC) that aims to answer the question, "How often do patients experience harm in the hospital?". The project involves the Hospital Harm measure, which looks at unintended occurrences of harm in acute care hospitals that could have been prevented by implementing evidence-informed practices.
The Hospital Harm Indicator provides a single estimate of the overall rate of hospital harm and allows for tracking and monitoring of the rate over time. It is expressed as the number of hospital discharges with at least one occurrence of harm per 100 discharges. A lower rate for this indicator is desirable.
The Hospital Harm Indicator has some limitations that may affect the interpretation of results and comparison across organizations. For example, differences in documentation practices across hospitals may lead to variations in their ability to capture data about harmful events. Additionally, the results are not risk-adjusted, and it is important to consider the different patient populations served by hospitals when comparing health system performance.
