Patient Safety & Outcomes

As we move through the summer and see third quarter patient survey results begin to come in, it is a good time to take stock […]

Two years into the pandemic, millions of people are living with long COVID-19, and there is still no proven treatment for the condition, Nature reported […]

While the hospitalization and death rate for monkeypox are very low, some physicians are surprised by the severe pain symptoms are causing infected patients. 

The U.S. healthcare system should stop reacting harshly to employees who disclose medical errors, according to a physician at Boston-based Mass General Brigham. 

Some hospitals may classify admissions in a way that exempts them from elective-based patient safety indicator scores, or PSIs, leading to less reliable patient safety […]

Hospitals and health systems across the country are working to rebuild the foundations for safe care that deteriorated during the pandemic. But what’s sometimes overlooked […]

A Senate committee found 70 people died and 249 developed diseases between 2008 and 2015 from organs they received in transplants after an investigation revealed […]

Physicians and advocacy groups said two long COVID-19 federal reports released Aug. 3 failed to address immediate needs of patients and recommendations for addressing the […]

Giving birth in states with high nurse workforce diversity is tied to significantly reduced risks of adverse maternal outcomes, according to a recent study from […]

Elmhurst Hospital in the Queens borough of New York City, part of NYC Health + Hospitals, on July 20 opened a new mother-baby training simulation […]

Two people were reported missing from Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington, Ill., this week, and one did not survive, NBC Chicago reported July 20. 

The top symptoms of COVID-19 from the omicron variant, a sore throat and hoarse voice, differ from common symptoms from other variants, CBSNews reported July […]

The San Diego City Attorney is preparing possible legal action against San Diego-based Scripps Mercy Hospital for allegedly discharging patients without a plan nearly a […]

A new study involving more than 428,000 COVID-19 patients found the infection is tied to a sixfold increase in heart disease diagnoses in the weeks […]

The Joint Commission has issued a sentinel event alert to prevent diagnostic overshadowing, released guidance on using packaged sterile supplies and opened applications for an […]

The Joint Commission and National Quality Forum have started accepting applications for the  2022 John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Awards, the organizations said […]

Fully vaccinated patients who undergo surgery soon after COVID-19 don’t have an elevated risk of post-surgery complications compared to surgery patients with no COVID-19 history, […]

Fully vaccinated patients who undergo surgery soon after COVID-19 don’t have an elevated risk of post-surgery complications compared to surgery patients with no COVID-19 history, […]

COVID-19 reinfections are becoming more common in the U.S., but they are not happening more quickly, according to data from Helix, a lab that works […]

Fertility patients are beginning to move their frozen embryos to states that protect abortion access out of fears that the Supreme Court’s June 24 decision […]

A man died after shooting himself in the head at South Florida Baptist Hospital in Plant City on July 12, according to the Tampa Bay […]

The Joint Commission issued new safety guidance for palliative care to seriously ill patients visiting the emergency department. 

Rates of in-hospital adverse events fell significantly in the 10 years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a federal study published July 12 […]

The American Hospital Association has selected Cleveland-based University Hospitals as the 2022 recipient of its Quest for Quality Prize, which recognizes leadership efforts and innovation […]

Ensuring bedridden hospital patients have their teeth brushed properly could prevent a significant portion of non-ventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia, or NVHAP, cases, Kaiser Health News reported July […]

A Texas hospital employee found an elderly couple shot to death in a suspected murder-suicide on the morning of July 7, accrding to KSAT.

Online interest in how to self-manage an abortion at home has risen since the Supreme Court overturned the consitutional protection of abortion in late June, […]

Police have charged a suspect with firing into the fourth-floor window of Broward Health Coral Springs (Fla.) hospital from his car, CBS Miami reported July […]

A July 7 Kaiser Health News report sheds more light on CMS’ rationale for its proposed plan to obscure hospital safety data from the public […]

The symptoms of omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, which now account for more than half of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., generally are the same […]

People who’ve had COVID-19 two or more times have more than twice the risk of dying and three times the risk of being hospitalized within […]

Of 20 actionable standards issued by The Joint Commission during a one-year period, only six were fully supported by cited references, according to a recent […]

Maternal deaths in the U.S. rose 33 percent after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, according to a study published June 28 […]

Temporary loss of smell emerged as a common indicator of COVID-19 early in the pandemic. Research into the cause and treatment of the condition, known […]

Whether a school in Uvalde, Texas, or a hospital campus in Tulsa, Okla., a recent series of violent events are constant reminders of the potential […]

Police fatally shot a patient in the emergency wing of Baylor Scott & White Medical Center–Irving on June 29 after he opened fire on officers, […]

Long COVID-19 is often overlooked in older people despite the age group being at a higher risk to develop symptoms, The Washington Post reported June […]

A patient at University Medical Center in Las Vegas stabbed two other patients July 23, killing one, according to police. 

The World Health Organization issued a fourth update to its living guidelines on COVID-19 clinical management to include suggesting the use of three devices over […]

While many studies have estimated how prevalent long COVID-19 is in adults, fewer have explored the risk among children. 

The Joint Commission on June 22 issued a sentinel event alert to turn more attention to the effects of diagnostic overshadowing — the attribution of […]

Drug resistance or impaired immunity against the coronavirus are likely not the cause of rebound symptoms some patients experience after taking Pfizer’s antiviral Paxlovid, according […]

Four weeks after testing positive for COVID-19 and feeling symptoms, women encountered recurring symptoms more often than men, according to a study published June 21 […]

A smaller proportion of people infected during the omicron period experienced long COVID-19 symptoms compared to those infected during the time when delta was the […]

Surgeons and medical staff at UofL Health-Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Ky., have successfully completed the state’s first double heart and liver transplant, FOX affiliate WDRB […]

President Joe Biden signed an executive order June 15 to protect LGBTQ patients’ healthcare, particularly for children. 

New research suggests a past COVID-19 infection may be responsible for the severe hepatitis cases reported among children globally in recent months. 

Flu and pneumonia patients also experience long-term symptoms similar to COVID-19 survivors, a study published June 14 by EpicResearch found.

Oregon State Hospital submitted a revised plan of correction last week to remedy numerous safety issues found at the facility after CMS determined its initial […]

Ivermectin did not significantly reduce recovery time among COVID-19 patients in a study of more than 1,500 people, The New York Times reported June 12. 

Babies born to mothers who had COVID-19 during pregnancy were more likely to be diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder by their first birthday compared to […]

The risk of breakthrough COVID-19 infections was 28 percent higher in people who are HIV-positive, according to a study published June 7 in JAMA Network […]

While fatigue is the most commonly reported symptom among adult and pediatric long COVID-19 patients, physicians at Washington, D.C.-based Children’s National Hospital have noticed another […]

Guidelines for diagnosing and treating long-COVID-19 cardiovascular complications were updated by the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation on June 7. 

Hospital workers and allies in Illinois and Indiana are urging The Joint Commission to add staffing standards to its accreditation and licensing process for healthcare facilities.

A team of nurses at New York City-based Mount Sinai Health System who led the successful postoperative care of the world’s first human tracheal transplant […]

A South Carolina hospital employee is dead and a patient has been charged with assault after a May 27 altercation between the two.

Two staff nurses and one emergency department physician were stabbed June 3 inside Encino (Calif.) Hospital Medical Center.

A visitor was shot at Wayne UNC Health Care in Goldsboro, N.C., on June 5, which prompted a lockdown at the hospital for nearly an […]

HHS on June 1 issued a national framework to improve care for the 1 in 5 children in the U.S. who have special healthcare needs.

The Joint Commission has issued warnings about the importance of safety timeouts ahead of surgeries, released its list of the most challenging requirements for hospitals […]

Physicians transplanted the first 3D-printed ear in a woman using her own cells, The New York Times reported June 2. 

Five people were killed and multiple others were injured June 1 in a mass shooting inside a medical office building on a hospital campus in […]

A security guard died June 1 after he was shot by a jail inmate receiving care at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. 

A security guard died June 1 after he was shot by a jail inmate receiving care at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. 

Pulse oximeter measurements are less accurate among Black, Hispanic and Asian COVID-19 patients compared to white patients. These inaccuracies may have led to minority patients […]

Malcom Randall VA Medical Center in Gainesville, Fla., failed to provide emergency care to an unresponsive heart failure patient because hospital staff could not verify […]

Many hospitals across the nation are postponing scans used to diagnose cancer and other diseases due to the shortage of a contrast dye produced in […]

The Leapfrog Group is urging CMS to scrap a proposal that would end public reporting of data on serious medical and surgical complications that occur […]

One in 5 adult COVID-19 survivors between the ages of 18 and 64 has experienced at least one health condition that could be considered long […]

Recent studies on long COVID-19 have quantified the infection’s effect on the brain and offered more information on how long symptoms may last. 

Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston is partnering with the American Medical Association and The Joint Commission to create a learning network to help health […]

A group of federal and industry safety leaders have issued an urgent call for healthcare organizations to rebuild the foundations for safe care that deteriorated […]

A group of federal and industry safety leaders have issued an urgent call for healthcare organizations to rebuild the foundations for safe care that deteriorated […]

If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, the criminialization of abortion will have a systemwide effect on the healthcare industry — a potenital reality […]

RaDonda Vaught was sentenced to three years of supervised probation May 13 for a fatal medication error she made in 2017 while working as a […]

In what researchers are calling the longest follow-up study to date, findings published May 11 in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine suggest more than half of […]

For many people, rude behavior is no more than an unwelcome nuisance. But for those in healthcare, the consequences can be far more detrimental. 

Twenty-five percent of Medicare enrollees experienced harm during hospital stays in October 2018, according to a May 12 report from the HHS Office of the […]

Reducing the risk of hospital-acquired infections was the most challenging compliance standard for hospitals in 2021, according to The Joint Commission. 

Interest in intrauterine devices and other forms of contraception has spiked in the wake of a leaked draft opinion suggesting the Supreme Court may strike […]

The cognitive impairment caused by severe COVID-19 is equivalent to 20 years of aging or the loss of 10 IQ points, according to a small […]

Baltimore-based University of Maryland Medicine eliminated race as a factor in birthing assessment tools, it said in an email to Becker’s on May 4.

Medical groups reacted with condemnation after a May 3 report from Politico uncovered a draft opinion from the Supreme Court indicating it is poised to […]

A new report from the CDC provides the most detailed insights yet into the nation’s earliest confirmed pediatric acute hepatitis cases potentially linked to an […]

RaDonda Vaught’s conviction for a fatal medication error is drawing newfound attention to the technological vulnerabilities of electronic medication cabinets, Kaiser Health News reported April […]

Physicians are increasingly prescribing a free, effective therapy for patients with various conditions: more time in nature, Time reported April 27.

The Joint Commission and National Quality Forum selected Prime Healthcare Services and Kaiser Permanente Northern California as recipients of their John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety […]

A study involving physician surveys and Medicare claims data found no consistent relationship between burnout and patient outcomes, according to findings published in the April […]

Vaccinated people with a history of certain psychiatric conditions may have a higher chance of contracting breakthrough COVID-19, according to a study published April 14 […]

Health officials have not observed a change in severity among people infected with the omicron “sister variants” BA.4 and BA.5, Maria Van Kerkhove, PhD, COVID-19 […]

CMS will roll out a new “birthing-friendly” designation for hospitals in fall 2023 as part of a larger effort to improve maternal health outcomes, the […]

New data from Madison, Wisc.-based UW Health Kids shows the number of cases of Type 2 diabetes in pediatric patients increasing from 5.8 percent in […]

The U.S. lags behind other high-income countries when it comes to serving women ages 18 to 49 — whether for maternal care, primary care or […]

Once a month at Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health, some COVID-19 patients who have lost their sense of smell have their plasma extracted and inserted high up […]

RaDonda Vaught’s conviction for a fatal medical error has already damaged patient safety and should serve as a wake-up call for health system leaders to […]

Co-infection with respiratory viruses such as the flu and COVID-19 is associated with more severe illness than COVID-19 alone, according to a March 25 study […]

New York City-based Mount Sinai Health System plans to launch the nation’s first multidisciplinary clinic dedicated to reducing stillbirths later this month. 

New York City-based Mount Sinai Health System plans to launch the nation’s first multidisciplinary clinic dedicated to reducing stillbirths later this month. 

Researchers are continuously learning more about COVID-19 and how it affects certain individuals even after infection.

CMS has extended a March 13 deadline for Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs to correct deficiencies connected to patient deaths, the Independent Record reported […]

Healthgrades has identified 448 hospitals as the recipients of its 2022 Patient Safety Excellence Award, the organization said March 15.

A Texas district judge on March 11 temporarily blocked a directive from Gov. Greg Abbott that called on state officials to investigate gender-affirming care as […]

The future of daylight saving time hangs in the balance as lawmakers consider potential negative health effects associated with the time shift, while a past […]

Compared to pre-pandemic, mortality rates after hospitalization for non-COVID-19 illnesses were substantially higher among more than 8 million Medicare recipients in 2020-21, according to a […]

Houston-based Texas Children’s Hospital — the nation’s largest pediatric hospital —  has halted prescribing gender-affirming hormone therapies after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called on state […]

One recent study has found some symptoms of long COVID-19 may be related to nerve damage, and another identified the proportion of patients who require […]

Most (89.1 percent) adult COVID-19 patients who were eligible for but didn’t receive extracorporeal membrane oxygenation owing to a lack of resources during the peak […]

Healthcare workers are burned out and exhausted from juggling pandemic-related stressors and additional burdens linked to workforce shortages for more than two years. These issues […]

Amid the pandemic, officials have struggled to piece together an accurate picture of patient safety and care quality in the U.S., with healthcare systems overwhelmed […]

Costly intravenous vitamin cocktails — usually administered through at-home concierge services or in spalike “drip bars” — have gained steam in recent years, but experts […]

Costly intravenous vitamin cocktails — usually administered through at-home concierge services or in spalike “drip bars” — have gained steam in recent years, but experts […]

Pandemic-related stress brought on by societal and lifestyle disruptions may lead to brain inflammation  — even among those not infected with COVID-19, according to early […]

The number of U.S. women who died during pregnancy or after childbirth increased during 2020, especially among Black and Hispanic women, according to a report […]

A CMS inspection has tied four patient deaths at Warm Springs-based Montana State Hospital to noncompliance with federal rules, according to a Feb. 23 report […]

Children’s hospitals nationwide are keeping a close eye on cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C, in the wake of the omicron wave, […]

The number of serious patient safety incidents reported to The Joint Commission jumped in 2021, reaching the highest annual level seen since the accrediting body […]

Disability Rights Rhode Island is alleging patient abuse at Cranston, R.I.-based Eleanor Slater Hospital after a video showed 12 correctional officers conducting a contraband search […]

People who had COVID-19 were 39 percent more likely to be diagnosed with depression in the months after their infection compared to those without COVID-19, […]

In 2021, a record-setting number of organ transplants were performed in the U.S., with more than 40,000 transplants performed annually for the first time in […]

A U.S. woman of mixed race has become the third person in the world believed to be cured of HIV, scientists said Feb. 15, according […]

Infants born to mothers vaccinated for COVID-19 while pregnant were less likely to be hospitalized for the virus within the first six months of life, […]

Recent studies have identified changes to a nerve that may explain why some people suffer from long COVID-19, while separate findings may point to a […]

Intermountain Healthcare is rolling out a program to improve long-term care for patients with long COVID-19, the Salt Lake City-based health system said Feb. 14.

Cleveland Clinic performed 1,039 organ transplants in 2021, up 18 percent from 2020, and a record 210 liver transplants, it said Feb. 14.

Nearly a third — 32 percent — of adults 65 and older infected with COVID-19 in 2020 developed at least one new condition that required […]

Among pregnant women, the coronavirus can severely damage the placenta, leading to fetal asphyxiation and stillbirth, according to research published Feb. 10 in the Archives […]

Researchers have linked certain risk factors to severe COVID-19 for kids, along with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, according to a study published Feb. 8 […]

A study of more than 13,000 pregnant people from 17 U.S. hospitals found those with moderate to severe COVID-19 are more likely to experience pregnancy […]

Nonelderly Medicaid enrollees in racial and ethnic minority groups have significantly worse care experiences than white enrollees, a Health Affairs study published in February found.

The first 30 consecutive patients who underwent a lung transplant due to COVID-19 complications at Chicago-based Northwestern Medicine had positive outcomes, according to findings recently […]

A mechanism has been identified that may explain why some people with COVID-19 lose their sense of smell, according to research published Feb. 1 in […]

COVID-19 infection and hospitalization rates have been significantly higher among unvaccinated people during the recent omicron wave compared to rates among those who are fully […]

A year after COVID-19 patients left intensive care, almost 75 percent reported lingering physical symptoms, more than 26 percent reported mental symptoms and more than […]

Surgical patients treated in hospitals with good work environments for nurses are less likely to require intensive care or die, according to a study published […]

While the highly transmissible omicron variant has pushed U.S. cases and hospitalizations to record highs, a smaller proportion of cases resulted in hospitalization compared to […]

Clinicians may be able to determine which patients are at risk of developing prolonged COVID-19 symptoms based on four clinical factors measured at the time […]

Children’s hospitals nationwide have seen record levels of COVID-19 patients amid the omicron surge, despite children having the lowest risk of hospitalization from the virus.

In a small study of 100 people who contracted COVID-19 in the first wave, more than half have long-term changes to their sense of smell, […]

The healthcare industry should expand the “quadruple aim” to include a fifth key focus: advancing health equity, three physician leaders wrote in a Jan. 21 […]

Scott Quiner — a COVID-19 patient who was transferred from Coon Rapids, Minn.-based Mercy Hospital to a Texas care facility after a judge issued a […]