Patient Safety & Quality Health Care

An interesting new report, published in April 2010, by the European Commission on the perceptions of patient safety and the quality of healthcare. The survey was conducted in 27 members states of the European Union. Nearly half the respondents feel that they could be harmed by healthcare in their country, and the majority of respondents feel hospital infections or incorrect, missed or delayed diagnoses are either fairly likely or very likely to occur.

• The majority of respondents feel hospital infections or incorrect, missed or delayed diagnoses are either fairly likely or very likely to occur when receiving healthcare in their own country.

• Over 25% of respondents claim that they or a member of their family have experienced an adverse event with healthcare. However, these events largely go unreported.

• Where adverse experiences were reported this was mainly to the hospital management or the relevant doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

• Nearly one third of respondents do not know which body is responsible for patient safety in their country. Others see the ministry of health or the healthcare providers (e.g. clinic, hospital, doctor, nurse) as the responsible bodies.

• Of the people who underwent surgery, 17% say written consent was never obtained, though great variance across the Member States is evident.

• Most respondents (73%) say television is their main source of information regarding adverse events in healthcare, followed by newspapers and magazines (44%) and friends or family (31%). Only 9% would seek information in official statistics or in hospital.

• Whether harm occurred in their own country, or another Member State, respondents expect that an investigation into the case or financial compensation would be the forms of redress.

• Should they be harmed in their own country, most respondents anticipate that they would seek help from a lawyer, or else the hospital management or ministry of health. If the harm occurs in another Member State, they claim they would first contact their embassy or consulate.

• When thinking of high quality healthcare, the most important criterion is well trained medical staff, followed by treatment that works. Thereafter, no waiting lists, modern medical equipment and respect of a patient’s dignity receive roughly equal responses.

• Most respondents rate the healthcare in their country as good, though the majority feel it is fairly good rather than very good. However, there is again great variance on a national level (from 97% to 25% of respondents rating quality of healthcare in their country as good).

• Respondents from 16 EU Member States consider the quality of healthcare in their country as worse than in other Member States, whereas respondents from 11 Member States consider it as better.

This is a fascinating report and Canadians should be aware that we have similar issues in this country.