Connecticut leads nation in patient safety
Connecticut hospitals provide high-quality, safe care. This is a reflection of a decadeslong commitment by Connecticut’s hospitals to work together to improve quality and safety.
During last month’s Patient Safety Awareness Week, we recognized that we must continually improve and honor the successful efforts of Connecticut’s exceptional health care workers to advance and prioritize safety, improving health outcomes for patients every day.
Connecticut hospitals have set themselves apart nationally with an ambitious statewide initiative that focuses on the elimination of all-cause preventable harm to patients and staff using high reliability principles to create a culture of safety. High reliability organizations, like hospitals, which exist in complex environments with high-risk potential, reduce the number of serious safety events by using science and performance improvement methodology to reduce errors in every aspect of their work.
In 2012, Connecticut hospitals implemented a first-in-the-nation statewide collaboration through the Connecticut Hospital Association to create a safety culture adopting high reliability principles and engaging in extensive training and hands-on interactive simulation. That commitment remains unwavering today, more than a decade later. Last fall, Connecticut hospitals kicked off the next phase of this yearslong statewide high reliability initiative, marking the next step forward in the journey to advance efforts to support an exceptional workforce and promote safe, high-quality care for Connecticut communities.
It is this commitment to quality and safety that has enabled Connecticut health care organizations to provide safe, exceptional care every day. Every year, Connecticut hospitals treat more than 1.5 million patients in their emergency departments, provide 1.9 million days of inpatient care and 10 million episodes of outpatient services, and welcome 35,000 babies into the world, all while supporting 245,000 jobs, contributing $38.7 billion to the economy, and providing $3.4 billion in community benefits.
We are consistently focused on improvement. While malpractice lawsuits generate media attention, it’s critically important to understand that these cases are usually very complex both medically and legally. Rushing to judgment before all the facts are known, before the relevant laws are applied, and before medical experts have been able to consider the issues carefully does a disservice to all of the parties. In rare cases, a patient may experience an unwanted outcome even when a care provider does everything right.
Connecticut care providers and all members of care teams are extraordinary. They are more than just a white coat or a pair of scrubs, they are people who dedicate their lives to improving the lives of others. Clinicians and staff remain unwavering. We cannot lose sight of that.
As a nurse and quality and safety leader, I have seen the progress and extraordinary accomplishments Connecticut’s health care workforce has achieved in patient safety. This recognition is vital to building on successful programs and ensuring nurses and other health care providers feel supported in their incredibly complex and challenging work. They are making a difference, and their focus on safety aims to create a safer, higher-quality experience for every patient. Hospitals continuously improve by reviewing, and learning from every case in which a patient has had an experience that hasn’t lived up to their expectations or to the high quality of care that Connecticut residents expect and deserve.
Connecticut health care providers’ top priority has always been to provide the safest, highest quality care. We lead the nation because of it. The work is not done, but the progress is exceptional — and it’s a testament to a workforce that is steadfast in its dedication to care.