Hospital Patient Safety Report 2021

Overview

The Hospital Patient Safety Report, conducted each year since 2019, serves as a barometer of safety performance within U.S. hospitals. Based on insights from physicians, infection preventionists, pharmacists, and other hospital leaders, the findings reveal hospitals’ top patient safety challenges and priorities and how they are changing over time. This year’s survey, conducted one year after the first known case of COVID-19 in the U.S., contains additional findings related to the pandemic’s enduring impact on hospital safety initiatives. 

Key Findings

Hospitals’ Biggest Strategic Priority Shift: Safety Over Cost Reduction 

The findings point to a significant shift in hospitals’ strategic priorities. For the first time since 2019, improving patient safety outranked reducing costs. COVID-19 is likely a key contributor to this shift, as 77% of respondents said it has made improving patient safety a higher organizational priority.