New report shows improvements in patient safety and workforce resilience

The AHA and Press Ganey March 12 released a new report showing hospital and health system patients reporting improvements in overall care experience and perception of safety alongside gains in key safety outcomes. It also shows that the health care workforce has had a rebound in their reported experience, resilience and perceptions of safety culture.

The insights report, “Improvement in Safety Culture Linked to Better Patient and Staff Outcomes,” highlights how hospitals that foster a strong culture of safety also report a better experience for patients and the health care workforce.

Key report findings include: 

• 13 million patients surveyed after hospital stays report improvements in their overall care experience and perception of safety.
• Surveys of 1.7 million members of the health care workforce show a rebound in their reported experience, resilience and perceptions of safety culture, following the enormous strain of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Improvements in key safety outcomes like falls and infections across more than 25,000 units in 2,430 hospitals.

“Every day in hospitals across America, dedicated care teams strive to deliver safe, high-quality care to every patient. This commitment involves continually identifying what drives better outcomes and then implementing changes to improve patient care,” said AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack. “At the heart of health care are people caring for other people, which is why hospitals support and invest in the success and well-being of their workforce. The latest Press Ganey data highlight that care is getting safer as the experience of both patients and the health care workforce improves.”

The report, released during Patient Safety Awareness Week (March 9-15), demonstrates continued positive trends for hospitals and health systems that were outlined in a September 2024 report AHA released in conjunction with Vizient. That report showed a decrease in adverse patient safety events along with increasing health care screenings — even as hospitals are caring for more higher acuity patients.

The reports are part of the AHA’s Patient Safety Initiative that was launched in 2023 to reaffirm hospital and health system leadership and commitment to patient safety. The initiative provides hospitals with tools and data to advance patient safety, offers a platform for sharing their stories of improvement with peers, and highlights examples of innovation that support, spread and sustain safety improvement.